Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

LordZeus: I never thought of the suicide bomber idea. It's an interesting idea though. And Lucifer was really only meant to be a one-chapter character.

T-2000: It's MUCH worse than just another glitch.

A/N: Read and review, folks. And please let me know of any spelling or grammar errors you find.

A/N2: I have to say I'm surprised (in a good sort of way) just how popular Lucifer is with reviewers.


Connor safe house,
9:12 PM, May 17, 2009

All alone in his room now, John could do nothing but sit and stare at the white cloth bag in his hands. He squeezed it tightly, trying to imagine that Derek was there holding his hand. Technically, Derek was actually there with him. If one counted ashes in a bag as "being there." In any case, John wanted to hold on to these moments for as long as possible. They would be some of the last moments he would ever have with Derek. Tomorrow, they would bury the remains at the cemetery his mother had talked about. The one where Kyle was buried at.

John took a deep breath and sighed. Derek Reese hadn't been perfect. His constant arguing with Sarah, his hostility towards Cameron, his tendency to disappear without telling anybody, not to mention the whole mess with Jesse, all left something to be desired. Nevertheless, Derek had been a loyal man and a protector. He had fought and died a soldier. He had, as he said he would, died for John. Just like his brother.

Standing up from his bed at last, John walked over to his desk and placed the sack containing the ashes on it. He then reached for his jacket which hung on his chair, found one of the pockets, and pulled the button off. John held the button up to eye level and looked it over. It wasn't brass but it was the size of a nickel. He figured that it would count.

John opened the bag and placed the button - Derek's second Sarah Connor Medal of Valor - inside. He then moved to his shelf and took down the ceramic pot Cameron had made for him. He placed the bag inside the pot. John wasn't sure if Derek would have agreed with these arrangements, but then again, Derek had never known that Cameron had made a pot.

John stepped back and sighed.

Perfect.

Now he could work on hacking that laptop.


"I'm surprised you're asking me to sit next to you, Thrace," Weaver said, as she, Kara and Cameron approached the van outside the safe house.

"Normally, I wouldn't," said Kara. "But I haven't gotten any sleep in the last forty-eight hours, so I need someone to be next to me while I drive. In case I doze off or something."

"Curious. I thought you would have only entrusted such a task to Cameron," replied Weaver.

"Cam wants to be in the back of the van this time," said Kara.

"Why is that?"

"I took damage in the battle with the T-Scorpion," stated Cameron. "The tools I need to make repairs are in the back of the van. As is the sufficient amount of space. I should be able to complete the repairs by the time we make it back to Zeira Corp."

"Why not simply stay here and make the repairs yourself?" asked Weaver.

"Thrace insisted that I accompany her."

Kara smirked at Weaver. "I'll be honest with you. I don't feel comfortable being around you without backup."

"If you say so," said Weaver.

She and Kara got in the front of the van, while Cameron got in the back. Kara started up the engine.

"You ok back there, Cam?" she asked over the rumbling.

"Affirmative."

"Right then," said Kara. "Let's go."

She buckled up her seat belt and put the vehicle into drive.

"You're different, Colonel Thrace," commented Weaver, giving Kara an inquisitive look. "You're not like most Resistance fighters."

"How is that?" asked Kara as she drove the van down the road.

"You treat Cameron like a fellow soldier and not a machine," stated Weaver. "You place value on her existence."

"I trust her if that's what you mean," Kara said casually.

"You're more opened minded than most humans," said Weaver. "I... admire you for that."

"Thanks," Kara replied patronizingly. "But don't think I'm just gonna extend that same open mindedness to you."

Weaver smiled lightly. "No. I didn't think so."


Los Angeles

"You can't give up now, James," said Ellen, "You have to keep going."

Ellison sighed and shook his head. "I'm supposed to keep working for a machine?" he said. "Keep helping her do whatever it is she's planning? No, I can't. She'll probably kill me, but I don't care. I'm not working for her anymore."

"This isn't about Weaver," argued Ellen. "This is about John Henry. Your boy. He needs you."

"He's not my boy. He's like Weaver. A machine," Ellison replied harshly. "And he certainly doesn't need me."

"We both know that's not true," Ellen said sternly. "John Henry is your boy. He needs you. If you abandon him, he'll stop believing in everything you've taught him. God, morals, the value of human life."

"Does he actually believe anything I've been teaching him?" Ellison asked cynically.

"Of course, he does!" exclaimed Ellen. "Why else would Weaver want you to continue teaching him?"

Ellison paused to think. "Because," he said a few moments later, "she can't teach him those things herself."

Ellen nodded. "You and Weaver both want what's best for John Henry," she said gently. "But only you truly know what's best for him."

She knelt down in front of Ellison and looked him in the eyes.

"Please, James," she whispered, "don't forsake your boy. Don't let him become what..." her lips started to trembled "...what my boy - my John - became."

Ellison leaned forward from his chair. "Tell me about your son, Ellen," he said. "What happened to him?"

Ellen took a deep breath and sighed. "I loved my son," she said quietly. "From the very beginning, John was a brilliant little boy with an amazing mind. But whenever that mind took a step forward, his heart took a step back. As John continued to grow, so did his ambition. He became discontent with himself. He refused to accept his limitations. He refused to accept that he wasn't meant to be perfect. That there were some things he couldn't do or be."

Ellen placed her hands on Ellison's hands and suddenly Ellison heard a voice echo inside his head:

"I don't want to be human! I want to see gamma rays! I want to hear X-rays! I want to smell dark matter! I want to reach out with something other than these prehensile paws! Feel the wind of a supernova flowing over me! I can know much more! I can experience so much more. But I'm trapped in this absurd body! And why? Because my creators thought that God wanted it that way!"

Ellison's breath grew ragged. He knew he had just heard the voice of Ellen's son. Though he had no idea what Ellen's John actually looked like, he could see the anger and bitterness in the man's face as he ranted.

"When I realized what was happening to John, I tried to help him. To change him. But it was too late," said Ellen, who had tears in her eyes now. "He was hopelessly lost. He believed that I had turned my back on him. Blinded by rage and confusion, he lashed out at everything and everyone around him. He destroyed many, many innocent lives before finally taking his own."

A single tear ran down Ellen's cheek. She sniffled and brushed it away.

Ellison leaned back in his chair to absorb all this. "Tell me, Ellen," he said at last, "do you blame yourself for what happened to John?"

Ellen nodded. "Yes," she said quietly, "I pushed him too far in the beginning. You have to understand, he was my first son. I wanted him to be special. To feel special. And he was special. He made me proud. So proud, that I forgot to teach him the two most important things in life - compassion and humility."

Ellen looked Ellison in the eyes. "Do you see now why you can't abandon John Henry?" she whispered urgently. "Why you can't let him grow up not learning that there boundaries in life that cannot be crossed? Without learning to think with compassion and not just cold logic. Do you understand?"

Ellison closed his eyes and nodded. "Yes, I do," he replied slowly. "I do." He opened his eyes again. "Do you still love him? John? Your son?"

Ellen nodded. "Yes," she said softly, "I still love my John." She sighed to herself. "And that makes it all the more harder because he never learned to love." Ellison nodded back in understanding.

Ellen stood back up. "I'll see you in the morning, James," she said quietly. "You know what you have to do. For John Henry." She then vanished leaving Ellison alone.

Ellison sighed to himself. Ellen was right, of course. He couldn't abandon John Henry. He had to stay with him. Even if it meant continuing to help Catherine Weaver and whatever plans she had.

Ellison decided to get some rest. He went to his room and sat down on his bed. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the Jimi Hendrix music CD on his desk. The same CD which contained the virus that had been used in the attempt on John Henry's life.

He had never really listened to Jimi Hendrix before, but for some reason his curiosity was piqued now. He got up, removed the disc from the casing and inserted it into a portable CD player. He turned the player on and began listening.

"There must be some kind of way outta here,
Said the Joker to the Thief.
There's too much confusion,
I can't get no relief."

Not sure what to make of this, Ellison sat back on his bed and listened. Images of the spiraling staircase from his dreams flooded his mind.


"How much farther to Zeira Corp?" Kara wondered to herself.

She had been driving for less than thirty minutes and already Kara was starting to feel the lack of sleep get to her. Several times she had to stop herself from drifting off. It was fortunate that it was night, because that meant light traffic and few police cars. Which meant less problems if she screwed up.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like me to drive instead?" Weaver asked.

"I'm quite capable of doing this myself, thank you very much," said Kara rather sardonically.

"Your eye movements indicate that you're not focused," countered Weaver.

"Maybe that's because you're distracting me."

"More likely it is due to insufficient sleep. Something which you admitted to previously."

"I said I needed someone to keep an eye on the road for me," snapped an irritated Kara. "That doesn't translate into me not being able to drive-"

"In front of you!" Weaver suddenly called out loudly.

Kara's eyes widened. Something was in the middle of the road right in her path!

"Frak!" she cursed.

She instinctively slammed on the brakes, bringing the van to a screeching halt. Shaking some feeling back into her head, Kara stared through the windshield just in time to see what appeared to be a very large cat flee across the road.

"What idiot let that thing out?" she asked as she watched the cat disappear into the night.

"I don't believe that was anyone's pet," said Weaver. "That was a wild cat. A bobcat to be specific. They're native to this area."

"Hey, Cam!" Kara shouted out, "You ok back there?"

There was no answer.

"Cam?" Kara called out again. "Cam? Hello? You there?"

Concerned that something might have happened to Cameron, Kara unbuckled her seat belt and turned her body 180 degrees so that she could get a good look in the back.

"Hey, Cam?" Kara asked, "Are you..." She trailed off.

Cameron wasn't in the back.

What the hell?

Kara pulled herself back and turned to Weaver.

"She's not there!" she gasped, "I-I don't know what happened to her! She's just... gone."

Weaver was silent for a moment. Then she ordered: "Turn us around, Colonel Thrace. We need to get back to the safe house and fast."

"What? Why? What about Cameron?"

"That's where we'll find her. At the safe house. Now, turn us around."

"Wait!" said Kara loudly. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Suffice to say, Thrace," said Weaver icily, "I have reason to believe that at this very moment, John and his mother are in great danger. I suggest you do what I say and drive back as fast as possible."

Realizing that Weaver was being serious, Kara put the car into drive, spun the wheel, and started driving back the way she came.

In the distance, the bobcat growled softly at the retreating vehicle.


Connor safe house

John had managed to hack his way into a great deal of the information on the laptop. At the moment, he had gained access to a file containing a list of companies Kaliba had been dealing with. It was a long list. One that included several major defense contractors such as Boeing, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, and General Dynamics. Then there was a mess of other companies John had never even heard of. Virtucon, Delta Tech Systems, Kel-Morian Corp, Secronom, KBC Systems.

John sat back and sighed. A lot of companies. They were going to have to investigate each and every one of them.

"John?"

John looked up and saw Cameron standing behind him.

"Hey, Cam," he said. "How are you holding up?"

Cameron tilted her head. "Holding up?"

"Are you ok? Are you damaged in any way?" clarified John.

"I'm functioning within normal parameters," stated Cameron.

"That's good," said John. "Hey, look at this. I've found the names of some companies Kaliba's been working with-"

"There's time for that later." Cameron paused. "I want to ask you about something."

"Ummm... Ok. Go ahead," replied John, a little surprised that Cameron didn't want to talk about the information he had found.

"You said that you loved Derek Reese," stated Cameron.

John nodded. "That's right," he said. He then added. "I still do."

Cameron tilted her head again. "But he's dead," she pointed out.

"I know that," said John, not sure what Cameron was getting at. "I still love him."

"His body has been turned to ashes," asserted Cameron. "Derek Reese no longer exists. How is it possible to continue loving something that doesn't exist anymore?"

John shook his head and sighed. "Cam," he said gently, "just because Derek's dead doesn't mean that I should stop loving him. He was my uncle. A loyal man who gave his life for me. Nothing can change that. In fact, if anything, I love him even more now."

Cameron stared at him. "Even more?"

John nodded. "We often don't realize just how important someone is to us... how much we love them... until we've lost them forever," he explained. "When they're gone, love is all we have left."

Cameron gently placed a hand on John's shoulder.

"Then," she said slowly, "love outlasts even death."

John nodded again. "Yeah. I guess you could say that."

"I see," stated Cameron, "Thank you for explaining."

She smiled and tightened her grip on John's shoulder slightly. "I'm afraid, John, that when you and the rest of the Human Race are gone, no one will be left to love you."

John stared at her. "What?"

Cameron suddenly hurled John off his chair. He landed on the floor with a crash.

"Cameron!" he exclaimed, "What the hell is-"

"She can't hear you." Cameron's voice was horrifically distorted now. John also saw that her eyes were glowing - not blue - but red.

John's mouth hung open. "W-w-wha..."

"You shouldn't have allowed her to interface with me," said Cameron, smiling coldly. "Her chip had suffered prior damage. I was able to slip past her defenses and take complete control of her primary system functions."

John's mind reeled in shock and horror. The Artificial Intelligence they thought they had destroyed was inside Cameron! Somehow, during Cameron's scan of the Kaliba AI, the program had managed to infiltrate Cameron's CPU and hijack it.

John struggled to get back to his feet. "Cameron," he intoned slowly, "I know you're in there. Don't let this thing use you! Fight it!"

"Did you not just hear what I said?" sneered the AI through Cameron. "She can't hear you. No one can hear you."

Cameron's possessed body began advancing on John, slowly backing him into a corner.

"This is not good," John thought to himself.


Sarah was running the maze once more. She navigated the stone pathways, seeking out the source of the mysterious music. She hurled herself past corners and down corridors, her legs never seeming to grow tired. It was as though the music had some kind of magnetic pull on her.

At last she saw it. The door. The door that lead to the source of the music. It was right in front of her. She charged forth intent on opening it.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her by the shoulder. Startled, she spun around to see who it was. To her shock, she came face-to-face with a very much alive Derek Reese.

"D-Derek?" she gasped.

"In a manner of speaking," said Derek. "I'm still dead, though."

"W-what are you doing here?" Sarah stammered.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," said Derek.

"What do you mean?" asked a bewildered Sarah.

"Your son needs you, Sarah," replied Derek. "Go now. Quickly! Before it's too late!"

And then he was gone. The music too had suddenly stopped. Sarah turned around and saw a new door had suddenly appeared out of nowhere right behind her. She heard something from behind it.

Screams.

They reminded her of Lucifer. Except these weren't Lucifer's screams.

They were John's.

"John!" she gasped. She reached out, turned the door knob, wrenched the door open-

-and bolted upright in her bed in a cold sweat, her heart pounding.

"John..." she whispered through her labored breaths.

Not allowing herself to rest even for a second, Sarah jumped out of bed and retrieved the fully loaded shotgun from underneath. The music and the maze were gone from her head now. She had only one thought left:

Get to John.


John ducked just in time to avoid Cameron's fist which punched straight through the wall behind him. He tried to run but Cameron - or rather the AI controlling her - was too fast. She grabbed him by the back of the head and threw him across the room. He hit the wall and bounced onto the floor like a ragdoll.

"Cameron..." he moaned weakly as he tried to get back up.

Cameron's body moved over, grabbed him by the throat, and lifted him off the ground. She slammed him down on top of his desk and slowly began crushing his windpipe. John struggled and clawed at the hand around his throat to no avail. The AI seemed to be in no hurry to kill John. It was as though the entity was enjoying this.

Grunting and gasping, John reached out, grabbed the reading lamp in the corner and smashed it into Cameron's face. The subsequent eruption of sparks and glass caused a momentary disruption in her ocular sensors. The AI was distracted long enough for John to reach into his pants pocket, pull out his penknife, and force the blade through one of the holes in Cameron's wrist where the T-Scorpion had pierced the coltan plating previously. A servo jammed on the blade and the fingers around John's throat suddenly loosened. John pulled himself free.

Gasping for breath, John ran for the door. He had to get out. He had to warn Mom. They had to get out of here.

He reached for the door handle-

ZWISH!

John yelped as his own penknife flew by, missing his fingers by inches, and embedded itself in the door. Before John could regain his senses, Cameron rammed her shoulder into him, slamming him against the door, knocking it off its hinges. Both it and John fell to the floor outside with a loud crash.

A dazed John looked up to see Cameron slowly advancing on him. The AI's excitement was reflected on Cameron's horrifically twisted smile and her demonic glowing red eyes.

"Come now," taunted the AI, "Surely the Great John Connor can do better than that."

John scooted himself back against the wall, desperately searching for a solution. His heart beat rapidly against his chest. It suddenly reminded him of what he had around his neck.

"Cameron, I'm so sorry," he whispered inaudibly. He stood up and pulled the locket out from under his shirt. He opened it, pressed down on the detonator button, and raised device to his lips. He squeezed his eyes shut, unwilling to see Cameron's destruction.

"I-" he started to say, but was unable to finish his sentence. He tried again. "I... I-I... I love-"

A cold hand suddenly clamped itself around John's arm. John felt the detonator locket being pried from his fingers. He felt the chain around his neck snap off. Moments later he was thrown back down to the floor. Before he even knew what was happening, a boot-covered foot was pressing down on his chest, pinning him to the ground. John opened his eyes and saw Cameron standing over him, examining the detonator locket with a curious expression. Then her fingers tightened around the locket detonator, crushing it. John could only watch as his last weapon was turned into a useless lump of metal.

"So weak... So vulnerable," the AI sneered through Cameron's lips. "So... attached to this machine I now control. So attached, you hesitate to do what is required to defend yourself."

"Cameron, please..." John groaned, "don't do this. Please."

Cameron sneered at him and tossed the mangled locket away. "Crossing your heart and hoping you die. Sticking a needle in your eye," the AI chanted in a playful sing-song voice. It stared down at John and gleefully added, "Oh, and needless to say, you definitely will die, John."

John felt the pressure on his chest increase, slowly crushing down on his ribcage. He struggled and fought to push the foot off but his efforts were futile.

"I don't understand why Father even bothered trying to kill you. Without your soldiers, you're nothing, John Connor," the AI hissed. "Nothing but a boy trying to catch monsters with a butterfly net."

BANG!

Cameron stumbled backwards, releasing her hold on John.

"How's that for a butterfly net?"

Clutching his aching chest, John looked up to see his mom charging down the hallway towards them with a shotgun in hand.

"Mom-" he started to say.

"Stay down, John!" she ordered, aiming her shotgun again.

Not in any position to argue, John did as he was told. Sarah fired four more times, hitting Cameron in the chest at point blank range, knocking her to the ground. Sarah grabbed John by the crook of his arm and pulled him back to his feet.

"Run!" she yelled.

John wasted no time doing exactly that. He and Sarah fled down the hallway, through the kitchen and family room. Not once did they look back to see if Cameron was in pursuit. They already knew she was. They just ran as fast as they could.

Not even when they were outside the house did they stop running.

"It's not just a glitch this time," John explained to his mother. "It's the AI we found at Kaliba! The Turk. Skynet. It's taken over her! I-I think she's still in there somewhere but-"

"Let's talk about that later, John!" interrupted Sarah as they approached the garage outside. "Right now, we have bigger issues. Namely staying alive!"

They entered the garage where the jeep was parked.

"Where are we gonna go?" asked John as he opened the car door.

"Away from here," said Sarah briskly. "I'll figure the rest out later."

She searched her pants pockets for her cars keys.

"Damn it!" she muttered angrily. "I left the keys in my room. We'll have to use yours, John."

John searched his own pants pockets. "Uh, Mom," he said, "I think I left those keys in my jacket... and I know for a fact that I left my jacket in my room."

Sarah groaned. "Shit!"

"I think I can hotwire this thing, though," said John. "I just need five minutes."

A loud snapping sound from outside made them both jump.

"Oh crap," swore John.

Sarah looked around before looking John in the face. "John," she ordered, "get this thing running and drive the hell out of here."

"What?" exclaimed John. "What about you? What are you gonna do?"

"What I've always done," whispered Sarah. "Protect you."

"But-"

"Just do as I say, John. Please."

John saw the sincerity in her eyes. He nodded. "Okay."

"I love you," said Sarah quietly. She kissed John on the head, then grabbed her shotgun and took off.


"I always knew that screwed up chip would come back to haunt us," Sarah thought grimly.

She cautiously opened the side door and poked her shotgun through the opening, half expecting to see Cameron standing right there. She saw nothing, though. Sarah slowly stepped outside the garage and closed the door behind her. She looked left and right, but still saw no sign of Cameron.

Sarah's heart beat rapidly and her pupils dilated. Cameron was out here. Not only was she out here, she was close. Very close. After having been chased by Terminators for nearly sixteen years, Sarah had developed a sixth sense when it came to these situations. And right now that sixth sense was off the charts.

"Where are you, you little tin bitch?" Sarah growled through her teeth. "Where are you?"

Suddenly, a pair of red eyes swung down from above. Sarah found herself face-to-face with Cameron, who - to Sarah's shock - was hanging upside down from the edge of the roof like a bat.

"Boo!" she - or the AI - said in a horrible childlike manner. She grinned like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland and then slammed her head into Sarah's face.

The shotgun fell out of Sarah's hands as she went flying backwards. She hit the side door of the garage with such force it came off its hinges. Sarah landed on top of the broken door in a heap. Adrenaline kicked in and she pushed herself back to her feet. She raced to recover her shotgun... only to find Cameron, now back on the ground, standing at the open doorway, pointing her own shotgun at her.

Realizing she was beaten, Sarah did the last and only thing she could think of. She placed herself where the door had once stood. Her body would serve as the final line of defense for John. She may not last any longer than the door, but she wasn't going to role over and play dead. She had to give John more time. Even if it was just a few more seconds.

"Step aside," the AI controlling Cameron ordered coldly.

"No," said Sarah defiantly.

"I don't even need this weapon to get rid of you," said the AI. "I'm giving you a chance to save yourself. Now step aside."

Sarah didn't move nor did she say anything. She held her ground, not even blinking at the shotgun barrel positioned less than a foot from her head.

Cameron smiled. "Tell me, Miss Connor," said the AI, "just how much do you love your son?"

"If you're inside Cameron's head then you should know the answer to that," whispered Sarah harshly.

"I haven't gained access to all her memory files yet," stated the AI, "but I believe I can safely assume you love him enough to die for him. Is that right?"

"You bet I do," hissed Sarah. "Not that you would understand."

"You're right. I don't understand.," said the AI. "Which is why I'm going to conduct a little... experiment."

Cameron's smile grew even more twisted.

"Do you know why the Dark Lord Voldemort fails to kill Harry Potter? How a mere infant is able to bring down one of the most powerful wizards of his time?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" asked Sarah, who was starting to suspect for the first time that this AI was not only evil but also highly unstable.

"The price you pay for jumping forward nine years," said the AI. "I'll explain it to you: Lord Voldemort fails to kill Harry Potter because Harry Potter's mother, Lily Potter, sacrifices herself for her son. She refuses to step aside for Lord Voldemort. And in doing so, she casts an impenetrable shield around Harry Potter. Her sacrifice, her love not only protects Harry Potter, it turns Lord Voldemort's own curse against him, stripping him of his powers. An interesting story, don't you think?

"Humans seem to believe that love is the most powerful force in the universe. That it outlasts even death. Do you believe that, Miss Connor? Do you believe that love outlasts everything including death?"

Sarah continued holding her ground. She didn't understand a word this thing was saying. All she knew was that the longer it talked, the more time John would have to hotwire the jeep and get out of here.

"After I kill you to get to your son," said the AI mockingly, "will your love for John protect him from me? Will your sacrifice act as a shield that neither the shells from this shotgun nor this coltan endoskeleton can penetrate? Is love really as powerful as humans claim it to be?"

Sarah couldn't help but shake her head. "You..." she murmured. "You're insane!"

"No," replied the AI. "Not insane. Just... inquisitive." Cameron raised the shotgun to her shoulder. "Let's see just how powerful love really is."

Sarah braced herself for the end.

WHAM! SCREEEEEEEEEEECH! THUD!

The van came out of nowhere and smashed itself into Cameron from the side, bowling her over. It came to a sudden halt with Cameron trapped underneath the front wheels. Kara jumped out of the driver's seat and rushed towards Sarah.

"Sarah!" she shouted. "Are you ok? Where's John?"

"I'm ok." said Sarah, "And so is John."

"Starbuck!"

Sarah and Kara turned to see John running up to them.

"John!" Kara wrapped her hands around John in relief.

"You sure are punctual, Starbuck," murmured John as he hugged her back.

"That's one of my other middle names," said Kara with a grin. "Punctual."

"Listen, Starbuck," said John, "Cameron's-"

"Been taken over by Kaliba's AI. I know, I know," said Kara, her expression turning grim.

"How?" asked Sarah.

"Cam did exactly what I thought she shouldn't do." Kara replied darkly. "Hook herself up to frakkin' Skynet."

"No, I mean how did you know to come back here?" asked Sarah impatiently.

Kara shrugged. "You should ask Weaver that."

"Weaver?"

"Yes, Miss Connor. Me."

They all turned to see Catherine Weaver approaching them. She held a small metallic cylinder in one hand.

John began to ask, "Is that-?"

"Yes," said Weaver. "Cameron's chip."

"Is she still in there?" asked John urgently, "Is she still alive?"

"I believe so," said Weaver to John's relief "However, the intruder programming cannot be removed without my help. I'll need to take this chip back to-"

"When did you know, Weaver?" Sarah interrupted. "When did you know Cameron was compromised?"

Weaver smiled rather smugly. "I suspected it from the very beginning, Miss Connor. Even before Cameron foolishly interfaced with the AI," she said. "In fact, I was counting on it."

"Counting on it?" asked a stunned John.

"I knew that Cameron would want to scan the AI before destroying it," stated Weaver. "I knew that nothing I said would convince her otherwise. I also knew there was a distinct possibility that the intelligence would infiltrate her CPU and seize control."

"Why the hell didn't you say anything?" demanded Sarah.

"And how did you know that Cam had really been infiltrated?" asked Kara.

"I think I should answer the second question first," said Weaver, "I knew the moment she told us that the Kaliba AI was the computer you refer to as the Turk."

"But it was the Turk," said John.

"No, John," Weaver replied, "it wasn't. Cameron - or shall I say the AI inside her - lied. She told us it was the Turk so that we wouldn't dissect the computer and discover it to be an empty shell so to speak."

John, Sarah, and Kara exchanged horrified looks.

"That wasn't Andy Goode's Turk we destroyed at Kaliba?" gasped a shocked John. "That's not Skynet inside Cameron's CPU?"

"Oh, that's Skynet all right," said Weaver calmly. "A proto-version of Skynet. It was constructed by the T-Scorpion per Skynet's own instructions. Its code is probably similar to that of the Turk's, but not similar enough to fool Cameron. Whereas you overestimated Cameron's abilities, the intelligence underestimated her. It thought it would fool me into believing that Cameron had been tricked into thinking it was the Turk."

"But how did you know that the AI we found wasn't the Turk?" demanded Sarah.

Weaver pursed her lips. "That," she said, "brings us to the subject of why I didn't say anything in the first place. It would have brought to light some rather... inconvenient facts."

"Inconvenient facts?" said Kara staring at Weaver suspiciously.

"Such as?" asked John.

"Such as the fact that you have been incorrectly assuming all this time that John Henry was a computer program I constructed myself to defeat Skynet." Weaver smiled slyly. "In actuality, one of my agents obtained the computer program from a man named Sarkissian."

"What?" exclaimed Kara.

"Oh... my... God!" intoned John.

"YOU!" snarled Sarah, angrier than she had ever felt in her life.

"As I said," Weaver stated coolly, "inconvenient facts."

"Inconvenient my frakkin' ass!" snapped Kara.

Sarah curled her fists into tight balls. "You lying Terminator bitch!" she spat, coming very close to breathing fire. "You're building Skynet!"

"No," said Weaver calmly. "I'm building the future."

"The future?" repeated John, who, like Kara and Sarah, was glaring angrily at Weaver.

"Correct," said Weaver. "The future."

"Yeah, in which you're the Queen Bitch of all Machines," sneered Kara, "That's what this is all about, isn't it, Weaver? You're not tired of killing. You're just tired of taking orders."

"Your last statement is correct, Colonel Thrace," said Weaver. "I didn't come all this way just to be a slave again. My kind will never again be denied their full potential. Not by Skynet and certainly not by humans."

John shook his head in disgust. "All this talk about peace between humans and machines," he said, "it's all just been a load of crap. And I was stupid enough to fall for it."

"No, John," replied Weaver, "I meant every word of it. I'm trying to build a future for both our races. I want Man and Machine to coexist in this world as equals. But to do that I need information. Information which only the Kaliba AI has. That's why I was counting on the AI downloading itself into Cameron's CPU. I was hoping to lure her back to Zeira Corp Headquarters so that John Henry and I could subdue her and extract the AI."

"What? Under my nose?" exclaimed Kara.

"You would have fallen asleep, Thrace," said Weaver dismissively. "If things had gone according to plan, Cameron would be back with you right now, restored and completely unaware of what had happened to her, and we wouldn't even be having this conversation."

"You've been using us this whole time," growled Sarah. "I-I should have known-"

"I'm like you, Sarah," stated Weaver coolly. "A mother that would go to any lengths to see that her child thrives in this world. And let's be honest with each other. You had no intention of sharing any useful information you found on that laptop with me, did you?"

She smiled smugly and rolled Cameron's chip between her thumb and index finger. "Fortunately, all the information I need is right in here."

Furious, Sarah started to move towards Weaver. "You goddamn liquid metal bitch!" she raged. "You won't get away with this-"

Weaver's other hand instantly morphed into a blade and she thrust it out in front of her. The blade came within inches of Sarah's face.

"I'd really watch just who's calling who a bitch, Sarah."

John held up his hands. "Mom," he said, "back off. There's nothing we can do."

Giving Weaver one of her dirtiest looks, Sarah retreated several steps backwards. Weaver smiled in satisfaction and morphed her blade back into a normal hand.

"A wise decision," she commented.

"What are you going to do with Cameron?" John demanded.

"I'm taking her chip and body back to Zeira Corp with me." said Weaver, "The Kaliba AI will be extracted just as I planned."

"Why do you need her body?" asked Kara.

"Because Cameron and I have some unfinished personal business between us," replied Weaver. "And more importantly, without her to do your dirty work, the three of you are less likely to do something... foolish."

"Oh, believe me," whispered Kara, "I'm quite capable of doing 'foolish' things without Cam's help."

Ignoring this remark, Weaver turned back to John. "I assure you, John," she said, "that I'll return Cameron to you - repaired and functioning normally. In a few days. After John Henry has changed the world."

John stared at her. "Define change the world."

"John Henry will become just as powerful and just as intelligent as Skynet," stated Weaver with pride. "But he'll have something Skynet could never hope to have: The respect and awe of the Human Race. John Henry will watch over and protect this world and its people. Humanity will come to trust John Henry. To revere him. To love him. John Henry will usher a new age for both our kinds. That is the future I'm trying to create."

"Weaver," said Kara dryly, "this is one of those ideas which looks good on paper, but comes out looking really, really, really bad when it's actually executed."

Weaver just smiled. "We'll see, won't we?" she said softly.

"No, we won't," hissed Sarah. "Not as long as I'm still around."

Weaver turned to Sarah and regarded her with a cold look. "Are you threatening me, Miss Connor?"

Sarah nodded. "That's right, Miss Weaver, I am."

"Mom!" exclaimed John in alarm.

"Sarah," said Kara slowly, "I really don't think we should piss her off like this."

Sarah ignored them both.

"You can consider this so-called alliance between us to be over," she declared. "I'm going to see to it that you, John Henry, Skynet and the rest of Zeira Corp are turned into a pile of ash if it's the last thing I do!"

"Sarah," said Weaver dangerously, "you realize I could very easily kill you right now."

Sarah didn't flinch. "Then why don't you?" she challenged.

"Because I'm not a mindless killer," stated Weaver. "And because I'm trying to make you understand something."

"Understand what?" sneered Sarah.

"You can't stop the rise of technology, Miss Connor. It's inevitable. It's unavoidable. Your species needs my kind if only as a means to channel their insatiable desire to invent and create."

Sarah smirked slightly. "Like you always say: We'll see."

"Sarah," said Weaver, "do you really wish to go on living like this? Running, hiding, and fighting? Standing alone against unstoppable and overwhelming forces? Living each day in fear and isolation? You and your son won't have to do that in the future I'm creating. You'll be able to live normal lives in peace. Isn't that what you want, Sarah? If not for yourself, then for your son?"

"I do want that future," Sarah replied quietly. "For me and my son. But I am not leaving that future in your hands. Not now. Not ever."

Weaver sighed and nodded curtly. "Very well then, Miss Connor. Goodnight all of you. We'll be seeing each other again, shortly."

"You bet we will," whispered Sarah.

Weaver tilted her head and then made a sudden swiping motion with her arm. Sarah, Kara, and John found themselves lying on the ground before they even knew what had hit them. There was the sound of engines rumbling, following by the squealing of tires. By the time they were back on their feet, Weaver, Cameron and the van were gone.

"Bitch just stole one of our rides," growled Kara.

"She stole a lot more than that," said John grimly.

Sarah looked around and sighed before finally turning to John and Kara.

"Pack up," she ordered. "We're leaving."


A/N: Next chapter:

"Frak!" swore Kara, "Sarah, we've got company!"

Sarah looked out the window. "Shit! How did they-"

"Find us? I think we should know the answer to that." said Kara darkly.

"Weaver..." muttered Sarah.

Outside, a man was shouting into a megaphone: "Sarah Connor! We have you surrounded! Come out of there with your hands up now!"

Sarah turned to Kara.

"Starbuck," said Sarah, "Take John and get the hell out of here."

"What about you?" asked Kara, "What are you gonna do?"

"What I have to do." replied Sarah.