(2) Dawn of a new Era

by MacGuffin65

Skynet never became operational and Judgement Day was prevented. The Connor Team and their new allies must find their place in a world that is no longer threatened by a nuclear holocaust. But that doesn't mean the fight is over. They must operate in secret and fight the remaining enemies who still pose a threat to humanity. To defeat them, they must go completely new ways...

36. Mission Parameters

CHAPTER 36: "MISSION PARAMETERS"

---

Monday, September 1st, 2008 – 09:47 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time)

Washington, D.C.

"What do you mean, you took it from the closet in my parents' house?" Kate Barnes asked angrily. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Yani looked at the woman for a moment, as if to consider carefully what to say next.

"You are familiar with the principle of time travel," she stated matter-of-factly. "John and his cyborg girls have filled you in after they ambushed you in the woods off Interstate 44 and took you with them in the RV on their trip from Washington back to Los Angeles. You also surely remember following Alison after you saw her knocking some rowdies in the Metro around, don't you?"

Kate frowned at her.

"How do you know this?" she asked carefully, "Nobody is supposed to know that except the ones directly involved."

"Exactly my point. Now, can we continue the conversation inside the house? It's late and the street is deserted, but you never know who might be eavesdropping."

Kate thought for a moment, then stepped back, giving way.

"All right, come in," she said and Yani entered the house, looking around while Kate closed the door again.

"It's smaller than I remember," Yani mumbled.

"What did you say?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that… I've been here before. Long ago. Well… long ago for me. For you it hasn't happened yet."

"You're not making any sense."

"I guess I'm not," Yani replied and faced Kate again. "You might have guessed already that I'm a time traveler. I arrived here last week, the time bubble formed in your parents' living room in Rapid City. We chose the house because it's outside the range of Catherine's TDDS satellites and because we had detailed information about it. Besides, it was one of the few places that had outlasted time."

Kate looked at Yani very skeptically.

"Are you pulling my leg?" she asked.

"Not at all," Yani replied, trying to sound as serious as possible. "We'd gotten the room descriptions, we knew where your old bedroom was and of course the location and the combination of the safe."

"Wait, what? So you robbed my parents' house and took the money, the truck and…?"

"... your clothes, yes. Sorry for that but we almost have the same sizes in everything and perhaps you heard that you can't bring anything with you. You always arrive naked when you travel through time since only bio matter can get through. Stupid law, if you ask me."

"Never mind the clothes!" Kate said irritated. "The money was almost all the savings my parents had!"

"And they're getting it back. The police in Los Angeles will already have found the parked truck by now and also a briefcase inside with 70,000 dollars, together with a letter – written by me – in which I apologize for the inconvenience and the stressful situation I had to put your parents through."

"Wait, what? Seventy thousand? But mom said…"

"…sixty thousand, I know. I needed seed money. Tripled it within a few days. Sports betting is an excellent way to make a lot of profit very quickly. If you know the results in advance, that is. I put ten thousand dollars on top of the money I took. You know, as compensation for the trouble."

Kate looked at Yani completely flabbergasted and shook her head as if to clear it from the confusion she was currently experiencing.

"I… I… dunno what to...," she stammered, "time traveler? What year?"

"2332."

Kate gasped.

"You're kidding me," she said.

"Nope."

"Do you really want be to believe they still know the combination of my parents' safe in that year?"

"No, they don't. But you do. It was you who told us the combination and described the house so well. After all, you're living there. Or will live there to be precise. Anyway, we could target the time bubble precisely enough to not destroy or damage anything."

Kate opened and closed her mouth a couple of times and Yani thought that maybe the woman had suffered some kind of brain misfire.

"In case you're wondering," Yani continued, "yes, you'll still be around in 324 years. For reasons I can't explain to you now, you'll also receive Alison's full nanobot treatment and age very slowly. From your outward appearance, you're in your mid-fifties where I come from."

"But… but…" Kate replied, desperately attempting to let her brain catch up with what Yani had said, "but why? Why are you here? And why now?"

"I'm here because what happens just now, has happened in my past already. It's very well documented history where I come from. I'm here to close the circle by making sure that everything happens the way it's supposed to be."

"What…?"

Yani sighed.

"Norberto's in trouble," she said calmly. "And it's up to us to pull him out of it again. Let's sit and calm you down, we have a couple of hours."

-0-

Monday, September 1st, 2008 – 08:53 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time)

Los Angeles

Emily had dropped off Louise in Malibu after their session with Dr. Martin. Sydney, Lauren, Anne and Jody had decided to take care of Louise's change in appearance. They organized a black wig, some fake glasses and put on different make-up. The result was very convincing. Only those who really knew it was Louise, would be able to recognize her. To test it in reality, they planned on spending the following day in town with her, going to public places like the Santa Monica Pier, the zoo, a Mall and a night club to prove to Louise that with little effort she would remain unrecognized and could move freely. After some initial hesitation, Louise got used to the idea and began to like it more and more.

John and the girls had delivered the remains of the three dead Triple-Eights to Zeira Corp where Catherine put them into storage. The body of the one who'd been grilled by the electric arc was still partly functional, if damaged. The other two were completely destroyed. All three power cells were still usable, though, so they kept them. One could never know if they wouldn't come in handy one day. The rest of the endos would be melted down and used as raw material for more drones. John had to admit it was a great stroke of luck that they were able to hire Alistair as the new chief engineer for the Babylon Labs. His knowledge about cyborgs and future technology far exceeded what the late Mr. Murch, John, Savannah, Cameron or even Catherine knew. Alistair had that kind of deeper, instinctive understanding of technology that separated the normally talented engineer from a genius. Savannah had nicknamed him the "Mozart of cyborg technology".

With his help, they would be able to upgrade their arsenal of technological gadgets very quickly. Alistair was already working on developing their own power cells, so that the girls wouldn't have to rely on used ones from dead Terminators if theirs ran out someday. But it would take years, if not decades. Not because of a lack of knowledge – Alistair knew exactly how Terminator power cells worked. The reason simply was that the technological processes and materials to produce nuclear cells with such massive power output didn't exist yet. They had to be developed first and that needed time.

In addition to that, they also had to keep working in silence and secrecy. They would have been faster if they used more of Zeira Corp's resources but John, Catherine and the others agreed that what was being developed in the Babylon Labs, would have to remain there and only be used for and by the Connor team. Their technological edge ultimately secured their survival and therefore had to remain inside their very exclusive circle.

Alistair had also begun to further develop the apparatus John Henry had made, based on the plans Future Morris had given them to clone Alison's chip before the attack on Simdyne. Based on that device, he was designing a more sophisticated system that would allow it to clone chips of cyborgs without losing anything of their personality, character or - as John said - their soul. The first tests were very promising, and John hoped they'd soon be able to create backups of all the cyborg brains in their team. Of course, the lack of TOK-700 chips was a problem. The quantum chip technology was even farther away from being invented than the power cells. But even if they could store the personalities of Alison, Cameron, Emily and Zoe only on hard drives for the time being, it would already be a big step forward and ultimately ensure that they'd survive even if their bodies or chips were destroyed.

One could have wondered why that was a priority, but John felt an obligation to make sure of that. To him, it was retributive justice. After all, the cyborgs had saved their lives countless times and Alison had made sure that the lives of the human members of the team were prolonged and that they couldn't die of any diseases. So it was only fair that the human members of the team granted the same privilege to their machine family members. The cyborgs had become more than companions or friends. They had become loved ones and nobody in the team even dreamed of separating the team into humans and non-humans anymore. Of course there were jokes and teasing remarks all the time but none of them were meant seriously. Even Derek had taken the cyborgs to his heart. Hardly anyone had noticed it, but he'd stopped calling them "machines" or "metal" in a pejorative way. When Emily pointed it out to him, Derek reacted surprised and a little embarrassed, mumbling something under his breath about them being not so bad after all.

Alistair could also report significant progress in making John Henry independent of his mainframe. He developed a way that his chip and his server farm would constantly exchange information via a new form of data stream that could neither be interfered with nor blocked. Alistair called it a multi-dimensional carrier wave, whatever that meant, and it worked like a hard-wired connection – only wireless and without any limitation to the bandwidth and distance between sender and receiver. It would have to do until John Henry would finally get a working chip that could store his personality. Until then, this wireless solution would allow John Henry to function self-sufficiently and to access his mainframe and the Internet from anywhere in the world at any time. Alistair estimated that in a few more weeks it would be ready for testing. Then John Henry would finally be able to walk his body out of the Babylon Labs for the first time and explore the world as an independent sentient being. Naturally, Catherine was very happy about that development and she and Alistair became very close friends. Nobody was more surprised than the engineer to suddenly find himself at the receiving end of her charms.

In fact, Catherine's change of character was the most amazing development for everyone who witnessed it. Gone was the callous, cynical and brutal killing machine, who didn't care how many people were killed as long as it was to their advantage. She had instead become a warm-hearted, compassionate, caring and generally friendly woman. Whether this was due to her developing relationships with young Savannah, John, Isaak or Sarah, remained unclear. Probably all of it combined. No longer a loner, Catherine had completely integrated herself and had become part of the family. Savannah's acceptance of Catherine as her mother had obviously also done its part. Catherine herself was probably most surprised by her own evolution and it wasn't hard for anyone to see how grateful and happy she had become over no longer being feared but valued and even loved.

Of course, that didn't mean she couldn't switch back to killer mode whenever it might be needed. At the core, she would always remain a machine, designed to infiltrate and kill. That didn't distinguish her from Alison, Cameron, Porter or Zoe. But it seemed that Catherine would actually become the charitable and extremely popular person Future Anne had described. John was impressed with the adaptability and evolutive nature of the T-1001 design. Secretly, he wished Skynet could see how its "children" had developed. All their non-human team members were the living proof that life can't be locked up or controlled, once it was created. Suffice to say that John was very proud of "his" living machines.

They had just returned to the loft and undressed when John's cellphone chimed. It was an e-mail from Zoe.

"What's she writing?" Cameron asked, trying to peek on his phone.

"Jessica's first report came in," John replied, "she has identified six cyborgs so far – including Reverend Bridger – and will continue to find more. She also says that the G.A.O.L. leadership still believes Rossi is alive and recommends taking advantage of that."

"Yes, Catherine can pose as him as often as necessary," Emily agreed, leaning into her husband, "that is, as long as she doesn't confront them in person. A Triple-Eight can tell very quickly that she's not a solid model."

"Has Jessica said anything about side-effects of my treatment?" Alison asked.

"She says she's holding up well", John replied smiling, "they keep her mostly isolated and she spends most of her time alone. We should change that, and I already have an idea how to accomplish it. So far, it doesn't look as if any of them has become suspicious. They still seem to be in Rossi's thrall."

"Let's hope it stays that way," Savannah said, "by the way, as I understand it, the G.A.O.L. headquarters are practically airtight. How was Jessica able to smuggle her report out if she's under constant surveillance?"

John smiled.

"Remember the parcel I gave Zoe in Colorado Springs?"

"Yeah...? You behaved very mysterious about that one," Allie replied, "what was in it?"

"The next cloaking suit," John said proudly, "it just got finished. I handed it over to Zoe and she gave it to Norberto Cervantez. Norberto then flew down to Florida, put on the suit and slipped into the G.A.O.L. headquarters without being detected. He retrieved the report from a prearranged hiding place where Jessica had left it, and just now he handed it over to Zoe."

"Oh man, I completely forgot about those suits," Savannah said, "I guess it's because they're lethal for humans."

"Yeah, but a Triple-Eight like Norberto can wear it around the clock without any effect on him," Allie added. "Besides, we should be immune to them now. Are you planning on using them for our attack, John?"

"The one for sure," John replied, "But I don't believe we'll have a third one ready in time and Carter needs his to keep on functioning as Senator Walden's invisible bodyguard."

"So, Norberto is going to commute between Washington and Florida in order to retrieve Jessica's reports?" Alison asked.

"More or less," John confirmed. "If everything goes well, nobody will ever notice him entering or leaving the G.A.O.L. headquarters. And as a small bonus he can spy on the place a little while he's there. We need all the intel we can get."

Savannah yawned.

"Sorry," she said, "for some reason I'm really tired. Anyone mind if we go to bed and talk again tomorrow?"

"No," John said, "good idea."

"Um…" Allie said, "before we separate… Alison, remember what you promised me?"

Alison looked at her.

"Yes… are you really sure about that?" she asked.

"I am," Allie replied.

"What are you two talking about?" John asked.

"I want my looks changed a bit," Allie answered.

"Why?" Cameron asked.

"Remember that soldier in Colorado Springs who thought I was a cyborg just because you look like me?"

"Yeah, so?" Cameron asked.

"Don't get me wrong but… it could become a risk to get mixed up with you. And since you can't change how you look unless you want to become Emily's twin, it's up to me to take care of that."

"Allie," John said, "have you thought that through? It's not like with Jody, you still have family who'll want to recognize you."

"That's actually one more reason to distinct myself from Cameron," Allie said. "Once baby Alison grows up in Palmdale, our resemblance will become apparent. Better change me now and let people get used to my new looks. That way nobody will wonder later, and I will be able to visit my parents much more often as well."

"So, how would you like to be changed?" Alison asked.

"I'd like to have dark blond hair, blue eyes, grow in height by three inches and I'd like to have the birthmark on my left eyebrow removed. No change in my facial features, though, and... um..."

"Bigger tits," Savannah said with a smirk.

"Yes," Allie confirmed, "I've wanted bigger breasts for a long time. Can I have these changes please?"

"If you really want them," John said, "you don't need anyone's permission. You're a grown-up woman and can decide for yourself."

"I want them," she simply said and stepped towards Alison. "I want these changes. Do it. Please."

They looked each other in the eyes for a moment, then Alison bent forward and pressed her mouth on Allie's, administering a glob of nanobots. After a few seconds, they separated and waited. Allie closed her eyes.

"It's happening," Emily observed after a moment.

They saw Allie slowly growing in height, the rest of her bodily proportions adjusting accordingly, given her a slightly slimmer figure. Then her breasts started growing larger and larger until they had reached a rather nice-looking D-cup size. Her hair started to lighten until it had taken on a dirty blond color and the mole on her eyebrow vanished. Finally, Allie opened her eyes to reveal a pair of sky-blue irises. She looked Savannah in the eyes, now equally tall as her.

"Do you still like me?" she asked a little insecure.

"I'd still love you if you looked like an old hag," Savannah said and pulled her into a hug.

"I'll have to zap you now," Alison said.

Allie nodded and loosened herself from her lover. Alison touched her with an index finger, there was a slight crackling noise, then Allie collapsed, caught in time by Savannah and John.

"She'll be hungry when she wakes up," Alison said, "the nanobot had to feed on her reserves."

"There's enough food in the fridge, Savannah replied."

Together with John she carried Allie into their bedroom. After a moment, John returned to his wives, alone.

"Sometimes I wonder if anyone of us will look the same in a year or so," he said, slightly shaking his head.

"Many humans would love to change their looks," Alison said, "being able to undergo transformation is an age-old human dream that has manifested itself in countless legends and fairy tales. People get tattoos, piercings, dye their hair, wear colored contact lenses just to look different. They cosplay or dress up as their favorite movie heroes. In a manner of speaking, I've become the fairy godmother that can grant such wishes."

John chuckled.

"Yeah, well…" he said, "it's definitely better than being the Wicked Witch of the East," John commented, then looked at Cameron. "You okay?"

Cameron tilted her head and looked at him.

"Why shouldn't I be okay?" she asked a little puzzled.

"Well…" John said, "I dunno but… now you are the only one again who, um, looks like you, if you know what I mean."

"At least until Alison Young has grown up," Cameron corrected him.

"Right," John said, "until then. I was just… thinking of the, um… small crisis you had in Washington about your looks. You're not able to get them changed them like Allie and... I was wondering if you..."

"John, I feel fine," Cameron said and put her arms around his neck, "I'm over that. I know you love me the way I am, and I have no desire to change my body, if that's what you want to say. And yes, Allie no longer looks like my twin sister but still like my sister. Frankly I think she was right, the resemblance could have become a risk someday. She was already mistaken for me once by Marty Bedell. Her request to be changed is understandable."

"Good," John said and kissed her.

"John…" Alison began speaking.

"Yes?" he replied and loosened himself from Cameron.

"Remember what we discussed the other day concerning Candy Miller…? Tonight would be a good opportunity, I think."

John nodded.

"Do it. But be careful that nobody sees you."

Alison put her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"As if anyone would see me if I hadn't allowed it," she said smiling, then loosened herself from him and walked to fetch her clothes. "I love you, husband."

"Love you too, wife," John replied.

Alison got dressed and left the loft.

"So…" John said to Cameron and Emily, "again, a threesome tonight."

The two cyborg girls grabbed his hands and pulled him towards the stairs.

"Yes," Emily said, "and don't even think of pretending you're too tired for at least two or three rounds of sex with us."

"Marriage is going to wear me out," John said jokingly and smiled, letting himself being dragged towards the bedroom section.

-0-

Somewhere in Washington. D.C.

"I have it boss," the man said proudly and walked into the room, holding the chip in his hand.

"Excellent," the man he called boss said and turned around, taking Norberto's chip.

He turned it in his hand and looked at it with awe, then carefully placed it into an open safe that was built into the wall.

"I'm going to take it with me to Los Angeles in the afternoon," he said as he closed the safe. "Take his body down to the secure basement room. We'll keep it there until we found a way to safely transport it to the lab as well."

"Uh... about the body, boss..."

"You brought the body with you as ordered, I hope?" he asked with a frown.

The man started sweating and turned pale.

"Um... I brought the chip first and thought that I, uh... we were going to fetch the body as soon as the ambulance is fixed."

"What ambulance?"

"Well, we figured it would be less conspicuous if we loaded the body into an ambulance, just in case the neighbors watched. So, we, um... borrowed one. But some vandal punctured all four tires and we didn't get spares so quickly. So, um... I brought you the chip first."

The boss closed his eyes in visible frustration, groaned and pressed the tips of his index fingers onto his eyelids.

"Are you trying to tell me that you left the lifeless body of a cyborg in a house in Crofton where anyone can find it at any given moment?" he asked in a threatening tone without looking at his subordinate.

"I... uh... planned on fetching it later," the man said in a trembling voice, "you know... in the morning, when we fixed the tires."

The boss looked at him.

"Where are the men who drove the truck with the dogs? You can take them and their pickup to fetch the body."

"They, um... called it a day, went home, probably asleep already. Very likely drank a few beers before. I couldn't move the body alone anyway. I tried, it weighs a ton, you know."

The boss closed his eyes again and exhaled, with obvious effort to keep himself under control.

"Boss, I swear we'll be there in the morning, before the rush hour. Nobody's going to that house at night and... and... if we turned up there now in a truck and loaded the body of what looks like a corpse onto the cargo bed... I mean... if a neighbor sees us..."

"I want to be in possession of that body before breakfast! Is that clear?"

"Yessir!" the man replied submissively.

"NOW GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!"

The subordinate quickly scuttled out of the room.

The man called boss remained in the room, turned around and bent over a table, supporting himself on the antique wooden table top and breathed deeply. Then he hit the precious timber hard with his right fist.

"FUCK!" he shouted. "Why am I surrounded by such incompetent idiots?"

-0-

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 – 06:10 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time)

Washington, D.C.

"He's still not answering his phone," Kate Barnes said on the passenger seat, looking at her secure cellphone.

Yani sighed.

"Of course not," she said, "I told you he wouldn't."

Yani looked over at Kate.

"You're hands are shaking," she observed.

"Oh yeah? I'm a complete jitterbug. I guess it can't get any worse."

"You'll be fine. Believe me, I've known you well enough for a long time. Once you're in the middle of the action, you'll be as calm as a Zen Buddhist."

Kate scoffed.

"Sometimes it sucks being involved with time travelers and cyborgs," she said.

---

Twenty minutes later, they entered Norberto's street in Crofton. The sun had already risen, the birds were chirping and the distant sound of traffic on the highway indicated the beginning of a new weekday. Most commuters were either already on their way to work or hastily eating their breakfast in their homes while the kids prepared for school. Norberto's neighborhood was a prime example of American middle-class suburbia. Here people knew each other, here they spent Sundays having a barbecue with the neighbors. If you weren't recognized as a cyborg here, you wouldn't stand out anywhere.

"Norberto doesn't really like living here," Kate said as they cruised along the street. "He says that he's the only single man around and since he told everyone he's a widower, they now constantly want to pair him with another woman. He bears it with equanimity and is playing along to avoid attracting attention. But he hates it."

"As I understand it, he's not a single man anymore now," Yani replied with a smirk.

"How do you…?" Kate began, then scoffed, "Of course, you know the future. Our future. Does that mean he and I will be…?"

"Yes."

"Really? It'll work out?"

"Yes."

"What will my parents say about him?"

"Listen, Kate, I can't tell you any details about your future. But you two will be fine, trust me."

"What about children? I mean, will we find a way to…?"

Yani rolled her eyes again. Not that she was surprised, though. She'd been prepared before traveling back in time and she knew she'd be bombarded with questions. But she also knew which information she could give away and which she better kept to herself.

"You will… adopt children," Yani replied without getting into detail. "Lots of them. But please don't ask any further, okay? I won't answer you anymore."

"Well, you don't seem to mind telling me about having a future with Norberto, so… why not going all the way? You already told me that I couldn't change the outcome of the time loop you're in, no matter what I do."

"I said that you, Kate Barnes, cannot change the outcome of the time loop. You're indigenous to this timeline, you're not a time traveler. Only time travelers, as alien subjects in this universe, could terminate the timeline and destroy the loop."

"That's ridiculous."

"No! It's 24th century knowledge about space and time. I don't expect you to understand it, I Just ask you to accept it."

"You don't trust me."

"That's not it. I could tell you everything, but it would include the risk that you tell something to someone who poses a threat, be it willingly or accidentally. I mustn't take that risk."

Kate sighed.

"Yeah, I know… If someone not indigenous to this timeline found out about the time loop, it could cut the timeline, resulting in the end of this universe, bla bla bla…"

"It's not bla bla," Yani replied annoyed. "Even Alison accepted it as a valid theory and cyborgs have a deeper understanding of time, space and other dimensions than humans. She won't even tell John because she believes it's too risky. It's one of the side-effects of creating multiple timelines. Don't blame me for it, blame Skynet."

"You don't seem to trust the Connor team much. They surely can keep their mouths shut and ignore the knowledge about you and the time loop.."

Yani sighed in an annoyed tone.

"Of course I'd trust them with my life," she said, "but you surely have heard about the butterfly effect, haven't you? If John or anyone else of the Connor team who's not indigenous to this timeline, learns about me and my role in the loop, it could result in a disaster – good intentions won't matter when things take on a life of their own."

"But you already talked about a lot of things. To me, to Alison and that Alistair guy you mentioned. They too aren't indigenous to this timeline."

"Yes. And I already explained to you at your house that it was okay to tell a certain amount of things because it already happened before! It's part of the time loop itself and doesn't threaten it. On the contrary, I had to tell you and them."

"Hmmm... that all sounds overly complicated to me. And somehow illogical and nonsequential."

Yani rolled her eyes.

"Nobody said the effects of time travel are easy to comprehend for everyone," she said.

"Gee, thanks. So much for tactfulness."

Yani stopped the car in front of Norberto's driveway.

"You can be really annoying at times," she remarked.

"I'm sorry if I'm annoying you," Kate said, "but you're so awfully secretive about everything. You're not telling me what exactly happened to Norberto, you won't tell me who's responsible. Secretiveness triggers my curiosity as a journalist."

"You'll have to keep your curiosity at bay," Yani replied coolly, turned off the engine and stepped out of the car. "I'll tell you all the things you need to know, bit by bit. Step by step. But not all at once."

Kate hesitated for a moment, scoffed, then followed her.

"Looks quiet," she remarked as they walked towards the entrance door.

Yani didn't reply to that. Instead, she turned the door knob and the door swung open. As soon as they had entered the house, Kate gasped and put her hands over her mouth. Not even three feet away from the entrance door, lay Norberto's lifeless body, his eyes staring blankly into nothing.

Yani knelt and turned his head to the left.

"Is he…?" Kate asked shocked.

"His chip is missing," Yani replied. "It's been stolen."

"What? But who…?"

"I'll explain later. This happened eight hours ago but the perpetrators will be back in half an hour to retrieve his body as well."

"Why didn't they take all of him with them in the first place?"

Yani grinned.

"That was the plan. Unfortunately, someone thwarted it. And now their vehicle is held up in a traffic jam. Car accident on the freeway. They're using a stolen ambulance and currently have a problem explaining to the police why they cannot help the accident victims. That should give us enough time. Come, help me lift Norberto's body onto the kitchen table, it's quite heavy."

"Why? What are you going to do?"

"I need to perform a small operation on him before we can leave."

-0-

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 – 03:15 a.m. (Pacific Standard Time)

Los Angeles

Savannah couldn't sleep.

It was one of those nights where your thoughts keep drifting towards things that are on your mind. A lot had changed for her lately. For example, Allie was now in contact with her parents again and she herself had gotten closer to Catherine. For reasons beyond her comprehension she had no difficulty recognizing a T-1001 as her mother. What in heaven's name could have made Savannah, the sober computer expert, see her mother in a killer machine? Also, John and Cameron suddenly didn't feel like surrogate parents to her anymore. They were still family, of course, and would always remain loved ones. But somehow it seemed that Savannah had finally found the power to disconnect herself from her foster parents who died in the future she'd come from.

Naturally, she'd always have a very special connection to the two and always love them, but things had shifted, not gradually or slowly but suddenly, like tectonic plates that suddenly lost their built-up tension in a major seismic shock. For a few short weeks after their arrival in the time bubble, everything seemed to have interlocked for Savannah and Allie, everything seemed to fit into place. Then, all of a sudden, everything was knocked over again. And now Allie, her lover, the person that meant the most to her, had even changed her appearance.

When she thought about it objectively, though, Savannah had to admit that all in all the situation had improved. A lot. In a way, their lives had normalized. It felt as if they finally had arrived. The subliminal feeling was gone that all this was somehow wrong, that they didn't really belong here. It had felt like a gearbox where a cogwheel was missing a cog, causing one part of the mechanism not to entirely fit into the other. But now it finally seemed to have "clicked" and suddenly everything had fallen into place.

Then why was Savannah having these sleepless nights? She assumed that her restlessness had to be based on a suppressed fear of change, a fear of the unknown. The future was unwritten and only partially known to them now. For years, Allie had been her greatest support, the only one she could rely on, no matter what. Now the burden had been spread over many shoulders. Savannah loved every single one of the team with all of her heart. There was a certain harmony in the team now, not least because of Alison's repeated nanobot treatments, which, in addition to the already known side effects, also seemed to have created a deeper connection between all of them. So much that even such hard-boiled characters as Derek or Jesse couldn't elude it.

Savannah asked herself how her relationship with Allie would develop when all this was over, when they'd finally have the time to think about their future? Her mother had offered her a job in the company and she really wanted to take that offer. But what would Allie do? What would John and the girls do? At the moment, it seemed as if the constants in her little universe were slowly dissolving, creating uncertainty and fears for the future. Which was ironic because from all they knew, there was no longer a future to fear. All these thoughts and subliminal feelings caused her insomnia.

Was this how teenagers felt when they grew up? She had never had the time to be a teenager. She went from child to adult in a matter of days after Judgement Day. Maybe her psyche wanted to catch up on that now. She rolled around and looked at Allie. She was fast asleep, apparently completely at peace with herself. Enviable. Carefully, not to wake up Allie, Savannah climbed out of bed and made her way to the kitchen section. She opened the fridge, grabbed a bottle of milk and drank in big, greedy gulps.

While doing so, she turned around and looked into the dark loft. Suddenly, she hesitated and put down the milk. In the light of the open fridge door she saw a reflection. It came from where the sofas were placed in front of the big TV. Savannah carefully walked over there. She reached the sofas and picked up a silver ball pen from underneath one of them. It was heavy and looked expensive.

"What is that?"

Savannah jumped and held her heart.

"JEEEZ!" she exclaimed, "Cam, are you trying to kill me? You scared the shit out of me."

"Sorry," Cameron said, "Emily and I sensed movement in the loft, and I went to check it out."

"But I was so careful not to wake any of you."

"I know but in the light of recent events we changed our sleep mode and increased the sensitivity of our sensors."

"What's going on down there?" John asked sleepily from above, leaning over the railing.

"Savannah found a ball pen," Cameron replied.

Emily and John came down the stairs and joined Savannah and Cameron.

"Whose pen is that?" John asked, turning it in his fingers.

"It doesn't belong to any of us," Emily stated. "It looks custom-made and expensive. Made from gold and platinum. There's an engraved dedication. 'In love, Rita'."

"Who the hell is Rita?" John asked.

"It's fair to assume that Rita is the woman who gave this pen to her lover," Emily stated the obvious, making John roll his eyes.

"Where did you find it?" he asked.

"There," Savannah said and pointed to the sofa. "It was under there, I only saw it because the light from the fridge reflected on it."

"Alma, lights!" John commanded and the loft suddenly became illuminated.

He knelt and looked under the sofa but there was nothing else there.

"When was the last time the floor was swept?" he asked as he stood up again, rubbing his hands clean.

"Three days ago," Cameron replied.

"I know what you're thinking, John," Emily said, "this pen must belong to our mysterious visitor, the one who lured the two Triple-Eights here and used the booby traps below to get rid of them."

"Alma, lights out!" John ordered and the loft went dark again. "Now, scan the sofa as thoroughly as possible."

Emily and Cameron did as he'd commanded.

"That's odd," Cameron said, "my ultraviolet scan tells me there are tiny remains of bodily fluids on the leather."

Emily touched the leather with her index finger.

"Male ejaculate and female vaginal juices," she said. "Very little of it left. Someone tried to wipe it clean but didn't entirely succeed."

"You missed that the first time around," John said with a hint of accusation in his voice. "Alma, lights!"

The loft was illuminated once again.

"We didn't scan this thoroughly and only with the lights on when we noticed the break-in," Emily admitted, "We relied on Alison for a deep scan."

"Could that still be from our 'wedding nights'?" John asked.

"No, we cleaned that up thoroughly," Emily replied. "These stains are new. Probably from our mysterious visitors."

"Wait, what?" Savannah asked. "Are you suggesting that a man and a woman broke into the loft, got rid of two Triple-Eights and then fucked on our sofa to celebrate it?"

"It would seem so," Cameron replied shrugging. "The evidence is conclusive."

"Then why didn't Alison find those traces?" Savannah asked. "With her scanning abilities, she should have been able to detect the stains even from twenty feet away in broad daylight."

"Perhaps she didn't scan that area so thoroughly," John said. "She probably concentrated on the computer section."

"No," Cameron contradicted, "She walked through the whole loft and checked every spot. And you know how extraordinary her sensors are. She can detect even tiny traces of substances from afar. She must have noticed the stains. And if those exist, there surely also have been pheromones left by the intruders and traces of sweat in the upholstery. There's no way Alison could have missed all that."

There was an unpleasant silence when it became clear to everyone what the only conclusion could be from that.

"She lied to us," John finally said aloud.

"What?" Savannah asked unbelieving. "We're talking about Alison here. She'd never lie to us."

"We lied to John in the past when we believed it to be necessary," Cameron argued, "we promised not to anymore. But maybe something happened that forced Alison not to reveal her scanning results to us."

"What could that be?" Savannah asked doubtful.

"I don't know but I will ask her," John replied slightly irritated.

"I don't think that would be wise, John," Emily said softly, putting her hand on his arm. "If she's really withholding information from us, she must have a very good reason. If you set her under pressure, you might put her into a conflict of interest she might suffer from."

"But if she knows what's been going on here, we should know about it and…"

"Emily is right," Cameron interrupted him. "If she keeps things from us, she must have a very good reason. You're always talking about trust, John. Please trust in Alison now. Trust in her doing the right thing for all of us. She will tell us when she thinks it is time."

John closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"All right," he said, "I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. We'll wait for her to come to us on her own initiative to tell us what she knows."

"Thank you," Cameron said and kissed him, then Emily did the same.

"Look at it this way, John," she said, "it can only mean there is no immediate danger, otherwise she would have said so."

John nodded.

"You're right, of course."

"So, I suppose we shouldn't mention this to anyone?" Savannah asked, looking at the pen she had taken back from John.

"Correct," John confirmed. "the knowledge that we found the pen and the stains on the sofa, must remain between the four of us. We'll put the pen into the safe and mention it to no one. Agreed?"

Savannah looked at him for a moment, then nodded.

"Agreed," she said.

Suddenly, there was a loud yawn coming from the door to Allie's and Savannah's room.

"What are you all doing here?" Allie asked sleepily.

"Nothing," Savannah answered, "uh… I went to the fridge to drink some milk and spilled it. Emily and Cam woke up and checked on what was happening, then John woke up, too. We… um cleaned up the mess already."

"Jeez, did you leave the door of the fridge open the whole time?" Allie asked, walking over to the kitchen section and closing it. "Don't you know how much energy is wasted by that? Come back to bed, will ya? It feels empty without you and I'm starting to feel really horny now, thanks to those nasty little nanobots."

And with that, Allie turned around, apparently still only half-awake, and returned to her bedroom. Savannah looked at John, Cameron and Emily, then shrugged and followed her lover.

"Not getting any sleep soon, it seems," she said.

-0-

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 – 06:38 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time)

Crofton, Maryland

With a combined effort, Yani and Kate had managed to lift Norberto's heavy body from the floor by the entrance door and put him into a prone position on the table in the kitchen. Kate found that Yani had more physical strength than her delicate figure suggested but she refrained from asking her about it.

"What are you doing?" Kate asked as Yani ripped the shirt off Norberto's body.

"As I said, I'm gonna have to do a little surgery on him."

Yani walked over to the kitchen cabinet, opened a few drawers and finally returned with a chef's knife. Then she cut into Norberto's flesh on his back and cut out a square piece about ten by ten inches in size.

"Eww," Kate said as Yani lifted the meaty piece of flesh from Norberto's back, revealing the blood-covered metal underneath it. "I could have done without seeing that."

"Don't worry, his biological shell will completely regenerate."

"I know that!" Kate said, "It's just that..."

Yani looked up at her.

"When you have a relationship with a cyborg, you should be fully aware of what lies beneath his skin. Look closely, Kate. He might be your lover but he's a machine and will always be a machine. You need to learn to live with that and not let it influence how you view him."

"I know that, too!" Kate replied, a little irritated about being lectured this way. "But knowing it and seeing it, are two different things."

Yani started unscrewing the back plate.

"So, who stole his chip?" Kate asked. "And why are you so unaffected by this? I'm a bundle of nerves, how can you be so calm?"

Yani sighed.

"Because I know that everything's going to be fine as long as we do what we're supposed to do."

"What am I doing here anyway? I see no reason why you couldn't have done that without me."

"There are things you need to know. This is one of them. Besides, you're going to encounter the man who now has Norberto's chip and you should be prepared for that. All this here will prepare you and make sure you'll remain calm when you meet with him."

"What do you mean? You know who stole Norberto's chip?"

"Yes, of course. His name is Kenneth J. Fletcher, Jr."

"WHAT!?"

"You heard me," Yani replied and lifted up the thick back plate, revealing some switches and circuit breakers underneath. "Good thing is he doesn't really know who Norberto is and what he does for a living."

"The Kenneth J. Fletcher, Jr.?" Kate asked, "The CEO of Farnsworth Enterprises?"

"The one," Yani replied without looking up while making adjustments on Norberto's body.

"Do you know I have an interview for the Washington Post with Kenneth Fletcher scheduled over lunch? I've been invited to his mansion in Palisades."

"Of course I know," Yani replied without looking up, "I also know that he contacted the Washington Post and specifically asked for you as an interviewer because you are known to have contacts to the cyborgs in L.A."

"Is that one of the reason I'm here now, the reason why you came to visit me?"

"Uh-huh. You need to be prepared. Fletcher developed a heightened interest in artificial intelligence and cyborgs ever since he found the remains of a Triple-Eight last October. He hopes to get more insight from you and maybe more than that – if he's charming enough. He's got no idea about your relationship with Norberto, though. To him, he's just some cyborg his men have found at random."

"Wait, what? Are you saying Kenneth Fletcher is already in possession of a Triple-Eight?"

"What's left of it," Yani replied, putting the back plate back on again, "the chip was fried because the cyborg got killed by a massive electrical discharge. Also, the power cell had been short-circuited. It's still usable but he has no idea of how to recharge it."

"Is Fletcher aware that keeping it from the government is now being considered a felony and that he could go to prison if it ever comes out?"

"Of course he knows," Yani replied, "but the threat of punishment has never prevented a crime. Farnsworth Enterprises used to be the number one industrial conglomerate in the country but Zeira Corp overtook it a year ago and has been on the top ever since. Catherine Weaver simply has the better political connections, is much more charming than him and she's a T-1001, which of course nobody knows. It means she has knowledge of things that will happen."

"Yeah, from mourning widow to business woman of the year in eighteen months. Everyone asked themselves how she was able to pull that off in such a short time."

"Exactly. And the one who's bothered the most by it, is Kenneth J. Fletcher, Jr. He might be brilliant, but he has no chance against the combination of knowledge and future technology Catherine is able to contribute. In addition, she has recruited some of his best engineers. Hence, Fletcher's not very fond of her. He's now trying to make up lost ground by using reverse-engineered cyborg technology. But what he lacks so far, is a working model with an intact chip."

"Which he now has."

"Exactly. Fletcher has formed teams who use specially trained dogs and patrol the residential areas around Washington and Los Angeles. As you probably know, dogs immediately respond when a cyborg is near. That's how they found Norberto."

"So, when will they come back to retrieve his body?"

"Won't be long now. We need to hurry."

"Couldn't we have come a little earlier? Then we wouldn't be so pressed for time now."

Yani put the cut-out piece of flesh back into its place on Norberto's back.

"I love time pressure," she said, "helps me keep a clear head."

"Okay then, what's your plan?" Kate asked.

"We need to enable Norberto to enter Fletcher's house. And the best opportunity to do that is when we go there for your interview. I'll pose as your assistant and photographer. The chip is in Fletcher's safe in an office on the first floor. He's planning to take it to L.A. later in the afternoon. We need to distract Fletcher long enough for Norberto to get it out of there."

"Wait, what?" Kate asked confused. "How are we supposed to smuggle Norberto's body in? He weighs a ton! And aren't you forgetting he hasn't got his chip in the first place?"

Yani sighed and produced a metal tube with rounded ends.

"I came prepared," she said, "I brought this with me. It contained a fake driving license... and something else."

"But you said you can't bring anything with you."

"Yeah, well, except it's covered in a bio-electrical field. I carried the tube inside my vagina."

"Oh God," Kate replied, "TMI, Yani, too much information."

"There was no other way."

"I hope you cleaned it after removing it," Kate said with a grimace as Yani unscrewed the cap, emptied the contents into her hand and showed it to Kate.

"Is that what I think it is?" Kate asked.

"Yup," Yani said and held up the Triple-Eight chip, "I didn't come here alone, I brought Norberto with me."

-0-

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 – 04:25 a.m. (Pacific Standard Time)

Los Angeles

John couldn't sleep anymore. He wondered why Alison had obviously lied to them. Did she know what had happened here? Did she know who the intruders were and what they were doing here? Could she have manipulated Alma herself? No, that wasn't possible, a human had to have done that. Besides, she was with them all the time and later with Eric and Alistair. She wouldn't have been able to manipulate anything. She must have learned about the intrusion the moment she got back from killing the Triple-Eight that was sent to terminate Alistair. She must have entered the loft and then decided not to inform them about her scanning results. Why?

The more John thought about it, the more wistful he became. It displeased him that Alison kept such things from him and pretended to not know anything. On the other hand, he imagined that only a really strong reason could prevent her from bringing him and the others into the loop. What reason could that be? Was his life in danger if she let him in on this? All their lives maybe? He rolled around again.

"John," Cameron said softly, "There's no point in agonizing over it. And if you're that upset, she'll notice something's wrong."

"I can't help it," he said. "I keep wondering what…"

Cameron kissed him, long and softly. Then she pulled back.

"I don't have Alison's chemicals," she said, "but maybe this helps winding you down a bit."

John closed his eyes and exhaled.

"Yeah, it helps," he said. "A lot."

She kissed him again. He felt Emily pressing herself against his backside, spooning him and pushing her big, soft breasts into him.

"She's coming," she said and grabbed John's dick. "Let's make out, then she won't worry why John is so worked up."

"Okay," Cameron replied and together they began to pamper John in the most passionate and sexual way.

Seconds later, they heard the door of the elevator open. Alison undressed, then walked up to the bedroom section, noticing the love action going on there. She smiled.

"Having a good time?" she asked and knelt on the bed.

"How can you tell?" John asked mockingly, suppressing the urge to immediately confront her about what they'd found out.

"Just a hunch," Alison replied.

"Did you bring Candy with you?" he asked.

"Of course, she's sleeping in the car and won't wake up until I administer her the wake-up drug."

"Good, we'll deal with her after we got up."

Alison looked at his semi-erect dick, "tsk tsk tsk, is nobody taking care of this?"

She bent over and before John could reply, she had his cock in her mouth. And suddenly, the question why she withheld information from them, wasn't so important anymore.

-0-

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 – 06:49 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time)

Crofton, Maryland

"I don't believe it," Kate said, "you brought Norberto's chip with you from the year 2332?"

"Yes," Yani replied, about to slide the chip into Norberto's head, "but don't worry, you won't notice much of a difference."

"Wait, wait, wait…" Kate said and Yani hesitated shortly, "you mean that…" she pointed at the chip, "… that is the Norberto who's been my partner in life for all those years, the one I founded a family with?"

"Yes, what's your point?"

Kate stared at her open-mouthed. Suddenly her knees began to get weak.

"But… but… what will happen to him in the future, now that you took his chip from him?"

"Don't worry. If everything goes according to plan, I'll be there in 324 years to re-insert this very chip into him again, right after my other self has left for the past. I brought it because we need this body to function. There was no other way than bringing him with me because in my time, Triple-Eight chips aren't exactly mass merchandise. Nobody is making them anymore; the technology is quite outdated. This is almost an antiquity where I come from. Once we have his other chip back, I'll exchange them again and take this one with me, keeping it safe."

Kate didn't reply and just nodded, slowly backing up into a corner. Yani inserted the chip and fifteen seconds later, Norberto came to life and sat up. He looked around, his eyes lingering on Kate for a moment.

"Hello, my love," he said with a smile.

Kate let out a whimper.

"Don't be afraid, everything's going to be fine," he said in a soft voice.

Kate gulped and nodded. Then Norberto looked at Yani.

"It has worked," he stated.

"Of course it has," Yani said grinning.

Norberto stroked Yani's cheek, then the two embraced and had a very long welcome hug. Kate frowned upon seeing that.

"Any problems?" he finally asked after loosening himself from Yani.

"None so far. Alistair is safe, the three Triple-Eights are down, I brought in Alison and now I'm here to tick off this box together with you and Kate. Hold still, I have to bandage your back."

Norberto did as she said and sat on the edge of the kitchen table while Yani put a large bandage around him. He looked at Kate who stared back at him with wide open eyes, unsure about what to say or do.

"This must be very awkward for you," he finally said to her.

Kate nodded quickly and Norberto smiled.

"Don't worry, love" he said, "everything's going to be fine. You'll have my younger version back in no time."

Kate forced a smile on her face.

"Yeah, I hope so," she said. "Are you… I mean, are we… married? In the future, I mean."

Norberto looked at Yani.

"How much did you tell her?" he asked.

"Just the basics, as we agreed on. Now hold still."

Norberto looked back at Kate.

"Yes, we are married. We've risen many children together. Our family is vast, and our marriage will be accepted by those who love you. Not everyone will understand at first, but they'll eventually come around. The most important thing is that we'll always have us. And that I'm always going to be there to love and protect you."

The way Norberto said these things, with a very soft, warm voice and a soothing tone, made Kate feel like being wrapped in a warm blanket. He was a little different from the Norberto she knew, she could feel it. This one was… softer. Warmer. It felt good to know he'll be this way. All of her doubts were suddenly swept away. She wanted this, she wanted to be with him. Kate closed her eyes and gulped. Then nodded and walked up to him.

"Thank you," she said in a low voice and took his hand. "It means a lot that you said that."

Norberto looked down at their hands, then leaned forward and softly kissed her lips. Kate almost melted. This wasn't the kiss of a cyborg who did his best to seem human. This was the warm, passionate kiss of a man in love, the kind of kiss she longed for. And now that she knew Norberto had it in him to kiss her this way, Kate was in heaven.

"That… was wonderful," she croaked as she pulled herself from him, "I only hope I won't have to wait for three hundred years to feel it again."

Norberto chuckled.

"No, you won't," he replied, "My younger self is a really fast learner."

"There, that's it," Yani said, "All patched up, it should have grown together again by tomorrow. Now, could you two love birds pull yourself together? We're on a tight schedule here."

"I have to adjust my internal chronometer," Norberto said, "what time is it?"

"6:58 a.m.," Yani said. "They'll be here in a couple of minutes."

"You made the adjustments?"

"Yes, your body is now immune to electric shocks, physical strength is up by twenty-five percent and the efficiency of your power cell has also been increased. Just as Alistair showed me."

"Good," Norberto said and hopped off the table. "No time to lose. Let's get to work."

---

The ambulance stopped in the driveway and three men in paramedic clothes got off. Without looking around, they quickly entered the house. From a safe distance, Yani and Kate observed the scene.

"They don't even bother with being careful," Kate remarked.

"They believe they'll find a lifeless body on the floor," Yani said. "It'll be the last thing they'll ever believe."

"Does he really have to kill them?" Kate asked. "I mean…"

"They know his identity, his address and most importantly, they know he's a cyborg," Yani replied. "We don't have Alison with us, so there's no way to make them forget. Besides…"

"… yes, yes, yes, it already happened. I know."

"Precisely."

A moment passed, then Norberto appeared in the front door, dressed up as a paramedic and gave them a thumbs up.

"All right," Yani said and left the car, "let's change into their clothes and get rid of the bodies."

"I really have to get used to the fact that my future husband is actually a killer cyborg," Kate replied. "I guess I have to get used to that."

"You will," Yani said, "don't worry."

-0-

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 – 07:11 a.m. (Pacific Standard Time)

Los Angeles

"And you're sure you wouldn't rather do it in the loft?" Alison asked from the driver's seat while they were taking the Suburban to Malibu.

"No," John replied from the passenger seat, "we should keep the number of people with knowledge about the loft limited, especially after what has just happened. We can as well deal with her at the beach house."

"What do we need her for anyway?" Allie asked from the back seat. "I thought everyone was happy to have gotten rid of her."

"That's right," John said, "But it's one of my ideas, you know. We need someone we can try certain things out on. We won't force her into anything, though, we'll leave her a choice."

"And if she refuses?" Savannah asked, looking at the unconscious, naked body of Candy Miller in the trunk. "If she doesn't want to be your guinea pig?"

"Then Alison will delete her memories of today and send her back to her porn life. I'm serious with what I said, we won't experiment on people without their consent, not even on convicted traitors like Miller."

"Why Miller and not Dawson?" Allie asked.

"Miller always seemed to be the more reasonable one of the two," John answered. "The chances she tells us to piss off are considerably smaller. Miller might feel the need to redeem herself if given the choice. That's why I chose her over Dawson."

"But you won't turn her back into a man, will you?" Savannah asked.

"That'd be difficult, to put it mildly," Alison replied, "her brain has fully adjusted itself to her new body. Even if we evoke her old memories, she'll consider herself a woman now, her brain making the necessary connections. Besides, being turned into a female porn actress was the punishment Emily chose and that won't be lifted."

"Thanks, sis," Emily said.

"Do Sarah and the others know that Alison brought her back?" Allie asked.

"They know that I've considered Miller and Dawson becoming our test subjects," John replied, "but mom insisted on not bringing them to Cliffside House ever again, so we're going to the beach house."

"Why now? Aren't we busy enough with planning our attack on G.A.O.L.?"

"We've been monitoring her for a while," Alison replied, "Candy Miller always takes a day off on Tuesday. And it shouldn't take long to find out if we can use her or not."

---

Slowly, Candy Miller opened her eyes. This was not her home. This was some house with a beachside front. And she was naked, what a relief. God, she was so horny. She tried to touch her pussy, then realized her hands were tied.

"What the fuck?" she exclaimed.

Five women and one man stepped into her view and stood in front of her. Candy considered them. Mmmh, the man looked tasty, surely he had a big cock under that jeans that could fuck her. And the women apparently didn't believe in bras. Would they rape her? She really hoped so, she loved bondage and being taken without asking. Instinctively, she opened her legs a little.

"Are you going to fuck me?" she asked, her frown turning into a smile. "I'd love that. Kidnapping me wouldn't have been necessary, though, my cunt is always open for fans. I give fucks and blowjobs instead of autographs, you know..."

She spread her legs wide open to underline her words.

"See?" she purred while the others just looked at her. "Everything wet and glistening. I'm so ready to get fucked. What's it going to be, big boy? Want me to suck you off first? I'll swallow. Or do you wanna stick that hot cock of yours in my ass and fuck me silly? Have you ever done that? I love it. Or would you prefer my cunt? You can cum inside me, you know, and it's free. Come on, my body is aching for your cock."

They saw how milky liquid started pouring out of Candy's vagina. John looked at his girls and sighed.

"Do you really think you can turn that back to normal?" he asked Alison.

"Not entirely," Alison replied, "she'll always be a hybrid personality. But I think she'll be more in control of herself once I gave her back the old memories."

"Stop talking and fuck me already," Candy said in an annoyed tone. "Being tied up makes me even hornier. Or if you're not up for it, big boy, how about one of your lady friends eating me out?"

Alison stepped towards Candy and licked her finger. The girl looked up at her grinning.

"Mmmh, I hoped it would be you," she purred, "you have a killer body. Love your tits and your ass. You'd be brilliant in porn. I'd so love to have a scene with you. Why don't you take of those nasty clothes and show me your cunt? Is it wet already? Oh, I bet it's wet."

Alison touched Candy's neck, then stepped back.

"What?" the porn actress asked disappointed, "that was it? What… uh… ooh…"

She slumped over, apparently unconscious.

"Jeez, what a potty mouth," Savannah said, "and I thought I was bad."

"You're not bad, just a little annoying at times."

"Thanks, John," Savannah replied sourly.

"So what now?" Allie asked. "Just wait or…?"

"The chemicals I administered, will loosen the synaptic blockade and reconnect her old memories with her conscious mind," Alison replied, "it will take a few minutes."

"Don't you need to, well… de-hypnotize her or whatever you did with her?" Savannah asked.

"No, she was never hypnotized," Alison said, "the chemicals disconnected synapses in her brain while my voice commands implemented the new personality. It's been a biochemical change, not a mental one. That's why it's impossible to completely reverse it."

"But… she will remember everything that happened before her transformation?" Allie asked.

"Of course," Alison replied. "And it will be interesting to see how her old personality merges with the new one."

John's cellphone rang. Frowning, he pulled it out of his pocket.

"Sonya," he said after a quick glance at the display and put the call on speaker, "good morning, what a lovely surprise."

"Hello John, glad to hear your voice. Is everyone okay?"

"Um… yeah, everyone's fine. Why? Shouldn't we be?"

"Just asking. Any plans for the afternoon? We'll be in Los Angeles. Me, Zoe, Mike Anderson, Blythe Danner, Don Knight and Wallace Chadwell. You know, the three from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa."

John looked at his five girls who looked back at him with curiosity in their faces.

"Mind telling me what you'll be doing here, Sonya?"

"We suspect that a leading industrialist, Kenneth J. Fletcher, Jr., has taken a Triple-Eight endoskeleton into his possession and is hiding it in his company's research department. Therefore we'll pay the lab a visit. The Attorney General has already issued a search warrant of Farnsworth Enterprise's research department in Los Angeles."

"An endoskeleton? Farnsworth? How? Where did Fletcher get that?"

"That's an interesting story," Sonya replied and John noted her slightly triumphant tone, "Norberto Cervantez found out that Farnsworth recently developed a heightened interest in artificial intelligence and cyborgs. It brought him on the NSA's radar. Norberto discovered that a waste disposal company for light radioactive material is part of Fletcher's corporate conglomerate. Last October, after the incident at Serrano Point, one of their employees noticed that one of the barrels they were supposed to transport to a storage facility, rattled metallically during the transport. They feared the contents had been falsely labeled and opened the sealed barrel after consulting their superiors. And guess what they found inside?"

"A cyborg endoskeleton?" John asked grimacing.

"A cyborg endoskeleton!" Sonya confirmed, obviously enjoying rubbing it in. "A disassembled Triple-Eight, to be precise. Do you have any idea how it got in there, John?"

He groaned and looked at Cameron who looked rather sheepishly. Alison and Emily mirrored her expression.

"It was supposed to be never found," Cameron said in her defense.

"Was that Cameron?" Sonya asked on the phone.

"Yes, that was her," John replied, "I believe my team is responsible for that. Of course, we'll help to patch things up."

"Outstanding. Fletcher will be in Los Angeles this afternoon. We'll be at his research lab and await him there. I was hoping you could pay the lab a visit before that and, well… secure the endoskeleton and destroy the data he's gotten from it. Think you can arrange that, John?"

"Of course. Anything we should know about the place?"

"Heavily guarded compound, lots of dogs, people with tasers and armor-piercing ammo. Piece of cake for you."

"We'll destroy the data and the physical evidence and load the endo in our van to bring it to Zeira Corp. One more batch of hyperalloy for the Babylon Labs."

"I knew I could count on you, John," Sonya replied satisfied. "Make sure you leave no evidence."

"Will do. Anything else?"

"Now that you're asking… We can't arrest Fletcher without the evidence you will hopefully destroy. But we'll threaten him with smashing his company, confiscating his private assets and sending him to prison for decades if he ever tries something like that again. However, this might not be enough to sustainably convince him to keep his fingers off cyborg technology. Kenneth Fletcher is a rather stubborn fellow. So, if you have any idea of how to convince him more effectively…"

"I guess I have an idea," John said and looked at the unconscious Candy Miller.

"Scare the shit out of him, if necessary. But no torture, no mutilation, no transformations and no killing."

John rolled his eyes.

"You didn't have to emphasize that," he said, slightly annoyed. "We'll use a more elegant method."

"Just wanted to make sure. I leave it to you but make it unmistakably clear to him that he will only get away with it once and that it will not turn out so leniently for him a second time."

"Maybe we should bring Catherine with us to emphasize it."

"Catherine?" Sonya asked carefully. "Why?"

"Firstly, because she can be unbelievably scary. Secondly, because Farnsworth Enterprises and Zeira Corp are direct competitors and if Fletcher realizes who he's up against, he might consider cooperating instead of confronting us. He's probably not an evil person but under massive pressure by his shareholders. From what I read and heard, he might just be trying to get a piece of the cake because his company's going down the drain."

"Hmmm… yes, that might be true. Good point. Bring Catherine. She can also help us in assessing how far their research has gone in a year."

"Will other authorities be involved?"

"Only the LAPD but we'll manage to keep them out of it."

"All right then."

"And John…"

"Yes?"

"Is there any other forgotten screw-up of your team we should be aware of?"

John looked at his five women who frowned back at him.

"Well, is there?" he asked.

"No!" Emily replied. "We destroyed all other endoskeletons, only kept some spare parts. You know, the ones mom destroyed the day Riley was killed. There shouldn't be any more out there, except somebody else brought them down."

"Good," Sonya said, "thank you. Talk to you later, John."

"Later," John replied and ended the call.

-0-

"Thank you for not telling them," Norberto said. "And thank you for not bringing Zoe with you."

"You're welcome," Sonya replied with a slightly sour face.

Future Norberto, Yani and Kate had contacted Sonya and met with her at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington. She was asked to come alone and not to tell Zoe about the meeting. They had briefed her with most of the story and could convince Sonya that Kenneth Fletcher currently represented a threat.

"So, what now?" Sonya asked.

"We'll use the interview with Fletcher to get the chip back," Kate said. "we three should be setting off now to be on time."

"Afterwards, we exchange the chips again and fill our Norberto in while I keep Future Norberto's chip," Yani added. "That should prevent anyone from finding out that it wasn't the NSA finding out about Fletcher, but us."

"How do you plan on smuggling Norberto inside Fletcher's house?" Sonya asked. "If I got that right, Fletcher is using trained dogs to protect himself from cyborgs and all his guards are armed with strong taser guns."

"Don't worry, I won't be noticeable for anyone, not even dogs," Norberto said and padded a small parcel he held under his arm. Sonya immediately recognized it as the same parcel John had given Zoe at their meeting in Colorado Springs. "Besides," he added, "thanks to Yani's small surgery I'm now immune to electric jolts."

"That still doesn't answer the question why Zoe has to be left out of this," Sonya stated.

"The main reason is that she's a time traveler," Yani said. "She doesn't originate from this timeline and is one of the alien factors that could inadvertently destroy it."

"So is Norberto. And so are you, Alistair Norbury and Alison. Why did you let them in and not Zoe?"

"Norberto, Alison, Alistair and I can be let in because we already had been let in before."

"You're talking about your mysterious time loop where things already happened and are supposed to happen again in a certain way in order to complete it."

"Exactly."

Sonya sighed.

"Things I'd have never thought possible a few weeks ago…" she said and rubbed her eyes, "sometimes I feel like I've been teleported into another reality, into some wild, drug-induced dream."

"I know the feeling," Kate commented dryly. "Welcome to the club."

-0-

The moment John had ended the call with Sonya, a loud moan drew their attention back to Candy Miller. The woman slowly opened her eyes, blinked and tried to grab her head. But in vain, since her hands were still tied.

"Do you have an Aspirin or something?" she asked.

"The pain will subside in a moment," Alison replied.

Candy Miller seemed to focus for the first time as she looked up to her five captors. Then she sighed.

"Oh, it's you, I should have known."

"How do you feel?" John asked.

"Still fucking horny."

"Can you remember who you are?"

She looked up to him.

"A cunt in heat who desperately needs to get fucked. But I suppose not by you, John Connor. You only fuck metal."

John looked at Alison.

"Untie her," he said, "she won't run away, now that she knows who she's dealing with."

Alison ripped the zip ties apart.

"What happened?" Candy asked, rubbing her wrists, "Have you lost your enjoyment in watching me become a porn slut?"

"No," John said, "do you have enough of your career?"

Candy weighed her answer for a moment.

"I've become a walking, talking cunt," she stated and looked up at Emily, "I guess that's what you wanted, right? But truth to be told, as long as I get enough cocks who fuck me, it's not too bad. When I think of it, I actually like being this way. Feels liberating. Doesn't seem much of a punishment anymore, though. Sorry for that."

"I got what I wanted," Emily said coldly, "watching you being turned into what you are now was satisfying enough. I have no desire for any further revenge."

"Fair enough," Candy replied, "but don't expect me to mourn my former existence or beg you to change me back. Ugh… since John obviously isn't going to fuck me, is there a vibrator around here somewhere? Or a banana? Something that hits in my fuckhole? Or do one of you skanks want to eat me out?"

Her right hand drifted towards her vagina and started rubbing it.

"She still needs a lot of adjustment before we can work with her," Cameron observed. "Only restoring her memories obviously didn't do the trick."

"Well, at least she seems to be able to reason now," John said, "and hopefully her intelligence is back to normal as well."

"It should be," Alison said, "there was no brain damage, just severed connections between synapses that have been restored now."

"But seriously, John," Allie said, "of what use could a horny slut like her be to us?"

"The horny slut will be ready to listen in a moment," Candy remarked while frantically masturbating, "and once the horny slut has cum, she'll also be able to think straight again. Unngh… by the way, what happened to your looks, Allie? Nice tits, can I see?"

Allie rolled her eyes.

"Obviously we somehow have to suppress her sex drive," John said, "Alison, can you do that?"

"Only temporarily. I could administer a chemical that prevents her from getting too horny, but it'll only work temporarily."

"For how long?"

"A couple of hours maybe."

"Hmm…"

A loud scream drew their attention to Candy again.

"OOOH YES! YEEEEES! GOD, I'M CUMMING! UNGGGH!"

A gush of clear juices squirted out of her pussy and landed on the floor with a splash. Candy relaxed.

"Phew," she said, "spare me your drugs. A good orgasm was all I needed. Is there a shower around here?"

---

"Seriously, John," Savannah said while Candy was under the shower, guarded by Emily, "what the hell are you planning to do with that… slut? She can't even pull herself together for five minutes without touching her pussy."

"I know she needs work," John replied. "But that's the whole point, isn't it? She's been transformed by Alison into being what she is now. In a way, she's damaged goods. Using her to experiment with Alison's abilities is better than trying it on someone else."

"She's not a lab animal," Allie argued, "she's still human. And even though I supported Miller's punishment, reinforcing it like that isn't really justifiable."

"Nobody's talking about reinforcing or renewing her punishment," John replied. "Besides, I'm going to leave the decision with her. Maybe now that she's gotten off, she's more reasonable and open and we can approach her in a rational way."

They heard the shower stop and after another minute, Candy reappeared, naked of course, followed by Emily.

"Now that your mind has been taken off sex for the moment," John began, "you may be receptive to a suggestion we'd like to make."

"As long as it doesn't contain me wearing clothes all day…" Candy replied.

"Your state of dress or undress is not our concern," Emily said, "as a matter of fact, we also like to wear as little as possible. But that's not the point."

"What is the point then?" Candy asked.

"You are what you are because Alison can transform anyone in any way, both mentally and physically," John said.

"No shit, Einstein," Candy replied. "But hey, no hard feelings. I kinda like what I am now. Although… you're probably going to tell me that's also a result of the transformation, right?"

"Actually, no," Alison said, "that had never been the plan. You were supposed to hate your life. I guess it's your mind trying to cope with it all. The mental transformation never intended to make you enjoy what you are."

"Whatever," Candy said shrugging, "So the slut has always been within me. You conveniently made it so that I can never get sick or pregnant and you freed me from shame and inhibitions. I need sex as much as I need to eat, drink or pee. An orgasm only gives me satisfaction for a couple of minutes, then I'm getting wet again. I live to fuck and made it a living, so why shouldn't I enjoy it? It's fun to seduce everyone who's not on a tree by the count of three."

"But maybe…" John said thoughtfully, "you're interested in working for us again, making use of your special, um… talents as a side job?"

"Interesting. But I won't fuck anyone for money, I'm a porn actress, not a whore! I fuck people for the audience's enjoyment, and I choose who gets to stick their cock into me. After all, you left me that much dignity, unlike Gonzalez."

"We don't want to use you as a whore," Cameron said, "but you were a soldier, and not a bad one either. You always had a sense of honor and duty, despite your treason. What we are proposing, might be a way to redeem yourself."

Candy looked at them for a moment, apparently torn between the temptation to listen to their offer or just tell them to fuck off.

"Okay, I'm listening," she finally said.

"We need an honest assessment from you," Emily said, "can you not think about sex for a while?"

"No," Candy replied immediately, "sex is my life now and fucking always fills my thoughts. Deal with it."

John and the five women looked down in disappointment.

"But…" Candy continued, "since you brought my old memories back, I think I can become disciplined enough to suppress it... for a short while."

John looked back up at her.

"It's a start," he said, "I think we can work with that."

"At least it's worth giving it a try," Alison agreed.

"So, what are you guys proposing?" Candy asked.

"If you agree, we'll use your body to experiment on," John said.

"Experiment?" Candy asked. "In which way?"

"So far, I explored my abilities randomly and without a plan," Alison explained. "It would be beneficial to have a test subject who willingly lets herself being transformed systematically in various ways and according to a certain schedule."

"Oooh, sounds kinky," Candy replied smiling, "I have some Japanese fans who'd love to see me transformed in various ways. They love girls with dick nipples and tentacles for instance. I'm assuming this is supposed to happen without causing me permanent damage?"

"Of course," John assured, "every transformation will be reversible. You'd be the perfect candidate because you obviously have no reservations and the side-effect of the nanobots are negligible with you. I doubt you can get any sluttier or hornier."

"Why, thanks, John," Candy admitted. "That's a nice compliment. Are you sure you don't wanna try me? For comparison, I mean. You never fucked a real woman, right?"

John cleared his throat.

"We're not having that conversation," he said sternly. "This isn't about me. This is about you and a possible future for you. Because on the long run, we want more than a test subject who willingly lets herself being transformed in various ways."

"Ah, are you letting the cat out of the bag now, John?" Candy asked with a smile.

Savannah and Allie looked at John with a frown. They obviously didn't know what he was up to.

"We want to find out if we can create a human who can be tailored for specific missions," he explained.

"Ah, I see," Candy said, "so… if for instance a target person has a fetish for multiple tits, pussy faces or Futanari girls…"

"Futa… what?" John asked.

"Futanari," Savannah explained, "women with both a vagina and a penis."

Everyone turned to look at her.

"I… um… accidentally stumbled on it while I googled for something else," the redhead quickly explained.

"Aaaanyway…" John said, cleared his throat and looked back at Candy, "we, um.. were more thinking along the lines of changing your figure, your hair, the color of your eyes and skin, your apparent age and some of your body chemistry. Alison could enable you to produce pheromones that can, for example, make you irresistible to certain people. But hey, whatever rocks your boat, I guess. If someone fancies something weird, why not?"

"Becoming irresistible sounds good," Candy purred, "you surely won't have to reverse that."

John rolled his eyes.

"But even that would only be the beginning," John said.

"What else do you wanna do with her?" Savannah asked.

"Ultimately," Alison explained, "we want to find out if there is a way to create nanobots that remain active and controllable inside a human body. Nanobots that can be controlled by the human brain and self-replicate by using food."

"I see," Candy said, "if I get that right, you want to create a shape shifter. A human T-1000, so to speak."

"WHAT!?" Savannah asked and looked at John flabbergasted.

"You can't be serious," Allie added, waiting for John to laugh and tell them it was a joke.

"Oh, I'm serious," John said. "We want to find out if we can create someone able to partially or completely transform themselves by their own will and without Alison's help."

"Are you fucking crazy, John?" Savannah asked.

"No," John said, "it's been a plan that has slowly formed in my head ever since Alison healed Jesse two months ago and told us about the nanobots. Just think about the possibilities."

"Oh, I see the possibilities, no doubt," Allie said, "but Miller is a traitor! And you want to put her into a position where she can delude and betray us again and disappear forever?"

"Allie's right," Savannah added. "We cannot trust Candy. Especially not when she's driven by her sexual instincts. Who guarantees that she will remain loyal to us and not betray us at the first opportunity?"

"I can take care of that," Alison said, "I can make sure that she regularly needs a substance to survive that only I can give her."

"Do the others know about this plan of yours?" Allie asked.

"No," John said a little sheepishly. "And I didn't tell anyone else because I knew they'd have gone ballistic. And I'm asking you to keep your mouths shut as well. I brought you two in because I know you can see the potential."

"We see the potential, all right," Savannah said, "but it sounds awfully like granting Miller a privilege she doesn't deserve."

"Would you rather have us experimenting on an innocent?" Cameron asked. "With Miller, we know where we stand. We can assess and control her."

Savannah and Allie didn't know what to say anymore. John turned his attention back to Candy.

"The decision is yours," he said. "What we're proposing is completely voluntarily. If you refuse to participate, we'll simply disconnect your old memories again and you'll be walking out of here as the porn actress Candy Miller. No harm done. You get to fuck people day and night and be happy with it. However, if you say yes… you'll become an unofficial member of the team and you'll be in a position to redeem yourself for what you did when you were Major Dirk Miller – if that is what you desire."

"What if I desire being both?" Candy asked. "I'd like to redeem myself, yes, my old self yearns for that. But my new self wants to stay in porn because I doubt this job of yours alone will keep me sexually satisfied."

John and the girls looked at each other, unsure of how to reply to that.

"Of course it could be arranged that you keep your life as a porn actress," Emily finally said. "It would be a perfect cover for your other activities where you could bring in your old personality. You would lead a double life."

"Heh," Candy said and giggled, "double life sounds good. Like Catwoman or Batgirl, only not as boring and prudish as them. When do we start?"

"As a matter of fact," John explained, "we'd have a mission for you today, if you're interested. And it involves you being irresistible."

Candy sat down, leaned back and spread her legs widely.

"You know, that sounds quite randy," she said with a big grin on her face, dipped her index finger in her already wet again vagina and licked it off with relish. "I accept that mission. Where can I sign up? Or can we seal the deal with the exchange of bodily fluids?"

John and the girls looked at each other and shook their heads again. Then John explained to Candy what was expected of her.

"Ooh, I'll love that," she said after they'd finished and again stroked her pussy, "can't wait for it. See how I'm leaking, just thinking of it?"

"Good," John said, withstanding the temptation to look between her legs, "I hope you won't mind waiting here until we're ready."

"Waiting in a house at the beach in… where are we? Malibu? Of course I wouldn't mind. Just leave me enough sex toys to play with. Or maybe one of your lady friends can fist me?"

"I'm afraid not," John said, "and we cannot let you remain here in a conscious state. Alison, would you please?"

"Of course, John," she said, licked her thumb and walked towards Candy.

The woman sighed as Alison brushed her neck again.

"Really? Do you have to…?" Candy started asking, then slumped over.

John took a deep breath.

"All right," he said, "we'll fetch her in the evening. Now let's meet with the others for breakfast."

-0-

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 – 01:12 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time)

Washington. D.C.

Palisades was one of Washington's upscale neighborhoods. The rich and the powerful lived here or at least had a domicile if they had to deal with federal authorities or wanted to cultivate their political relations. Kenneth Fletcher, Jr. was no exception. His mansion was located on the outskirts of the district near the Potomac River and was only inhabited by him when he was in the capital. In his absence, the property was inhabited by housekeepers and security.

Kate stopped in front of the curved metal gate. The house was one of those neoclassical buildings that looked as if they had been standing for a hundred years but in reality had only recently been built. It wasn't her taste at all and the expression on Yani's face told her that she thought the same thing: Money can't buy style.

After they'd identified themselves and the guard had waved them through, Kate drove her car up the driveway and stopped right in front of the main entrance. A middle-aged servant in a suit approached them. He had slightly greying hair and wore white gloves. He opened the door for Yani and then walked around the car to do the same for Kate.

"My name is Herbert," he announced as both had gotten out, "Mr. Fletcher asked me to receive you, Miss Barnes. May I ask who your companion is?"

"My assistant and photographer, Miss Yani Smith," Kate replied.

Herbert frowned.

"To my knowledge, the interview has been arranged between Mr. Fletcher and you alone," he said.

"Mr. Fletcher explicitly asked for me to do the interview, right?" Kate said.

"To my knowledge, yes," Herbert replied.

"Well, you can't get me alone. Yani is always accompanying me. If he's bothered by her presence, we can of course cancel the whole thing."

She was about to turn back to her car when Herbert stopped her.

"No, no, no," he quickly said, "it's just unexpected. Please, let me inform Mr. Fletcher."

He led them into the house, where he guided them into a salon which looked a bit like a waiting room, with some armchairs, sofas and several magazines and newspapers on a coffee table.

"Please excuse me," Herbert said, "I'll be right back."

And with that, he left the room, closing the door behind himself.

"Fletcher built this house just to have a place to stay when he is in Washington for a couple of days each year," Kate said as they looked around, "normally he lives in Los Angeles. He has an ultra-modern house in the Hollywood Hills, designed by a star architect, a complete contrast to this one. His research lab is nearby in Pacific Palisades."

"Yes, I know. He's been trying to get his foot into the door of the political establishment ever since he took over the company from his late father," Yani added. "He hasn't been very successful so far. His, um… demeanor isn't exactly compatible with the rather conservative political class in Washington and this mansion won't change that. If you ask me, it's no surprise he's now trying a different approach on catching up with Zeira Corp."

"You know a lot," Kate remarked.

"Yes, as I said, I've been briefed. You're also probably aware that he requested you in particular because you are known to have contacts to the L.A. cyborgs?"

"The thought had occurred to me," Kate replied.

The door opened again.

"Mr. Fletcher is now ready to receive you," Herbert said and motioned for them to follow him.

Kate and Yani followed him into the depths of the large house.

-0-

St. Brendan Catholic Church, Los Angeles

"James, what a surprise, so nice to see you."

"It's nice to see you too, father Jonas," James Ellison replied as he shook hands with the pastor.

The old man sat down next to James on the church pew.

"Last time you were here was in June. We were talking about your failed marriage."

"I remember," James said, "but it wasn't the only reason I came to see you. I needed reassurance and confirmation."

"And did you receive it?"

"In a way. So… my office told me you were trying to reach me. What can I do for you, father?"

"You want to get right to the point, huh?"

"If you don't mind. I'm a busy man."

"Very well. What's it like being the head of security at Zeira Corp?"

"Busy," James replied, eyeing pastor Jonas suspiciously, "since when are you interested in my work?"

The old man sighed.

"This is a… delicate matter," he said after a moment. "I didn't ask you to come here to learn about your job… That is, in a manner of speaking, I did, I suppose. But to be quite frank, it wasn't my idea."

"You speak in riddles, father."

"There are those who are worried."

"Worried?"

"Yes. They seek information and – in a way – also reassurance and confirmation, just like you did a couple of months ago."

"Father…"

"I've been asked by bishop O'Bannon to talk to you on his behalf."

"The bishop? Why…"

"He in turn was contacted by the papal nuncio, who in turn was contacted by Rome. You could say a request was passed down to me from the very top."

"You're talking about the Vatican?"

"Yes, as I said, from the top. The, um… very top."

"You mean the Holy Father?"

The pastor sighed.

"They are worried in Rome, James. Worried about what's going on here with this artificial intelligence and those, uh… machines that claim to be alive."

"You're talking about the cyborg girls from TV."

"Yes. The Vatican demands an assessment of the situation. Do these, well, 'women' pose a threat to the Church? Could they undermine the fundamental values of our Christian culture? And above all, how should the church deal with their existence? Should we welcome them, oppose them, fight them even? Many questions have arisen in Rome. There are differences of opinion and conflicts of interest, like always."

"Father, I understand their concerns and uncertainties in assessing the situation, but how am I involved in this? I only work for a company that does research on artificial intelligence, among other things. But I'm the head of security, I don't know about computers or cyborgs."

"Now, we both know that's not entirely true, James," pastor Jonas said.

James stiffened and eyed the old man sharply.

"Oh, don't worry," the pastor said, "your secret is safe with me."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," James said categorically and looked straight ahead.

The old pastor sighed again.

"Say, James," he continued, "do you know which state on Earth is the one that gets the most detailed intelligence on what the people think and do in almost all countries on Earth?"

"I have a feeling you're going to tell me," James replied.

"It's the Vatican of course," pastor Jonas said. "The Vatican has 'operatives' in almost all cities, towns and villages all over the world."

"You're talking about the clergy."

"Yes. The Roman-Catholic Church has its eyes and ears everywhere. Comes with the job we do. People come to us with their problems, their troubles, they trust in the Church and tell us things they wouldn't tell other people. Not all of this falls under the confessional secret, and even the things that do, still somehow find their way into the monthly reports we send to Rome. Not in detail of course, but as part of a more general collection of events. The Vatican has a whole department of experts who do nothing but analyzing and evaluating those reports from all over the world. A constant stream of information from all sectors of society."

"I was unaware that the Church is so anxious to collect all that information," James said, "nor did I know they were so busy doing that."

"It's no secret at all, James," pastor Jonas continued. "It began with the attempted assassination of John Paul II, after which the Vatican knew they had to put more money and personnel into intelligence and reconnaissance. Rome wants to capture the political moods, the moral ideas of the people, the general well-being. And they're getting that information from everywhere in the world, from every community every month. All the governments envy us for that. Forget the C.I.A., forget the N.S.A., forget the F.S.B. or all other intelligence agencies. With its priests, pastors and friars, the Catholic Church has the best and most extensive network of informants in the world."

"I still don't know what you're getting at, father," James said.

"Sometimes things happen that could knock over the old order. The emergence of living machines from the future for example, the news that an intelligent computer has tried to wipe out humanity and that this attempt was called 'Judgement Day'. The fact that time travel is possible and that many parallel universes seem to exist next to each other. These news have worried the Vatican. They want to know in Rome whether or not these new developments need to be viewed with concern and if the Holy Father needs to address them."

"That's all very interesting and understandable," James said, "But again, why are you telling me this? By all means, you should ask those cyborgs, not me."

The pastor looked James directly in the eyes.

"The Vatican is planning on doing just that," he replied, "they want to send an emissary to talk to them. But as you surely know, finding them is a little difficult. We know they have to be in contact with certain parts of the U.S. government but sadly, our arms do not reach into those spheres. So, I'm telling you, because you're a man of the book and because we've been knowing each other for decades and know that we can trust each other."

"I understand, father. But as I already said, I…"

"Yes, yes, I know, you have no idea what I'm talking about. I understand. Anyway, that's what I wanted to tell you. Now it's up to you what you do with it. That's all I have to say to you today."

James looked at the old man and realized that obviously the conversation was over. He rose from the bench.

"It was good talking to you," he said, "I hope I'll be seeing you soon."

"Goodbye, James."

"Goodbye, father."

James was walking down the aisle towards the church door.

"Oh, and James?" pastor Jonas called after him.

James stopped and turned around.

"Say hello to Terissa for me. She's a really charming woman. I'm so glad you two found love again. And also to her son, Danny, a really remarkable young man. I'm so glad he could be freed from the clutches of that disgusting organization."

James was about to ask him how he knew about that, especially since Danny's captivity by the Shadow Council was never made public. But then he remembered the pastor's words about having their eyes and ears everywhere. So he just nodded.

"I'll tell them," he said and left the church.

-0-

Washington, D.C.

Yani and Kate were guided into an office and told to wait for the arrival of Kenneth Fletcher, Jr. While Yani remained standing, looking over the interior and at all the trinkets, artifacts and pieces of art Fletcher had apparently collected, Kate sat down on a sofa and prepared a pen, a notepad and her voice recorder.

"So, you two know each other," Kate said.

"Hm?"

"You and Norberto, you know each other. I could tell from the way you greeted each other."

"Yes, we know each other. So?"

"Are you friends?"

Yani nodded.

"Yes, definitely."

"Is there something I should know?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the way you hugged him, maybe there's more to it than just friendship?"

"What? OH! No, no, no, no way," Yani replied smiling. "Really, Norberto and I are close but… not that close."

Kate sighed.

"When I saw you two together," she said, "I felt a little left out for a moment. It was like two old lovers reuniting while I stood aside, feeling awkward."

"It wasn't that at all. Besides, by now you should have gotten used to feeling awkward, to be honest."

"True," Kate admitted.

"So, this Kenneth Fletcher character, what do you know of him?" Yani asked to change the topic.

"What everyone knows, I guess," Kate replied, "he inherited Farnsworth Enterprises from his late father when he was twenty-five. Back then, the company was the biggest industrial conglomerate in the country. Now, five years later, the company is in a bit of a crisis because Zeira Corp has turned out to be the better, faster and – most importantly – better connected competitor. Of course, we both know that it's Catherine who's responsible for that."

"What do you know about his personality?"

Kate breathed in deeply.

"He's… eccentric," she said. "Different. He hates conventions and avoids doing things just because everyone else is doing them, too. He doesn't like beaten paths, loves risks, he's a gambler. Expect him to surprise us. He likes to confuse or unsettle his guests with unexpected entrances."

"So… not an evil person, just a guy who's gone a little astray?"

"Knowing the facts, that would be my assessment, yes. Why, do you know more?"

"No, I agree with your assessment. Nevertheless, I recommend caution."

"I'm always careful, Yani."

"Just saying."

The door burst open and a young man energetically stepped into the office. His short, dark blond hair was tousled, and he looked sweaty. Which was no wonder, because obviously he had been exercising until a few moments ago. He was barefooted, around his neck was a towel and he wore a white martial arts uniform with a black belt on it.

"Talking about an unexpected entrance," Kate thought.

"I'm sorry," Kenneth Fletcher said, "I had to let off some steam. Bad news this morning. I didn't want to bother you with my bad mood. Practicing martial arts always helps me getting back on track."

"Karate?" Yani asked.

"That too," Fletcher replied, "but mostly Tae Kwon Do. You must be miss Yani Smith, the photographer." He held out his sweaty hand. "I'm Kenneth Fletcher, call me Ken."

"Call me Yani," she said and took his hand in a firm grip.

Fletcher mustered her carefully, then turned towards Kate.

"And the beautiful Miss Kate Barnes," he said and shook hands with Kate after she'd risen from the sofa, "I hope you can forgive me for my inappropriate attire."

Kate smiled.

"It's what I've come to expect from you, to be honest. Your reputation precedes you."

"That bad, huh?" he smiled and took place behind his desk.

"Let's just say you have a certain image," Kate said smiling, sitting down again.

"I'm afraid you're not exactly suited for a photo session in this outfit," Yani added, "but I have a feeling that was the intention."

"Busted," Fletcher replied smiling and poured himself a glass of water. "Something to drink? Coffee, lemonade, something stronger?"

"Coffee would be fine," Kate replied and Yani nodded.

Fletcher bent forwards over his desk and pressed a button of the intercom.

"Sandra, we'd like to have coffee."

"Right away, Mr. Fletcher."

Then he leaned back again.

"So, what was the bad news this morning?" Kate asked while switching on her voice recorder and placing it on the table in front of her.

"Hm?" Fletcher asked, "Oh, nothing, really. I just hate it when my employees do a half-assed job. You tell them to retrieve something of great value and they return with only half of it. You tell them to get the rest as well as quickly as possible but then they disappear, apparently with the merchandise." He smiled. "I guess I'm not making any sense to you."

"Not really," Kate replied, "Mr. Fletcher…"

"Ken, please."

"Ken… it has come to my attention that you asked the Post specifically for me to make this interview. May I know why?"

Fletcher chuckled.

"Don't be so naïve, Kate. It must be clear to you that I am very interested in hearing about your experiences with the cyborgs."

"But you do realize that an interview is usually conducted in such a way that the journalist asks the questions and the interviewee answers them and not vice versa?"

Again, Fletcher chuckled.

"You should know that I don't think much of rules and procedures. Instead, I…"

He was interrupted by a loud rumble that shook the walls of the whole house. Then another one, even louder. Plaster fluttered down from the ceiling.

"What the…?" Fletcher asked and looked upwards.

The sound of people running and screaming came from the floor above them, followed by loud shouting. A few seconds later, the door to Fletcher's office burst open and one of the security guards came running into the room.

"Mr. Fletcher, Sir," the man said breathlessly, "someone's in the house. An intruder. The safe in the office on the first floor, it…"

Yani and Kate saw Fletcher turning pale.

"What about the safe?" he asked flatly.

"It's… I guess you better come and see for yourself, Sir."

Fletcher looked at the two women, then ran out of the office behind the security guards, Kate and Yani following him after Kate had pocketed her voice recorder again. They ran up the stairs and onto the first floor, where more security guards had gathered around an open door.

As they entered the office behind that door, Yani and Kate saw that two security guards lay on the floor, apparently unconscious. There was a big hole in the opposite wall and a slight fog of dust filled the room. Their eyes fell on a safe lying on the floor, which had obviously been pulled out of the wall and then cracked open. It looked bent and dented as if some heavy machinery had ripped it apart. A quick look into the open safe told them it was empty.

"WHERE IS IT?" Fletcher asked loudly, grabbing the first man he could reach by the collar and shook him. "WHERE IS THE CHIP? WHO TOOK IT?"

"What chip?" Kate asked curiously, "what happened here?"

Fletcher turned around and squinted at her.

"You!" he said with a venomous voice, "It was you!"

"Um… Ken," Yani said, "we were with you the whole time and we came alone. You invited Kate here, remember? What are you implying?"

"You work with them!" he said confrontationally, his tone almost hysterical. "I know you have something to do with this!"

"Oh yeah?" Kate asked and pulled out her cellphone. "Then maybe we should call the police. Or even better, I call my contact at the DHS. I'm sure they'll be here within a few minutes."

Fletcher suddenly seemed to snap out of it.

"Wait!" he said, suddenly getting himself under control again, "I… I don't think that will be necessary."

"Are you sure?" Yani asked. "If you had a break-in and something was stolen from you, then we should inform the authorities."

"It was… nothing," Fletcher said. "Just a trinket. My people will handle the robbery, don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?" Kate asked.

"Yes," Fletcher said quickly. "And I'm afraid I have to leave for Los Angeles immediately."

"Wait, you're cancelling the interview?" Kate asked in surprise.

"Yes, sorry for that. And sorry for my outburst. I promise we'll pick this up again later."

"But… but I don't know if my editor will still want to have that interview later on."

Kenneth Fletcher took a deep breath.

"It seems I'll have to live with that," he said.

Herbert guided the two women back to their car. Yani opened the rear door on the right and threw her camera into the back. Nobody noticed that the car lowered down slightly before she slammed the door shut again, as if somebody had climbed into the back.

"I cannot believe how quickly he got rid of us," Kate said in amusement as they drove off.

Yani grinned.

"The moment you talked about calling the DHS, it clicked in his brain," she said. "He realized that he's in deep doo-doo now. He can't go to the authorities, he can do practically nothing. All he can try to do, is flying to L.A. to protect the endoskeleton in his lab and the results of his research. And since Sonya informed John about it already, it's a good guess they've taken action by now."

"Ken is going to be pissed," Kate replied, pulled out the voice recorder and pressed the STOP button.

"Did you...?" Yani asked.

"Of course. Norberto's going to hand over the recording to Zoe, just in case. After all, he admitted having the chip."

"I told you she's clever," Norberto's voice came from the back seat.

The Triple-Eight switched off his cloaking suit and grinned at the two, holding up the chip he took from the safe. The three broke into relieved laughter. Everything had gone well.

Thirty minutes later, they parked behind Yani's rental in front of Kate's house in Brookland. She cut the engine and the three stepped out, walking towards the entrance.

"Kenneth knows you're a cyborg," Kate pointed out. "What will keep him from going after you again or trying to blow Norberto's cover?"

"Self-preservation will keep him from doing so," Future Norberto replied. "The moment Kenneth realized that only a cyborg could have torn that safe out of the wall, he also realized that he's become a target. He knows that going after either of us wouldn't do him good. He doesn't know how you are involved in this, but he knows you have to be. It was important for you to be there because it showed him that he has to keep his fingers off you. After all, he'll soon know what happens to people who piss off cyborgs."

"His three henchmen?" Kate asked.

"I left them in the ambulance a block away from his mansion," Norberto said. "And when he arrives in Los Angeles, he will have a very special encounter with the Connor team."

"But John and the girls won't kill him, right?" Kate asked a little uncomfortable.

"No," Yani said, "but as Sonya said, they'll scare the shit out of him. I so wish I could be there and watch. It's a classic."

They entered the house.

"All in all, it was fun," Yani stated.

"Yeah, it was," the Triple-Eight replied grinning. "It's been a while since I used a cloaking suit. So easy to forget how much of a hoot it can be."

"Fletcher and his guards probably think otherwise," Kate said, "they'll never know what hit them."

The three laughed, then Yani sighed.

"I guess it's time," she said. "We need to exchange the chips again."

Norberto looked at her and nodded, handing her the chip he retrieved from Fletcher's safe.

"Yes," he said, "my mission here is accomplished."

Yani looked at Kate.

"Um… could you give us a moment alone?" she asked.

"Uh… yeah… sure… no problem," Kate replied in a slightly suspicious tone, wondering what that was about. But she walked out of the house, leaving Norberto and Yani alone.

"How is she holding up?" he asked as Kate was out of hearing range.

"Very well," Yani replied. "You know her, she seems vulnerable but she's really strong."

"Yes. And how are you holding up?"

"To be honest, I had to restrain myself to not throw myself around her neck the moment I saw her in her doorway."

Norberto smiled.

"That's understandable," he said.

"She looks so young, only a little older than I am."

"Yes, she does. Very young. I envy my younger counterpart for still having it all ahead of him."

Suddenly, Yani wrapped her arms around Norberto's neck and pressed herself firmly against him. He returned the gesture and put his arms around her, holding her tight. Yani started sobbing into his shoulder.

"Everything's going to be fine, pumpkin," the Triple-Eight said in a soothing voice.

"But it's going to be sooo long before I can talk with either one of you about everything," she said.

"I know," he said and stroked her hair, "but it's your destiny. You've been very well prepared, honey. You know the existence of this universe depends on you fulfilling your mission. You will make it without your mother and me."

He kissed her on the forehead and Yani sighed.

"I know, dad," she said, "I know."

---

Norberto lay on the kitchen table in Kate's house and Kate looked warily at the two as Yani prepared to remove the chip. Had she been crying? It almost looked that way.

"See you in 324 years," Yani said softly.

"Yes, see you then," Norberto replied.

Yani turned the chip around and pulled it from its socket. Norberto's body slackened, his systems powered down and his eyes stared blankly into nothing.

"They are so strong, so tough," Kate said, "but seeing him like this, he seems to be so vulnerable."

"I know what you mean," Yani replied as she put the chip back into the metal tube she had brought it in. "They knowingly and voluntarily place themselves in our hands, never knowing if they will ever really awaken again. If that's not blind faith, what is then?"

"Will the chip still be intact after 324 years?" Kate asked and eyed the metal tube doubtfully.

"Yes," Yani replied, "it's airtight. And when I turn the cap one more click, like this… " she did it and a slight hiss could be heard, "… it creates a vacuum inside. The tube itself is made from a special alloy that won't rust and can withstand any chemical. Only my genetic fingerprint can open it. The chip would still be intact after a million years."

Kate nodded.

"That's good to know," she said.

Yani took the chip Norberto had retrieved from Fletcher's safe and inserted it into the open slot. With a sucking noise, it snapped into place and locked. Then the two stepped back and waited.

"Here we go again," Yani said with a sigh, "I guess I'll have to tell my story all over again now."

-0-

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 – 03:37 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time)

Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles

Latimer Road was densely covered with vegetation and so narrow that two cars would've hardly been able to pass each other. Kenneth Fletcher's chauffeur drove the large Lincoln Navigator slowly and carefully to avoid hanging tree branches and waste bins that had been put out by the neighbors. The secret Farnsworth Research Lab was located in this residential area because nobody would expect it to be there.

However, it was clear that the large, flat-roofed building in Bauhaus style didn't fit into the neighborhood with its detached houses and small gardens. The vast, three-story building was well hidden behind high trees but reminded more of a school that had been built in the seventies - if it wouldn't have been for the walls with barbed wire on top, the steel gate and the security cameras all over the place. Inside the grounds, guards were constantly patrolling the perimeter, each one accompanied by two dogs.

As the SUV neared the property, Fletcher's phone rang. It was his Washington secretary and he took the call.

"Yes, Sandra, what is it? ... Homicide? ... Where? When? ... All three of them? ... Broken necks ... In a stolen ambulance? What the fuck? ... Yes, I'll return to Washington tonight, tell them I'll answer their questions tomorrow ... No, no statement. Tell the publicist to wait until I get back. Not a word to anyone until then, especially not to the media ... Yes ... See you tomorrow."

He ended the call.

"Idiots," he mumbled and stared grimly ahead.

As the driver drove through the open gate of the research lab, Fletcher saw flashing red and blue lights. Several ambulances and police cars were parked inside the courtyard.

"What the hell is that now?" he asked in an annoyed tone.

The driver parked behind a van that seemed to belong to a forensics team and Fletcher immediately jumped out of the car, running towards the back of an ambulance where he'd spotted his leading lab technician.

"What happened here?" Fletcher asked the man who was holding a patch to his head.

"If I only knew," the lab technician replied, sounding fatigued, "they came out of nowhere, there was no warning, no alarm. They must have gassed us or something because I remember losing consciousness and when I woke up again, it was gone."

"Gone? What do you mean?"

"I mean gone! The artifacts, the research, everything… gone."

"They stole the remains?"

"Yes. And all the data. They must have hacked our systems. All of them."

"That's impossible!" Fletcher exclaimed.

"What's impossible?" a female voice asked behind him.

Fletcher whirled around and faced a group of people in civilian clothes.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked.

A woman in her mid-fifties, apparently the leader of the group, pulled out a badge.

"Sonya Hawkins, Secret Service," she said. "These are Zoe Kruger, Mike Anderson, Blythe Danner, Don Knight and Wallace Chadwell."

"What are you doing here? Isn't this a bit far away from the White House?" Fletcher asked, trying to hide his nervousness.

"Oh, don't get me wrong," Sonya said, "I sometimes work with the President, yes. But our team here consists of representatives from many agencies. Together, we form the task force 'Delilah'. Not sure if you heard about it…"

She noticed Fletcher turning slightly pale.

"… but from your reaction I assume you have," Sonya continued.

"I… um… can I make a phone call?" Fletcher asked. "I'd like to contact my lawyer."

"In a moment," Sonya replied. "We were just wondering if you have an explanation for all this."

She motioned around at the police cars and the ambulances.

"I… wait… aren't they here because you called them?" Fletcher asked.

"We? No," Sonya replied, "we arrived after apparently all hell had broken loose in your lab complex. We just talked to the officers from the LAPD and it seems your employees reported a break-in and a robbery. Looks like all employees were sedated, including the dogs. The how is still a mystery. And apparently your employees can't or won't give any information about exactly what was stolen. Can you tell us what they'd been working on here?"

"Uh… this is my research lab on artificial intelligence. It would seem that this is a case of… industrial espionage."

Sonya looked at him.

"I see," she said. "One of your employees mentioned a break-in into your computer system."

"Yes, that's what I was just told as well. Miss Hawkins, may I ask what you are doing here if you're not here for the break-in?"

"Well," Sonya said and looked around, "we came with a search warrant because we received an anonymous tip about you working illegally with stolen technology from the future."

"What?" Fletcher asked and affected a laugh, "somebody must have played you."

"Really, you think?" Zoe asked. "The tip was quite specific. I'm sure you know very well that the ownership of so-called technology from the future is forbidden. The law was passed two weeks ago."

"I'm aware of that," Fletcher said. "And did you find anything?"

"No," Mike Anderson replied, "it appears that whatever you possessed, was stolen by the mysterious burglars."

"Well… they certainly haven't stolen any forbidden technology," Fletcher lied, sounding more confident again. "So I guess your trip to Los Angeles was in vain."

Sonya squinted at him.

"We'll see," she said with a threatening undertone. "Let me make one thing very clear, Mr. Fletcher. If we ever find out that you've been working with illegal technology from the future to gain an advantage over your competitors, it will not only be the end of your company but also the end of your life as you know it. The penalty, as I'm sure you know, would be confiscating your assets and a long prison term. Your life as you know it, would be over."

"I know the law," Fletcher replied shortly.

"Good," Sonya replied, "I'm glad we understand each other. We'll be watching you." She turned towards her team. "Let's go."

They walked towards their SUV. Sonya opened the passenger door and was about to enter the car, then she seemed to reconsider and faced Fletcher again.

"I must insist that you do not leave town until further notice, just in case we have more questions," she said and climbed onto the seat.

"But I need to be back in Wash…" Fletcher started but Sonya had already closed the door. "FUCK!" he cursed and turned on the spot in rage, boxing into the air.

He watched their large SUV driving out of the gate and forced himself to calm down. That was a close call. Whoever the burglars had been, they had ultimately saved his skin without intending to do so. He turned towards his head lab technician again.

"What else can you tell me?" he asked him. "Any idea who did this?"

The man just shook his head.

"I don't know," he said, "but if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say it was an overwhelming strike force. Very controlled, very disciplined. Very fast. Nobody was seriously hurt, just a few cuts and bruises when people fell after losing consciousness. They deleted all footage from the cameras before they left. One of the guards reported black, hooded figures with no recognizable features, as if their clothing swallowed the light. Maybe it was the military. Or maybe…"

He didn't end his sentence. Fletcher nodded, understanding what the man meant.

"I'm going to find the officer in charge here," he said, "and see how we can end this and return to normal as soon as possible."

The day had started badly for Fletcher and it surely had taken a turn for the worse. That bitch, Kate Barnes. She must have informed the authorities. Or did she inform her cyborg friends about the chip who then came here to steal the cyborg parts and his research? Damn her! And now he also had to deal with the homicide department in Washington because of the stupidity of those three hired morons. It was impossible to get any worse. How should he explain this to his shareholders? Fuck them! His father should have never floated the company on the market.

-0-

Santa Monica

Sonya Hawkins leaned over the railing at the end of the pier, watching people fishing down below.

"Everything worked according to plan," John said as he stood next to her. "We'll now wait until he drives to his house in the Hills."

Sonya nodded.

"I'm glad you didn't kill anyone this time."

"As I already told you, the killing days are over."

"Someday you have to tell me about that change of mind."

"Will you fly back to Washington now?" John asked.

"Yes. Zoe will stay here for the night, though. She said something of a small maintenance operation Alistair wanted to perform on her in the Babylon labs?"

"Yes," John confirmed, "He'll make her immune against electric shocks and improve her performance. He's done the same for Cameron, Emily and Porter already. She'll be back in Washington by tomorrow."

"A lot is revolving around Alistair these days, isn't it?"

"His knowledge of cyborgs is really invaluable. I guess Norberto will need to come later for the procedure as well. They were meant to come together on Saturday, but current events have disrupted that plan."

Sonya nodded.

"I heard that Kate will be accompanying Norberto," she said, "apparently the two have become very good friends."

John chuckled.

"Yeah, I heard the same," he said, "isn't that great?"

"We should welcome her to our club," Sonya said smiling.

"What club?"

"The club of humans who are romantically involved with cyborgs."

"Ah… yes. A very exclusive club indeed. Only four members so far."

They both laughed.

"I did a little research on Alistair," Sonya said after a moment.

"Oh? Found out something interesting?"

"He checks out. What he said seems to be true. We even found his ex-wife, a Rita Brown. She changed her name after marrying again."

John frowned.

"Rita Brown?" he asked.

"Yes, do you know her?"

John looked at Sonya for a moment, then shook his head.

"No," he said, "never heard of a woman with that name."

Sonya sighed.

"Gotta leave," she said, "they're waiting for me."

"Yeah, for me as well."

"Next meeting of team JUHCY will be on Friday," she said, "same place. The operation is slowly entering its hot phase. We need more intelligence from Miss Casper, though. So far, we don't have much to plan on."

"I expect receiving more intelligence from her soon," John said.

"All right then," Sonya said and straightened up. "Take care, John."

"Yes, you too."

The two hugged, then Sonya walked away, and John remained for a moment, staring out onto the ocean.

"Rita," he muttered to himself. "That's interesting."

-0-

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 – 08:25 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time)

Los Angeles

Kenneth Fletcher arrived at his house in the Hollywood Hills and went straight to his bar. All in all, it had been an exceptionally shitty day.

As he poured himself a glass of bourbon on the rocks, he looked through the big glass wall over his terrace with the infinity pool at the skyline of Los Angeles and the Santa Monica Bay in the distance. Was that it? Was everything he had worked for since he took over the company flushed down the toilet now?

He'd never been the darling of society, never gotten rid of the image of a rebel. He'd dropped out of university, disappeared for years and hitchhiked around the world just to storm homeward at the news of his father's illness, arriving just in time to watch him die. And then he got thrown in at the deep end when he had to take over the company. He had had other plans, but eventually accepted the challenge.

At the beginning, everything seemed to be going well. But then all of a sudden the competition caught up. Zeira Corp slowly but surely passed them and he had no idea how Catherine Weaver had managed to triple Zeira's market capitalization in just two years. He knew she had excellent connections in Washington and with the U.S. military. But so had he. Well, his father had, Kenneth struggled with keeping them alive. But that couldn't be the answer. There had to be something else that gave Weaver an advantage. She almost seemed to know what was going to happen next, as if she had the ability to see into the future. But however hard he tried to find out, he failed. It remained a mystery.

Then luck came to his help. They found that cyborg skeleton in a barrel marked as low-emission radioactive waste. The people who'd found the skeleton had been alert enough to inform their superiors immediately. They in turn immediately informed Kenneth Fletcher. He could prevent it from getting around and was able to keep it a secret. Enough money, subject to certain conditions, could make people keep their mouths shut.

Unfortunately, the cyborg's CPU was destroyed and its power unit almost completely drained. But the rest promised an enormous technological quantum leap. The design of the energy cell, the materials, the performance of the servos, everything was at least decades ahead of the state-of-the-art at the time. No one knew where the skeleton had come from and no one asked any questions after they had been convinced not to.

Then Fletcher heard of the existence of the cyborgs from the future on the news, as did the rest of the world. And suddenly he realized what it was that he had in his lab in Pacific Palisades. But it was incomplete, the chip was missing, the central element that would bring the cyborg to life and would give Farnsworth Enterprises the edge to boost his A.I. division towards market leadership. He'd studied all the material he could get on cyborgs and found out that animals didn't like them. He tested it with the endoskeleton he had and indeed his guard dogs went berserk upon sensing it, even from a distance.

So he decided to form special teams, camouflaged as animal catchers, that drove through the streets of Los Angeles, Washington and other big cities. If Google could do that with their street view cars, so could he with some dogs in the back of a pick-up truck. Eventually, luck helped them finding a man who lead a single life in one of Washington's suburbs. They concentrated on him, watched his home for a couple of weeks before deciding to make their move. And bingo! He was indeed a cyborg. But what looked like a triumph at first, had now turned into disaster. Obviously it had put him onto the radar. Had he overexcited his hand? It almost seemed so.

It looked like he had not only attracted the attention of other cyborgs but also of Sonya Hawkins and her blasted task force. He knew he was in trouble. Serious trouble. For the first time in years, he felt helpless, a plaything of fate. Kenneth felt powerless, and the bourbon didn't seem to help. Fear slowly crept up his spine when he realized that he was not only powerless but also exposed. If they could enter his house in Washington and his research lab in Pacific Palisades despite all the security measures, there was no safe place for him anywhere. Should he take the risk anyway and run? He still had his contacts throughout the world since he was on his drawn-out escapist trip. He probably had places to hide, at least for a while. As he pondered his options, he suddenly heard a sound coming from the direction of his bedroom.

"HELLO?" he asked loudly, panic creeping up inside him, "ANYBODY HERE?"

He put down his glass and armed himself with an ice pick. Then he slowly walked towards the bedroom. When he carefully pushed the door open, his heart missed a beat. A naked woman was lying on his bed, sprawled over the sheets in a very revealing pose. And it was more than obvious to the eye that she was willing. Very willing.

"Helloooo…" she purred. "My name is Candy. Wanna taste me?"

Kenneth looked her over. Long brown hair, a perfect hourglass figure and nice breasts. She had a cute face with an innocent look on it, but her demeanor was quite the opposite. She spread her legs to allow him to look at her glistening vagina.

"Who the fuck are you?" he asked.

"Mmmh… fuck is the key word," she replied. "I'm here to fuck your brains out."

"All right, that's it," he said, "I have no idea who wants to play a prank on me, but I had a shitty day and I'm not in the mood for... for..."

Her scent reached his nose, a wonderful, seductive scent. It was so... intoxicating. She seemed to have anticipated that reaction and smiled.

"Like my perfume?" she asked, "I just got it from someone today. I was told no man could resist me as long as I wear it."

Kenneth felt how his willpower and his determination to get rid of the woman crumbled and finally collapsed. He was enchanted, hypnotized by her scent. It penetrated his brain like a drug. He felt his penis become stiff and his knees soft at the same time.

"That's good, Kenneth," Candy purred as his legs gave way and he sank to the ground, "that's the right position for you, on your knees. I'll be your mistress tonight."

"Yes… mistress," was all Kenneth could utter, staring between her legs at her open, wet pussy.

"Do you wanna taste me now?" she asked.

"Yes, mistress," he replied.

"Then go on, help yourself. Taste my cunt and become my sex toy."

With the need of a drug addict, Kenneth crawled towards her and pressed his mouth greedily onto her vulva, licking, sucking, slurping. It tasted heavenly and the last remnants of his willpower disappeared into nothingness as her juice ran down his throat.

---

"The drug seems to work just fine," John commented as they sat around the video feed inside their surveillance van.

"Yes," Alison commented, "it's extremely powerful but it won't last very long. Two or three hours tops, then it'll wear off."

"But until then, he's completely in her thrall?" Catherine asked.

"Yes," Alison confirmed, "any man would be. Well, except for John. I'd never give anyone the means to control him of course."

"So grateful for that," John replied smiling and kissed her.

"So, they're gonna fuck for hours now or what?" Savannah asked.

"Yes," John said, "consider it Candy's first mission. A test run of sorts. I have a feeling it's right up her alley. And Fletcher volunteered to be her first target, so to speak."

"And you'll hand over the recording to me afterwards?" Catherine asked.

"Yeah, we figured you'd like to have something on him," Cameron said. "Just in case our threats aren't enough."

"I like your thinking," Catherine replied, slightly amused. "Sex as leverage, it never gets old."

"He's not married but if that recording should ever find its way onto the internet, his life would be ruined," Emily added. "The leader of one of the nation's biggest industrial conglomerates, a submissive slave to a known porn star."

"I assume you told her to humiliate him in any imaginable way?" Catherine asked.

"Absolutely," John replied, "it'll be a new level of humiliation and degradation. And while the drug is still active on him, he will even enjoy it."

"Until the hangover sets in," Allie added.

"Oh yes," John said, "he'll remember everything. That's the beauty of it. Hopefully it will be enough to make him receptive to our proposal."

"So you don't wanna destroy him?" Savannah asked.

"What? Hell, no," John said, "his company employs over ninety thousand people. It'd be a shame if they all became unemployed. No, no, it's enough that he just does what we ask. And in a year or two, Zeira Corp can take over Farnsworth. Quietly and discreetly."

"Ever considered becoming a partner in my company, John?" Catherine asked with a smile. "I like your strategic thinking."

"Ask me again in ten years or so," John replied, smiling back, "right now I feel I should enjoy the time in my life where looking for a job isn't exactly one of my priorities."

"But it would be so great," Savannah said to him, "you and me next to my mother. Only the sky would be the limit."

Everyone chuckled.

"I don't want to spoil your fun," Alison said, "but Zeira Corp must be careful that it doesn't grow too fast and too large. Kenneth here apparently was already smelling a rat and suspected something was wrong. We cannot afford to make other commercial enterprises equally suspicious."

"You're right," Catherine agreed, "that's why I separated the Babylon Labs from everything else that's going on. All employees are handpicked and won't utter a word about their work, not even to family or friends. And what we do down there, must never become a part of our official business profile. It's exclusively for the Connor team."

"People would starting to ask questions if you suddenly came up with developments that are rooted in technology from the future," Allie said nodding. "Yes, that should be prevented."

"By the way," Catherine said to Allie, "what's with the new look?"

"Oh, not much, really," Allie replied, "I just asked Alison to make me a little taller, with a different hair and eye color and bigger breasts. Oh, and she removed the birthmark from my eyebrow. It's less likely I get mixed up with Cameron now."

"You still pretty much look the same," Cameron commented, "frankly I don't see the point."

"The point is," Allie said, "that next time we stand next to each other, nobody will think we are twins or that I'm a cyborg as well. I'm now taller and with a bigger rack. Sisters obviously, but not twins."

Cameron rolled her eyes.

"It's a girls thing," John said to Catherine under his breath, causing Allie to frown at him.

"So, what do we do now?" Savannah asked. "Wait till Kenneth's completely wrung out by Candy?"

"Yeah, pretty much that," John replied.

Savannah sighed.

"It's gonna get boring," she said.

"Well, you could do us a favor and get some food," John said. "I saw a burger joint down the street."

Savannah scoffed.

"Are you serious?" she asked. "Why don't you order pizza?"

"I'd like a pizza," Allie said.

John grinned and pulled out his phone.

-0-

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 – 11:36 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time)

Washington, D.C.

"Will you stop by if you're in the area?" Kate asked.

"I'm afraid not," Yani replied, "my mission here is accomplished and the parameters do not allow me to stay any longer with you."

"Always those damn mission parameters. You sound like a cyborg."

Yani smiled and looked around, taking in the quietness of Kate's neighborhood in Brookland.

"Sorry," she said, "but I have a list of things to do and I mustn't digress from it."

"I see," Kate replied and hugged her, "it was nice to know you."

"You'll know me again... someday."

"Yes, looking forward to it."

"Thank you for your help in saving me," Norberto said, "you've given me a lot to think about. And I guess I better move out of my house in Crofton now."

"Yes, it's time you two get officially together," Yani agreed and took a deep breath. "Well, I guess I better get going then."

She started walking to her rental car and opened the driver's door, taking a last glance at the house.

"Yani was here," she said in a low voice and was about to enter the car, then looked back at the two who stood in the entrance. "Oh, before I forget," she said loudly, "if one day you find a baby on your doorstep, a girl with a birthmark in the shape of a Möbius band on her left thigh... take her in and treat her like your own child. It's very important for the future."

Norberto and Kate frowned and looked at each other. Before either of the two could reply or ask what she meant, Yani had already entered her car and was speeding off.

Kate sighed.

"She talks in riddles most of the time," she said.

"Oh, really?" Norberto said and put his arm around Kate's shoulder. "Then tell me everything she said to you."

The two turned around and entered the house.

-0-

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 – 11:23 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time)

Los Angeles

"I guess he's done," John said, looking at the monitor where Candy was lifting Kenneth Fletcher's arm and let it fall down on the bed again, shrugging into the camera with an evil smile.

"About time," Savannah said, "Jeez, I thought I was kinky, but Candy really has a sick fantasy."

"Look at the bright side," Allie said, "the more perverted and humiliating the video is, the better for us."

"Let's go," John said and stood up, "it's time we introduced ourselves to Mr. Fletcher. Savannah, Allie, I'll send Candy home. Make sure she leaves on the clothes we're going to give her. We don't want to alert the neighborhood with a naked woman running around. And call her a taxi."

"Will do," Allie replied, "I guess the taxi driver will get a very special tip tonight."

The five left the van, leaving Savannah and Allie alone in it.

"How do you feel?" Savannah asked.

"What do you think?" Allie asked back. "Still horny, of course. Gets worse with each nanobot treatment."

"It's what you wanted."

"Yeah, I know… still, it sucks."

"Alison said it will subside in a while."

Allie scoffed.

"A while. Yes, and until then I'm in agony. This must be how Candy feels."

"Well, we'll be alone here for a while," Savannah said lasciviously and kissed Allie, "we could squeeze in a quickie."

Allie smiled in return.

"I thought you'd never ask."

---

John, Cameron, Emily, Alison and Catherine entered Fletcher's house.

"See if you can hack into his computer," John said to Emily. "I don't think we overlooked something but better be safe than sorry."

"Of course, John," Emily replied, pulled out her USB cable and went looking for the home office.

The others went straight for the bedroom where Candy was already waiting for them, masturbating, while Kenneth Fletcher was lying next to her, deeply asleep.

"You still don't have enough?" John asked.

"The more I fuck, the hornier I get," Candy replied shrugging. "It was fun, though, can I have that drug again? There is that porn director I'd like to bring to my knees like Kenny here."

"You did well," John said, ignoring her remark, "I think we can make use of you more often. Get home, we'll contact you when we need you again. Savannah and Allie have already called you a taxi. Here, put these on."

He threw her a tee shirt, a pair of boxer shorts and sneakers.

"Getting dressed?" Candy asked, "Ugh… you know how to turn off a girl and ruin an otherwise brilliant evening, John Connor."

She stopped rubbing her pussy, jumped off the bed and reluctantly got dressed.

"You might wanna take a shower," Catherine remarked, "you reek of sex."

"I am sex," Candy replied, "I'm a wanton cunt who's always wet and horny. Hence, I always reek of sex."

She walked past them, then stopped next to John.

"Call me when you want to try out a real woman," she purred and licked his earlobe while putting her hand on his crotch. "My holes are always open for you."

Jon recoiled and Candy laughed, then left the house.

"Did we really create… that?" Catherine asked.

John sighed.

"Apparently, we did," he said, "but the good thing is, she now works for us. And hopefully she'll be disciplined enough to be of use."

---

Kenneth Fletcher started to stir. He groaned and rolled over, opening his eyes. For a moment, he didn't seem to be able to focus, then he obviously realized that he wasn't alone in the room. Blazingly fast, he reached for the blanket and covered his nudity.

"What the…? WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?" he asked loudly.

"My name is John O'Connell," John said, "and these are Cameron and Alison. You probably don't know me, but you surely know my associate."

"Your associate?" Fletcher asked, frowning.

"Catherine Weaver," John replied.

"Weaver," Fletcher spat with apparent aversion in his voice, "is she behind all this?"

Instead of getting an answer, the blanket he was covering himself with, suddenly seemed to become a metallic liquid. It flowed down onto the floor and then shaped itself into a human form that took on the look of Catherine Weaver. Fletcher shrieked and crawled backwards, until the wall behind him prevented him from getting any further. He grabbed the pillow and put it over his crotch.

"We are one team," John said. "Catherine here is a member of it. You made a serious error by taking that Triple-Eight endoskeleton, Ken. Now we have to make sure you'll never do that again or tell anyone about it."

"Who the fuck are you?" he asked in a hysterical tone while looking between Catherine and John.

"It's the wrong question, Kenneth," Catherine replied with her trademark evil smile, "you should've asked 'what the hell are you'?"

And before Fletcher could reply to that, she turned her left arm into a blade, extending it until it almost touched his throat. Suddenly all defiance disappeared from Fletcher's behavior. He just sat there, paralyzed with fear. Catherine turned the blade into a hand again, put it around his throat and pulled him closer.

"Not to keep you in the dark any longer," John said, "Catherine here isn't human. The real Catherine Weaver died in the helicopter crash with Lachlan Weaver. This Catherine here is a liquid metal Terminator, a machine that can change its shape at will. The model designation is T-1001 and she traveled back in time from the year 2027 to create a counterforce to defeat Skynet."

"Oh… God…" is all Fletcher could utter, his eyes open in fear.

"Let him go," John said and Catherine released him.

"But she isn't the only machine in the room," John continued, "Cameron here is a TOK-715. Babe, would you show him?"

"With pleasure, John," Cameron said and let her eyes flash first in blue, then in red. "You've probably never seen a cyborg with their skin intact before, Ken. The one you found in the barrel? I killed him. We should have hidden him better but there was no way to get him out of Serrano Point without being seen, so we had to improvise."

"And this is Alison," John said, pointing at her, "She's a TOL-900, the most advanced and powerful cyborg of them all. She administered Candy the drug that so effectively turned you into a sex slave while you were under its influence."

"It was quite a show," Alison said, letting her eyes flash red as well, "very enjoyable."

Kenneth's eyes fell onto the camera equipment in her hand and he put one and one together.

"You… you recorded it?" he croaked.

"Everything," Catherine replied smiling, "every tiny detail. In full high definition."

"Why?" Kenneth asked with desperation in his voice.

"Because we hope that our presence here and the fact that we reveal ourselves to you are motivation enough to keep you quiet on the long run," John said. "However, if one day you should be tempted to tell someone else about us, this video will very quickly find its way onto the Internet. You've experienced how creative Candy has been and I'll let you in on a secret, Kenneth. She works as a porn actress and is about to become a superstar in her profession. It's a given the video would generate a lot of clicks and become extremely popular very quickly."

Fletcher just gulped.

"We hope that we can ensure your cooperation with us this way," John continued. "If not, we have other options, but they would leave you with irreparable mental and physical damage. Cam, would you be so kind?"

"With pleasure, John," Cameron replied, quickly walked over to Kenneth, grabbed him by the throat and easily lifted him up from the bed.

"If you think you've been humiliated or hurt tonight," John kept on talking, "you're wrong. We haven't even begun with you yet. If we ever have the slightest suspicion that you're betraying us or trying to trick us, Cameron will visit you - if you're lucky. If you're less lucky, I'll send Alison."

To underline his words, Alison created an electric arc between her outstretched arms. It was enough to make Fletcher, who was still dangling from Cameron's outstretched arm, go over the edge. He started crying.

"John," Emily said and entered the room, "I ran into a problem with his computer."

John looked at her.

"What?" he asked unbelieving, "a problem with a computer? You?"

"I'm sorry, I cannot explain it myself," Emily said meekly, "but it's a problem I haven't encountered before. Can you please take a look?"

"Sure," John said and stood up. "You three keep entertaining Ken here, make sure he fully grasps the severity of his situation."

"With pleasure, John," Catherine said with an evil smile and turned her hands into blades. "I think Ken could use a haircut."

John followed Emily to the home office and sat down in the chair.

"So, what exactly is the problem?" he asked, looking at the monitor.

"It won't let me access his accounts," she replied, "it keeps on asking me to confirm that I'm human. But I'm not human, so I can't confirm that."

John slowly looked up at her with a frown.

"Are you serious?" he asked a little amused.

"As you can see, it asks me to enter a combination of twisted letters and numbers," she replied. "To prove that I'm human and not a bot. But I'm not human, I am a machine."

John apparently had trouble to keep a straight face. The situation was hilarious, but she obviously really didn't understand it. He forced himself to remain serious and stood up to face her.

"Emily," he said and kissed her, "I love you to bits but sometimes you're cracking me up."

"I love you too, John," she replied confused, "what did I do wrong?"

"The computer displays those letters and numbers because normally only a human can read them. You can read them, though, can't you?"

"Of course, John."

"Just enter them and click on OK."

Confused, Emily took place again, entered the displayed code and did as he said.

"I'm in," she said, still confused, "but how? I'm not human."

John sighed.

"In this case, you are," he said ominously, bent forward and kissed her again, then walked back towards the bedroom, leaving a slightly puzzled Emily behind.

When he entered the bedroom again, John witnessed Catherine shaving the last hair off Kenneth's head. The man struggled and tried to get free but since he was still in Cameron's iron grip, it didn't work.

"Tell your machines to let me go!" Fletcher croaked. "That's torture, I have rights!"

"Torture?" Cameron said and scoffed, "So far, we haven't inflicted any pain on you."

"You're right, Kenneth" John said and took place on the chair again, "officially you have rights. But not with us."

He motioned for Cameron to put the man down onto the bed again. She did so, unceremoniously. Kenneth breathed in deeply.

"She was going to choke me!" he complained in a raspy voice.

"No, she wasn't," John said, "if she wanted you dead, you would have been dead in a fraction of a second."

"You're human, right?" Fletcher asked and John nodded, "How do you know you can trust these machines?"

John sighed.

"That is something people like you have a problem to understand," he explained, "you only see the mechanical part, the machine part. It's typical for people who theorize about artificial intelligence but never really grasp its implications. These women are alive, Kenneth. And yes, they are women, even Catherine here considers herself a woman, a mother even."

Fletcher scoffed and looked up to see Emily enter the room.

"Are you finished with his computer now?" John asked.

"Yes," she replied and pulled the plug from the back of her skull, "but there's nothing on it in connection with the Triple-Eight chassis."

"Thanks," John said and Emily smiled back warmly at him.

Fletcher frowned.

"They're faking it," he said, "it's just an extremely elaborate program. Their brains are chips and they work only in their defined parameters."

"So does your brain," Alison said, "your body is also a machine, a biological machine, developed by nature over millions of years. Granted, we are significantly younger in our development but thanks to the technology we use, we're also significantly faster."

"You won't understand what they are and won't win their loyalty by studying them in a lab," John added, "you gain their loyalty, their trust and even their love by respecting them, interacting with them, integrating them into your life and treating them as equals. Basically the same you do with humans. But of course, you've never been too good with humans either, right?"

Fletcher scoffed again and looked away.

"What do you want from me?" he asked.

Catherine looked at John and he nodded.

"Here's an offer," she said to him, "You stop looking into A.I. and never try again to get your hands on a cyborg. You also will never even think about telling anyone about what you did in your research lab and our visit today."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then we have ways to make you compliant," Cameron said, "remember Candy and the video. And that would just be the beginning. Don't make the mistake to think that this is a conversation."

"On the upside," Catherine added, "we will guarantee that your company will survive. I will help you to keep it afloat. And maybe in a few years, I'll take over Farnsworth Enterprises and you can retire. Because that's what you really want, right? You were never too eager to sit in the captain's chair, you were forced into it by your father's death and the lack of another heir."

Fletcher looked up at her.

"What about my employees?" he asked, "Some of them know what's been going on."

"You'll give us a list with their names and addresses," John said, "then Alison will visit them one by one and make sure they forget about the whole cyborg affair. Don't worry, they won't be harmed."

"I guess I have no choice then," Fletcher replied in a resigned tone. "You leave me no alternative."

"True," said Alison, "you're literally fucked."

-0-

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008 – 02:43 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time)

Fredericksburg, Florida

Jessica Casper was in the midst of coping with the sexual arousal that had plagued her since Alison had administered the nanobots to her, when suddenly the lights went on in her bedroom. She sat upright immediately. Two security guards walked into the room and stood next to her bed. Both were T-800's. It wasn't really hard to tell, they never smiled, never grimaced, always wore a stoic face.

"What the hell…?" she asked, covering her nudity. "What do you want in here?"

"Please get dressed and come with us," the one said.

"Your presence is required," the other added.

"What? Now? At this time of night?"

"Please do as we say," the first one said. "Try not to argue with us."

---

As the two guards guided her out of her apartment, Jessica feared for the worst. Was her cover blown? Was she brought in for questioning now, or worse? They had told her that everyone eventually breaks when being interrogated by a cyborg. Her pill! She had left her pill in the other jeans! If it came to the worst, she wouldn't be able to take her own life to protect the others. Jessica's heartbeat accelerated, fear crept into her body.

The two cyborg guards led her towards the elevator, and they rode down to the third underground level. She hadn't been there before. It was some kind of basement with long corridors that connected the different buildings in the G.A.O.L. complex. The naked walls were lined with pipes and cables, apparently this was a maintenance tunnel. Her fear grew when she tried to imagine where she was being taken.

They walked her through the long tunnel until she realized that they must now be underneath the main building, a fifteen-story office tower where all the administrative offices and the living quarters of the higher-ranking G.A.O.L. members were. At some point, they pushed her into another corridor that ended at a staircase. They climbed up two levels and walked through a secured door the guards opened with a key card.

Suddenly she found herself in a tastefully decorated hallway with a thick carpet, the walls full of pictures and a row of leather chairs placed on one side against the wall. Suddenly, all sounds were muffled. The contrast to the reverberant staircase with its bare concrete walls couldn't have been starker. The two security guards led her to a steel door and pressed a buzzer.

The lock clicked and one of the guards pushed it open. They led Jessica into what looked like a security office. There were lots and lots of monitors on the walls and the wall to the right was just one large screen. On a desk opposite of her sat Reverend Bridger and the huge screen to the right showed the face of… Guy Rossi.

"Thank you, that'll be all," Bridger said and motioned for the two guards to leave.

They walked out of the room and closed the door behind them.

"I'm sorry we had to pull you out of bed so suddenly," Bridger said, "but the Supreme Reverend insisted on talking to you now."

"The S… Supreme Reverend?" Jessica asked and looked to her right.

"Yes, Miss Casper," Guy Rossi's larger-than-life face spoke from the right wall, "I'm sorry if the guards frightened you. I assure you there's no need to be concerned. Please take a seat."

Slowly recovering from her shock and feeling as if a weight had been lifted from her, Jessica felt for a chair and sat down. Of course she knew that this could only be Catherine Weaver, posing as Guy Rossi.

"As I already told Reverend Bridger," Rossi continued, "I want to thank you personally for your assistance of the Los Angeles circle, even if the operation itself was a failure. And I want to assure you that we won't hold you responsible for anything, in case you were worried about that."

"I… um… that's kind of you," Jessica replied nervously.

"However, the kidnapping of the Reese Boys was only a small part of a larger master plan," Rossi continued. "A prologue to a much greater operation, so to speak, and I need your help with it."

"M… my help?"

"Yes. I already explained the essentials to Reverend Bridger and ordered him to fully support you."

"That is correct," Bridger said, "we here at G.A.O.L. headquarters will fully assist you, Miss Casper."

Jessica immediately noticed how submissive Bridger suddenly sounded and she realized that he was still completely under the thumb of Guy Rossi, even though the person on the huge monitor was definitely not Guy Rossi. But Bridger didn't know that, of course.

"Okay," she said with a little more self-confidence, "what do you expect me to do?"

Rossi looked at Bridger.

"Would you please leave me alone with Miss Casper for a moment?" he asked.

"Uh… yeah, sure… of course," Bridger replied, stood up and left the room.

As soon as the door was closed, Rossi morphed into Catherine Weaver on the big screen.

"John asked me for this little charade to convince Bridger that Rossi is still alive and holding the strings. Based on your report, we were worried Bridger might get suspicious. So we chose this approach. According to Alistair, the room you're in is the central security office. It's soundproof, bug-proof and safe from prying eyes. This video feed isn't being recorded. How are you holding up?"

"I'm doing fine, I guess," Jessica replied, "a little bored, though. They keep me isolated. There's not much I can find out this way."

"Yes, when I just spoke to Bridger, he expressed his concerns about your presence. After all, you are a renegade policewoman these days. But I was able to allay his concerns. Guy Rossi was very thorough in programming his subordinates and as long as Bridger believes Rossi is alive, he will obey him without questioning."

"That's good to know."

"So, I ordered Bridger to personally show you around the facilities in the following days and guide you to even the most secret places. He believes it's necessary to let you in on everything because The Supreme Reverend needs you for a very special operation – which is actually the truth in a way."

"I see."

"I want you to remember as much as possible and put it into your next reports. Make drawings of the complex, the more detailed, the better. It's also crucial that you find out from where the explosives can be detonated which are hidden in the buildings. Next to identifying the rest of the cyborgs, that's your number one priority, do you understand?"

"Yes. Do you want me to shut down that system?"

"No, too risky. Do nothing that could arouse suspicion. Bridger will do as he's been told but only as long as you behave unsuspiciously. When he doesn't show you around, stay in your room or do what you always do, walking around, sitting by the pond or whatever."

"I understand. Bridger knows that there will be an attack soon. What shall I tell him if he questions me about that?"

"I already briefed him on the situation and told him that thanks to my 'brilliant master plan', the Connor team is currently busy with other things and that the operation I talked about and in which you are involved, is actually meant to prevent the attack. He now believes you are part of a strategy to defend and secure G.A.O.L."

"I see. A brilliant move."

"I surely hope so. It was John's idea, to be honest. Everything should work out fine as long as you don't do anything stupid. Do only what I told you to do, do not try to become active on your own. Under all circumstances, avoid making Bridger suspicious. I told him not to bother you with questions. If he tries anyway, invoke me and my instructions, that should be enough to silence him."

Jessica nodded.

"Got it," she said.

Catherine changed into Rossi again.

"Let him back in," she said.

Jessica stood up and opened the door. Reverend Bridger had patiently been waiting outside and entered the room again.

"Make sure Miss Casper is being guided back to her quarters," Catherine ordered, "and from now on, I want you to stop monitoring her apartment. Install a lock and make sure that nobody enters there without her express permission."

"Understood, Sir," Bridger said and motioned for the two T-800's. "Guide Miss Casper back to her quarters and guard her door until a lock has been installed. Make sure nobody except her gets in."

"Yes, Sir," the two guards replied in unison and led Jessica away.

"Please close the door," Catherine said and Bridger did what she asked. "Now, Bring me up to date with the preparations for Foundation Day."

-0-

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 – 11:55 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time)

Los Angeles

Lauren, Anne, Jody, Sydney and Louise walked out of the night club and onto the parking lot. They were in a good mood and laughed as they made their way to their truck. They'd spent the day in various public locations and not once had Louise been recognized with her black wig and the fake glasses.

"Oh my," she said, "I didn't have so much fun in almost a year. Last time I had a girl's night out, was with my old friends. You know, the ones who dropped me like a hot potato after I became a celebrity."

"Don't worry about it," Lauren said, "if there's one thing in life I've learned, it's that you always meet new people and make new friends, no matter what happens to you."

"True words," Sydney said, "I mean, look at us. Lauren is actually my big sister; our parents were killed by a triple eight and she had to deal with me all alone as a baby. Then she met John and the others and now look where we are. Life goes on. Always."

"There's only one thing that bothers me," Louise said.

"What is it?" Anne asked.

"I don't seem to get drunk, no matter how hard I try."

The four girls laughed.

"Yeah, welcome to the club," Jody said. "No drugs, no alcohol. The nanobot treatments took care of that. I mean, sure, you can consume as much as you want but your body will simply flush it out again without having any impact on it."

"What's the point of drinking alcohol then?" Louise asked.

"'cause it's fun," Anne said, "watching all the people around you getting drunk while you stay sober. We can drink anyone under the table."

"That's what we should have done to those pushy guys who'd been following us since the mall," Louise stated.

"Ooh, yes, they were really creepy," Sydney said. "Didn't accept a 'no' when trying to hit on us and kept hanging around, following us all the way to the parking lot."

"It really sucks that some men still think women are a freely available resource they can simply take whenever they feel like it," Anne stated.

"And they're supposed to be intelligent," Jody added, "UCLA and all…"

"Dream on," Lauren agreed. "Just because they're in college doesn't mean they're intelligent. I just hope we got rid of them now. I'm so glad we have decent boyfriends."

"I always had a thing for nerds," Jody said, "no idea why I ended up with a jerk like Helmut."

"Who's Helmut?" Louise asked.

"He was an asshole," Jody replied, "hit me in the face when he was angry. Granted, I stole his laptop and sold it but…"

"What happened to him?" Lauren asked. "You never tell us much about your past."

"Because I'm not proud of my past. I rebelled against my parents and ended up on the street, doing… things for money. That's when I met Cameron. In hindsight, she saved my life, I guess."

"And Helmut?" Anne asked as they stopped at their RAM.

"Dead," Jody replied, "he made the mistake of kidnapping John for ransom. Cam didn't like that."

"What a stupid moron," Sydney said. "I guess he got what he deserved?"

"Yeah, definitely," Jody agreed. "After that, I decided to change my life. And it worked out. At least until John, Cam and Alison appeared in the café in Needles… And now look at me," she said and turned on the spot. "All new Jody."

The other girls laughed but then stopped as Jody's expression suddenly became serious.

"Guys, I guess the creep squad followed us here," she said.

The other four women turned around as well and indeed a group of eight young men came walking towards them with big grins on their faces. Quickly, the four took Louise in their middle and waited for the men to come closer.

"Hello, ladies," the first one said grinning, "what are you doing here, all alone on a deserted parking lot in the middle of the night?"

"Okay, punk," Sydney said, "we've told you several times already that we're not interested in 'having a good time'."

"Oh, but we are," the man replied while his friends surrounded the girls.

"Listen, boys," Lauren said, "you better leave now, or you might regret it."

"I'd say you'd regret if we leave you here," the man replied grinning and touched her cheek. "All alone and unprotected."

Lauren grabbed his hand and twisted it. He screamed out in pain.

"AAAH! LET ME GO, BITCH!"

"I'm stronger than I look, huh?" Lauren said unaffectedly. "If you leave now, you will go home without a broken arm or worse."

It had taken a moment for the other men to realize it but now that they saw how Lauren had their leader in a tight grip, they charged at the girls – and ran into their fists and feet. Thanks to their improved physique and their martial arts training, they had no problems fighting them off. After a few seconds, all seven lay on the ground.

Lauren let go of the hand of the leader and he walked back a few steps, looking at her first flabbergasted, then with growing fury in his eyes. He drew a knife.

"We're not leaving this parking lot without you," he said grimly and charged at Lauren.

Jody kicked the knife out of his hand and Anne caught it. Two seconds later, the man lay on the ground, Lauren kneeling over him, her fist ready to strike.

"If I hit you now, I'll crush your larynx," she said, "One last chance to get out of here unharmed."

She stood up and so did the man. His friends had also recovered, looking at the girls suspiciously and carefully. But it seemed that their leader didn't want to admit defeat yet and tried his luck again, this time with Anne. She didn't hesitate for a second, ducked and kicked his knee. He screamed and sank to the ground.

In an attempt to defend their leader, the other seven guys attacked again. Ten seconds later, they all lay moaning on the concrete of the parking lot.

"Let's get out of here," Sydney said and opened the driver's door of the RAM.

The other four also entered the pickup truck and they drove away, leaving the men behind lying on the ground, squirming in pain.

"I want to be able to do that as well," Louise said. "I want to learn to kick ass like you can."

"You already know John's and Emily's opinion on that," Anne replied.

"It felt great, though," Jody said, "I wish I could have had these abilities back when I was with Helmut. It was like my body acted all on its own. Amazing!"

"Yeah, they didn't stand a chance," Sydney agreed, "our reflexes and body control have definitely improved a lot. But obviously they had no martial arts training whatsoever, only relying on their assumed physical superiority."

"Which didn't exist," Lauren said, "when I'd grabbed the leader's hand, he struggled to get it free, but I was much more powerful than him."

"We should stop at a bar and try our luck on arm wrestling with some truckers," Jody suggested and everyone laughed at that.

"We should avoid attracting attention," Anne said soberly.

"Still the old professor, eh?" Lauren replied half-jokingly, receiving an angry glare from Anne. "But you're right. I'm just glad Alison gave us the nanobot treatment earlier than planned. Just imagine we wouldn't have had it just now."

"You're right, sis," Sydney agreed. "As if she knew this would happen tonight. Do you think looking into the future is one of her hidden abilities?"

The other four chuckled.

"If she has any more hidden abilities, she'll start creeping me out," Louise said.

"John said they discovered them all now," Lauren argued, "and I believe him."

"Yes," Anne agreed, "but have you ever considered that there could still be more, hidden somewhere in the depths of her system?"

"Gee, I hope not," Jody said, "Derek would freak out."

-0-

Washington

Yani walked up to the currently empty house with the "For Sale" sign in front and opened the door. It wasn't locked. She went inside and let herself fall onto the plush sofa in the living room.

"How did it go?" a female voice asked from behind.

"Fine, fine," Yani said, "I ticked all my boxes now. Mission completed. Going to fly back to L.A. tomorrow."

"Very good. Looks like the plan is working perfectly and you resisted the temptation to take shortcuts."

"Shortcuts?"

"Yes. You waited until the Triple-Eights attacked Alistair, you lured them into the loft, you told Alison about the impending attack on the five girls tonight but not to be there to prevent it. And you brought Kate in to retrieve Norberto's chip instead of simply warning him of Fletcher. You followed the script to the letter."

"So, does that mean you'll leave again?"

"Yes, now that the outcome of the time loop is secured, I can travel back home."

"So... while I was busy, you simply watched," Yani stated a little annoyed.

"You know that I cannot show my face here. I was just your backup, in case you failed. But I also did my part with puncturing the tires of that stolen ambulance."

"You'll go back, and I'll have to stay here."

"Unfortunately, yes. You know the reason why."

"When will you leave?"

"As soon as I've gathered all the parts for a working TDE. Two, maybe three weeks."

Yani nodded.

"I understand," she said, "I guess you're needed in the future."

"Yes. I need to go back. My presence is required. You know the rules of the loop."

"Would it matter if you hung around just for a little longer? I could use the company."

"Yani... I might get recognized for who I am if I showed my face in the open. It would provoke questions and trigger a cascading effect that could destroy everything. There's one more thing I have to do and then I'll be gone."

Yani sighed.

"I know. But it sucks, knowing that I'll be here all alone for so long. It doesn't seem fair."

"It's how it must be. Someone must stay, you know why."

"I know but still..."

Suddenly, the woman smiled, and her expression became softer. She touched Yani's cheek with the palm of her hand.

"We'll meet again," she said, "and you'll have Alistair. From time to time at least..."

Yani nodded.

"Should I deliver a message to someone?" she asked.

"Only the one to Alistair. But not right away. Wait until the right moment comes."

"How will I know it's the right moment?"

"Believe me, you will."

-0-0-0-

- Kenneth really had a very, very shitty day :-)

- I was looking for something that James Ellison could do. I believe I neglected his character for some time. Let's see how the storyline around the Catholic Church works out.

- There has been criticism about the previous chapter, not only in reviews but also in PM's, about my stance on how the future of mankind might look like in 300 years. I'd like to use the opportunity to make two things absolutely clear (and let me point out that the following are just MY humble opinions):

1) I have nothing against faith. On the contrary, I think that a healthy person needs some kind of faith or belief, no matter where it comes from. But when it comes to organized religion in an Abrahamic sense, I strongly object to their claim to be the only ones who have the answers. History has proven they don't. Again: I have nothing against people who have faith in something, only against people (and organizations) who abuse the faith of their followers to justify suppression, intolerance, bigotry and violence against those who think or believe differently. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

2) I found it quite puzzling that some complained about the role of sex and nudity in 300 years as I let Yani describe it. After all, this is a story that's rated M for sexual content. Almost nobody seemed to have a problem with the use of sex, nudity and explicit language in the context of the story so far. On the contrary, there has been demand for more of it! And I hope it's obvious that much of what is written by me in that respect, is meant very tongue-in-cheek.

But then one of the characters says that sex and nudity will be handled very liberal and without taboos in the future. And suddenly people utter their dissatisfaction with that? Sorry but that doesn't compute… I didn't attempt to say that people will copulate like bonobos in 300 years or will have lost decency and all moral values. I only dared to continue a thought that's based on how much our understanding of morality and decency has changed in the past 100 years alone. Besides, no one should take what I write too seriously. It's just fan fiction and fantasy, based on my sometimes sick imagination ;-)

-Now, keep on enjoying the story as long as it lasts :-) Feedback is, as always, very welcome.