CH 28
The sun was still down below the horizon, the eastern sky was a light purple as John and Cameron watched the field that was full of vehicles from behind a rise. Atop the EV-2, their telescopes had a good view just over the scrub brush. A few small tents and one large tent was up. Near the road a couple make shift signs were up, and four men were at the dirt entrance to the area. All had AK-47's strapped on.
"That group isn't friendly," John noted. He slowly panned the area. "Cam, Blue truck, near that big puddle towards the middle, What's that in the back?"
Cameron focused on the truck John was watching. "Boxes of dry laundry soap, several containers of gasoline. Materials to make napalm."
"Not friendly at all," John said.
"John, far to the right, I have Army scouts, they are also watching this site."
John turned to look for the scouts. He watched a hillock for a while before he noticed a bush move. There was no wind. "They see us?"
"One is coming around low on this side. He will be here in fifteen." Cameron said.
John turned his scope back to watch the compound. "I'm seeing a total of six guards."
"Yes. There are many people in the large tent, I believe the leaders are in there."
As the sun peeking up from behind the horizon, a man asked, "Connors?"
John slipped back from the roof and onto the track by the turret. The man's camo was so good, John had to look twice to see him. "I'm John Connor," he said.
"Corporal Nemire, Sir. Last good count, there are 214 people in that camp, three sets of two person camera teams. Three trucks of possible explosives and burnable material. Every person has spray cans and many pistols, nineteen people have AK-47's. More are arriving every day. Intel has it three bus loads are due in day after tomorrow. Direction and ETA, unknown."
"Thank you, Corporal," John replied. "Your mission is intel only?"
"It is, Sir."
"When the first bus is in sight, report then vacate the area."
"Yes, Sir." The Corporal saluted and walked away, bending low.
John climbed back up beside Cameron. "Tomorrow night, unless we hear different, we set up to lay waste to that place. We're going to need plenty of ammo."
.
Sonya knew something was going on. When she got ready to go get boat supplies, John and Cameron weren't around, and they had taken the EV-2. Delilah made breakfast for all the kids. Delilah was also talking with Claire on the phone about a sleepover for all the kids tonight and tomorrow night.
After breakfast, Sonya helped clean up then hung around until the kids headed outside. She then asked, "Delilah, what's up?"
Delilah casually said, "With the kids? Tomorrow Claire's planning a party for them. It's going to be a teenager-party, Bob's going too. I'm sure there will be much swimming, bike riding and games. It will be an all-day affair."
"You are going too?"
Delilah shook her head. "I have something else to do." She then poked Sonya playfully and said, "I think you do also."
She did plan on staying in town to work on the boat with Mark, then going to the restaurant/bar with him in the evening. "Something doesn't seem right," she noted.
"How do you mean?" Delilah asked innocently.
"I can stay home to watch things if you want," Sonya offered.
"Relax, will you?" Delilah chided. "Look, tonight go have your date with Mark. If things go good tomorrow night, bring him home!" With a wink, she said, "You can show him your sword, then have him show you his."
"I lost my sword."
"Then use mine, I won't be needing it." Looking at the clock, Delilah said, "You should go soon, you don't want Mark thinking you're standing him up on a work-date."
"I will see you later, Delilah," Sonya said with a wave.
Sonya went out to the Excursion. Getting in, she saw the handle of Delilah's sword was sticking out between the front seats. a look back showed their two MAC 10's in a box atop ammunition. Many pre-filled clips of ammunition. Her cloak was also folded on the second seat. She took the note off the sword handle and read it.
Just in case
They were expecting trouble. John and Cameron out in the EV-2 and hadn't come back yet. the kids were 'visiting' away and Delilah strongly hinted she should spend time with Mark. Yes, something was up. Sonya had to wonder why they weren't telling her what it was.
On the way out, Sonya stopped at the barn and looked in. Not only was the EV-2 gone, but the turret was also. So was the large box of belted .50 caliber rounds for the turret chain gun. The ammunition box for the bulldozer tank was open, it was only half full. When she brought it in during the move it had been full.
Something was going on all right. Preoccupied with her thoughts, she didn't even notice the alligator watching her from inside the fence.
On the way to town, Sonya reached for her phone a few time to call John. Each time, she wanted to know what was happening, but thinking he might be someplace where he was watching something or someone, she didn't want to give him or Cameron away.
John and Cameron were out in the EV-2 loaded and ready to rock. Sonya was sure the bulldozer tank was also. Why wasn't she told what they were doing? If there was a threat, she should be told about it! Did they leave her out just because she had a date?
Sonya didn't think that was an acceptable excuse. She reached for the phone again to call John and yell at him. If anyone should stay behind, it should be him. The kids only had one father. She was expendable, he wasn't! The only reason she didn't turn around and go back to press Delilah for information was Mark was expecting her to be there this morning.
Just short of town, her phone rang. She looked at the number. It was John. She picked up.
"John why didn't you tell me there's a threat! WHY was I left out!" she yelled.
There was a pause, then John said, "Because the town may be in danger, and I couldn't say anything in front of the kids. Three bus loads of terrorists posing as protesters are coming late today or tomorrow. We have many of them here, but there's a chance some might be coming from the south. Go find the Sheriff and let him know if they arrive. Sonya, the rest of us will be far to the north. If any of them reach town, you and the Sheriff are the only defense for the town until we can get there. This is a secret operation, so all you can do is watch and wait. Stay near the main street. Sonya, if these people come and get violent, there is no limit. Kill whoever you have to to protect the town."
"I understand. John, I'm sorry I got mad at you."
"No problemo, just do your best to protect our town and everyone in it."
"I will, John."
.
Sonya got to the garage to find the aluminum sheet had was leaned up against the outside of the garage. Mark was busy already with a couple cars, so Sonya went in to the desk and told Joe she was here, and she was going to move the aluminum out back and un-crate it. She also asked him to let her know immediately if a bus came into town.
The 4x10 crate was big, but not that heavy. It was a matter of balance to pick it up and get it in back. Getting it laid down by the long rollers for bending, she pulled the crate boards and top protective sheeting off.
The 36 inch wooden plywood circles her and Mark had made to show the diameter of the pontoons were stacked nearby. These were not solid circles, but had large holes in them so the wood around the circles was was 10 inches wide. Knowing they were going to need to put 3/16th inch holes exactly 3/4 if an inch in from the edges of every sheet starting at the corners and 3/4 of an inch apart all the way around each sheet, she began to measure and mark where each hole was going to be. Getting one sheet done, she went in the back to look for the portable drill press.
"Hey Sonya, you expecting someone in on a bus?" Mark asked as he came over smiling at her.
She forced a smile. "Hi, Mark. Actually, I'm hoping it doesn't show up, but if it does, I need to know right away. Before anyone gets off."
Mark frowned. "Why?"
Sonya didn't know what to say, so she offered, "It could be trouble."
"What kind of trouble?" he asked.
"I ... I'm not sure," she said with a wince. She didn't like lying, or hiding the truth.
"Sonya?" he asked, looking at her expectantly.
"I don't know who," Sonya said firmly. "But, go look in my car. I had to come today, ready for anything."
Mark nodded slowly. "All right. What you looking for?"
"The small drill press and the 3/16ths drill bit to start putting holes in the aluminum sheet."
Mark showed her where it was and got the drill bit out for her. He then put a hand on her shoulder. "Sonya, this bus, is it bad news?"
"Go look in my car, please, and please keep this to yourself for now. It may not happen." Sonya replied.
Mark eyed her with a slight nod, then walked out the back. Sonya took the drill out and set it up. She was on her knees to line up the first hole then Mark knelt beside her.
"Sonya, you got a pair of sub-machine guns, a shit load of ammo and a big friggin sword in your car. What the hell are you afraid of?"
Casting him a frightened look, she said, "That you'll get hurt."
"Me?" he asked in surprise.
Sonya nodded. "I just found you, I don't want anything to happen to you," she said in a pleading voice.
"Those guns fully auto?" he asked.
Sonya nodded. "I really can't tell you any more. I'm sorry."
Mark wiped his mouth then said, "You got enough weapons and ammo to fight off an army, that are illegal by the way. I need you to tell me why, or I have to go see the Sheriff."
"No, please don't," she begged.
"Then talk to me," he said firmly. "Sonya, I really like you but you need to tell me everything."
Sonya looked away. "Mark, you don't want to know."
"I need to know." She was silent so he added, "Sonya, a really need to know what this is about. Is this some mafia or cartel thing or something? That's what it's looking like."
Sonya cast him a surprise look. "No! I'm not involved with anything like that."
Firmly Mark said, "If I am ever to trust you, I need to know. What's with all the hardware? Why are you acting so scared?"
Sonya winced. "I'm afraid you won't like me any more."
"You're about to be in deep shit, aren't you?"
"It's very possible," Sonya admitted. "I don't know for sure, but I have to be ready."
"Ready for what?" Mark prodded. "Sonya?"
Sonya took in a beep breath and let it out. She pulled a thin wallet from her back pocket and opened it to show it to him.
Mark looked at it, then up at her. "You're a Homeland Security agent?" He asked in surprise.
Sonya nodded and put her wallet away. "Special agent," she said quietly. "When there is big trouble, like threats to national security that can't be dealt with any other way, they call us. They have called us. I'm sure you know there have been rioters all over the place. What's coming if it comes, is a bus full of terrorists pretending to be protesters. They aren't going to be peaceful. By what John learned, they will be here to burn the town to the ground and hurt or kill everyone they can."
"So you're supposed to arrest them by yourself?" he asked.
Sonya shook her head. "I don't arrest people like that. I eliminate them."
"You kill them" he stated flatly.
"I do, to keep others safe. Mark, these people don't care about anything except causing chaos and destruction, no matter what they use for an excuse." Sonya then paused. Frowning, she added, "Yes, I'm am assassin. If you don't like me any more ... I don' blame you."
Mark was silent for a moment then let out a sarcastic chuckle, "So, you just came here to wait for this bus? That's the reason you've been hanging around?"
"No, Mark, we came here to get away from California. We had no idea we'd be called to take care of this threat," Sonya said firmly. "This place, this town, shouldn't have to suffer! There is no good reason why these people who love to cause pain and destruction should ever come here!" Clapping a hand to her face, Sonya sobbed out, "WHY do they have to bother us here?"
Mark eyed her for a moment, then enfolded her. She hugged him back.
"I so hate selfish assholes who don't care about anything but themselves!" Sonya cried out on his shoulder. "All I want is a home and family, but ... the bad guys just keep coming! I know why Cameron is so paranoid, there's never an end to it. Never!"
Holding her close, Mark petted her hair.
"Damn it!" Sonya blasted out.
"It's OK, hon," Mark said gently.
Sonya shook her head. In a hollow tone she said, "No, it's not." Lifting up, she wiped her eyes and gave a last sniffle. "Mark, if they come, grab a MAC 10 out of the car and get your guys out of town, not down a road, out the back and find a place to defend yourself, no matter what's happening. Promise me."
"And let you get shot or beaten so bad you die?" he asked.
Sonya cast him a sad smile. "Not me. I've been shot many, many times before. I've had skin and flesh just hanging off me. Cameron's been hurt so bad, it was down to the bone. We get up and we keep going. Trouble comes and they will be very, very sorry."
Mark eyed her. "How can that be possible."
"Promise me you'll keep yourself safe, and tomorrow night, I'll tell you," Sonya said firmly.
Mark let out a huff. "You mean, if you're still alive."
"I will be, but I might not be pretty any more," she said with her sad smile.
"You really expect me to run away if you're in trouble?" he asked.
"Mark, you have to. If things don't go right, I can disappear and go somewhere else. You have a life here, friends, people who count on you. What happens to me doesn't matter. What happens to you, does."
Mark cupped her cheek, "What happens to you does matter, very much. As least to me."
"Then please get to safety if that bus arrives. I can work better knowing you are safe."
Mark chuckled. "You are stubborn one, aren't you?" he asked.
Sonya shrugged. "We never give in or give up."
Mark nodded. "OK, unless that bus comes, it's a normal day. So you get to work and so will I. I will let you know if I see that bus so don't worry about it. All right?"
Sonya nodded. As he went to leave, Sonya said, "Mark? Thanks for listening and this is between us, right?"
He nodded. "Get to work," he said with a grin.
.
John made his plans a mile south of the terrorist camp. They were armed and ready. The signal to start would be Delilah, shooting at the first bus when it stopped a the camp.
While John and his wives got ready to fight, Mark did his best to cheer Sonya up. He decided if a bus did come, the first thing he was going to do was coax Sonya off behind the Garage to go get some parts, while Joe got the Sheriff. He let Joe in on what Sonya thought was going to happen. Joe peeked at Sonya's arsenal. All he said about it was, "Damn."
After work, Mark helped Sonya roll the sheets of aluminum to make them curl. Using the 36 inch circles he checked the diameter of the curved metal. Getting all 8 sheets done, Mark decided it was quitting time. It was seven thirty by now anyway.
Grabbing Sonya's hand he said, "Let's go to dinner, I'm buying."
"OK."
Down at Ike's restaurant/ bar, they had a nice dinner and Sonya got to meet more people in the town. After dinner, Mark took her over to the bar. "Gotta have a good night cap before we head out," he explained.
Sonya was having fun, so she agreed. They sat and talked for a while. Sonya nursed one beer while Mark drank a few. She watched the patrons. Slowly everyone's alcohol intake rose.
The jukebox stopped playing. Dave turned to look at it. "Same old stuff anyway," he grumbled.
"Then why don't we make our own?" Sonya asked in the same loud, carefree tone.
"You're going to sing?" Mark asked with a grin.
Sonya clapped an arm around him," Yup, and you're gonna help."
That brought a round of laughter.
Sonya waved them down, "I'll start, then you join in. See if you can remember it," she said. She then sang:
Remember you phoned me
A cryin and sobbin
The dog bit your ma
And drug her around
You said she looked pale
And thought she was dyin
I said don't you worry
I'll buy a new hound
With the laughs, Sonya elbowed Mark, He got it. He, and a couple others sang with her.
Where o where, are you tonight?
Why did you leave me here all alone?
I searched the world over and I thought I found true love
You met another and -Pfft- you was gone!
Cheers and raised beers followed the chorus. Benny yelled out, "Do another one!" Someone else yelled "Yeah!"
On day she asked me
How I like her figure
She said I just weighed 103
Then she upped and said
One thing I can't figure
One pound of candy makes five pounds of me.
Another round of laughter and the whole bar (bartender too) sang :
Where o where, are you tonight?
Why did you leave me here all alone?
I searched the world over and I thought I found true love
You met another and -Pfft- you was gone!
Sonya started another four verses, all that she knew from the country concert they had given. After the last one she opened her mouth, then said, "That's all I remember."
Lewis leaned over and asked, "How'd you remember so many? You don't look old enough to have seen Hee Haw."
"I didn't!" Sonya announced. "We did a country Concert in Palmdale, and used that show as the model for the concert."
"No shit? You sang in a concert" Mark asked.
"I did. I did a comedy sketch for it too. Sonya's kitchen tips!"
"Let's hear it!" Joe asked loudly.
Sonya nodded, then leaned on the bar. "Kevin, got any cast iron frying pans? and a couple apples?"
"I got a pan, it's not cast iron. No apples."
"That's OK, we can pretend," Sonya assured him.
He went and got the pan and gave it to Sonya. Sonya walked to an empty table. Everyone turned to watch her.
OK, Guys picture me in a house dress, apron, my hair tied up in a scarf... she paused and added, "And wearing combat boots."
The bar roared in laughter. Yup, these guys were toasted.
Sonya announced. "It's time for Sonya's kitchen tips! Today, I want to tell you about THE most important kitchen utensil you got. She raised the pan and said, 'A cast iron skillet is your most versatile tool in the kitchen. It will never loose it's coating, it ain't got one! Besides fryin up stuff, it also will make applesauce. Gotta picture apples in the table here." She then whacked the pan in the table. "Just gotta go catch it."
The bar burst into laughter again. She shook the pan at them and said, "And ladies, with your cast iron skillet in hand, you will never lose an argument!"
They laughed so hard this time Lewis fell off his stool. That kept the laughter going at him. Then Benny slipped off. Hearing them, Sonya started laughing too. A few more teetered. Mark was holding into the bar to keep himself up.
Sonya calmed herself. "Wow, I'm afraid to do any more, you guys are about to go down like bowling pins!"
Still chuckling, Mark asked,"What else is it good for?"
Sonya waved the pan. "Gittin rid of those pesky door to door salesmen, and I can promise it will solve those problems goin to sleep at night!"
Again laughter roared. Another patron slipped off his seat to laugh on the floor.
Sonya announced, "So if ya want good kitchen tips, ask Sonya!" She took the pan back to the bar as they all applauded her.
Mark looked ready to fall off his stool. She put an arm around him and held him up. "You OK there, Mark?" she asked. Still laughing, he fell into her. "Damn, your funny!" he got out.
"Just having some fun." she told him. She then added, "Speaking of fun, want to head home now?"
This brought a round of whistles, cheers and cat calls. She looked at the others, and said, "What? I was talking about a nice walk."
"Sure ya were!" Joe all but yelled.
Mark straightened up a bit and hugged her. She returned the hug.
"You're really awesome," he said softly.
"I try," Sonya replied.
"You don't mind, coming home with me?" he asked quietly.
Sonya pulled back to cup his face in her hands. "Mark, I'd love to. But there's things you need to know about me first. And right now, I'm too scared to say."
"You don't have to be," he told her gently.
Sonya cast him a sad smile. "Tomorrow night, like I promised."
Mark kissed her, "Tomorrow night then. And by the way, I could never dislike you. No matter what."
"I really hope so," she told him and gave him a bigger kiss.
"Hey! Go get a room!" someone called. Agreements followed.
"I do have to go. It's been a lot of fun tonight," Sonya told him. A final hug and she slipped away. "Bye everyone," she called and waved.
Mark watched her leave. Once she was out, Mark said, "Guys, there is something I need to tell ya."
"This about wedding bells?" Pete asked.
"No, it's about Sonya, and a bus that might be coming it tomorrow," Mark said in a serious tone. "This is serious shit, so listen up."
.
Sonya was walking back to her car when her phone rang. She looked at the number.
"Yes, John?"
"I just got intel, two busses are coming to us from the north. On the south road into Driftwood, one stopped at a hotel only 30 miles away. You can expect them I'd say, mid morning. It's best not to let them get into town. There's a news van with them too. If possible, take that out first, then the bus and everyone on it."
"Understood. John, keep yourself safe."
"You also, Sonya."
Sonya put her phone away and walked to her car. There was a farm two miles down the road on the main road heading south. She drove down just past the farm and looked for a good ambush spot. Going slow, she noted this was swamp country. A stretch of road was raised up on a ridge above the marshy ground on both sides. There was a long curve in the road along the ridge. Perfect. Going back to where the road met solid ground, Sonya parked off the road and looked the area over.
The thing about swamps was gators loved them. Anyone who tried to flee into the swamps would be gator food. She spent the night in the Excursion. As dawn peeked up from the east, she got her gun belt on and filled the holders with eight full MAC 10 clips. Donning her cloak, she hung her sword in the loop for it, hung a MAC 10 on her right hip, held the other in her left hand, and waited for the bus to come.
Just past eight, Sonya hear the bus coming. It was a big blue tour bus. Not far behind the bus was a small van. Sonya pulled up and aimed. As the van got in range, she fired a solid stream of bullets into it. The windshield and one headlight burst into bits. She kept up the stream of bullets down the side of the van as it turned and hit the guardrail. She ejected the spend clip and slapped in a new one as the bus stopped.
This time she poured fire into the bus windshield, blowing the windshield apart, killing the driver and sending rounds through the interior.
Screams wailed out from within the bus. She reloaded again, and brought the other gun out as she walked towards the bus. A couple shots from within came back at her. They hit high on the left side of her chest and the bullet scraping past the right side of her head, she ignored. Lifting both guns, she fired into the interior again, low.
Inside the bus a fire broke out. But how quickly it spread, a flammable liquid had spilled. Flames grew quickly. Wailing screams sounded. A few figures fled for the door, even though she was dropping them as fast as they got up.
Sonya stopped a dozen yards in front. Windows in the bus burst out, flame escaping from the windshield opening and several places along both sides. A burning figure climbed up and out. She shot him. He fell to burn on the road. Watching the bus, Sonya put her guns away and drew her sword. Satisfied no one else was going to escape the bus, she walked around in back of it to inspect the van.
The driver and passenger were obviously dead. Opening the back, she saw another bullet ridden corpse, and the camera and recording equipment. She took these out and threw them far out into the swamp.
A weak voice asked, "You... who are you!"
A young man had gotten our of the back of the bus. Burnt clothes and skin, he looked up at her from the ground. "You murdered us!" he cried.
"Not all of you, yet," Sonya told him, and strode to him. He tried to crawl under the bus, she stabbed her sword down into his back, pinning him to the ground. He gagged and went limp. A twist of the blade and she yanked her sword out.
Sonya walked slowly past the bus again. There was no sound but the roar of the flames and the shatter of overheated glass. She made sure no one was left alive, then returned to the Excursion. Her part was done, let Watson come clean up the mess.
.
Sonya didn't feel right about just going home. Going into town, she saw a few people out in front of the garage. Evey one wore a pistol, a couple carried shotguns. One was Mark. She pulled over to the side and stopped. Upon seeing her coming, Mark and a Joe came over to meet her. Mark's face opened in shock. "Sonya, you've been shot!" he cried.
"Happens," She said with a shrug. "You don't have to worry about that bus any more."
Mark looked at the bullet hole and the blood stain below her collar bone, and the bloody track on her head. "How can you even be coherent? You've been hit twice!"
"I'll be back later," Sonya said calmly. "Tonight I will tell you everything. Right now, I have to go. Just know I took care of the problem." She then drove off to go assist John to the north if he needed it.
Watching her go, Joe said, "That is one tough woman."
.
To the north, Delilah was lying atop a hillock across the road from the camp. Behind her and to the side, Sarah sat in the gun seat of the bulldozer tank. The shell loaded in the tube was a rocket shell. Air got it out of the tube and ignited the rocket to propel the shell strait aw whatever it was aimed at. The shells Sarah had to use were high explosive shells.
Watching the road, Delilah said, "Two buses coming, get ready guys."
A few men came out of the camp to meet the buses as they pulled up and stopped.
"Fire!" John barked.
Delilah shot plasma bolts into the fronts of the buses. One man waiting for the doors to open disappeared in ash as the bolts flash melted the upped portion of the buses away, and caught fire to the first rows of seats. A rocket shell came in to hit the lower back of one bus, ripping it apart in a ball of fire. As Delilah and Sarah continued shoot, the minigun on the EV-2 opened up on the camp, sending a solid stream of 50 caliber rounds through tents, vehicles and people. Gas tanks exploded as did containers of gas, people that were hit sprayed blood though the air.
With Delilah and Sarah shooting from the east, and Cameron ripping the place apart from the south, John lay in cover to the southwest, searching for anyone trying to flee the destruction.
A few spurts of AK47 fired sounded briefly here and there as the armed men not yet dead, tried to fight back. A woman cried for mercy, stood up with her hands in the air and was vaporized by a plasma ball skimming the ground that was passing by. Fires flared out of control, more explosions sounded in the camp that was becoming thick with smoke. John saw one small group of five hobbling away. He put the crosshairs of his M-14 on them and in single shots, downing each one. Another figure stumbled out of the smoke and tripped. He went to get up and a .30 caliber round punched into his ribs, putting him back down on the ground permanently.
It didn't take long before nothing moved through the smoking blaze that used to be a camp. Sonya arrived not long after the shooting had stopped. Upon seeing the flames rolling up, she's stopped the car. Her phone rang.
"John, I got the third bus before it reached town, the van too," she explained.
"Good work, Sonya. as soon as the flames die down here, we need to ensure there are no survivors."
.
After work, Mark went home. He looked for Sonya all day and she didn't return. Getting home, he grabbed a beer out of the frige and went out to sit on the front steps, staring at nothing. Sonya had told him she could disappear. Had she? Motion caught his attention. Sonya pulled up into his dirt turn around. He watched her get out. There was a bandage on her head now just above her eyebrows. She had a normal light green shirt on. She walked over to him, acting meek.
"Can we go inside and talk?" she asked.
Mark got up and opened the door. "Come in."
Most of the furniture he had was stuff he built to fit him. Sonya sat on the 2x4 framed couch with cushions he'd bought. He sat next to her.
"Time to explain," Sonya said, not quite looking at him.
"Take your time," he told her.
"I'm not human," she stated. She took the bandage off her head to show the gouge dug into the side of her head. Mark saw the raw would and the silver strip deep in the center.
Sonya's voice was flat as she said, "I am what's called a Terminator. In the last couple years, we've been called cyborgs, which is a machine and biological mix of intelligent beings. I was originally made in the future. My model didn't work out well, so I was scrapped for experimentation. The experiment I was used for, was to see if the TDE, a time traveling device, worked. I was sent into the past. No instructions, the only mission I had was to wait."
Mark looked at her as she looked at the table. "You're a machine," he said.
"Much of me is. My skeleton is metal and I have interior armor. When I was sent back, humans I now know as Chinese tried to capture me, they tried to kill me. I killed them. Many, many of them. They could not kill me, but they figured out with a large enough electric shock, they could knock me off line for 120 seconds. The ones who had me brought me to the US to hide me in a deep pit. Why, I don't know. John Connor was captured by these people. They wanted him to tell them about me. Thankfully, John's smart. He got me out of the pit and we escaped the vault they had us in." She glanced briefly at Mark. "It was down in a deep basement. They tried to keep us down there, kept attacking us but John outwitted them. Even when they blew the place over us up to bury us, John found a way out."
"This is John Connor, who's got his two wives," Mark said.
Sonya nodded. "I was a wreck when John found me. He got me away. Cameron and Delilah did massive work on me. They not only repaired me, they rebuilt me completely, made me better than I was, in every aspect." A smile came to Sonya's face. "I have learned so much, I can feel so much that I never could before. Know and do so much that before them, I couldn't even dream of. They saved me, Mark. They gave me a life. Yes, I am still and always will be a Terminator, but I can also be me and decide what I want to do."
Mark nodded slowly. "That is why the government uses you as it's assassin."
"That is part of the reason, yes. The other part is that it saves others from very high risk missions. Cameron is the expert on tactics. She is the oldest of us, the one with the most experience. The other, who I cannot name, helped Cameron and John remove a very serious threat to the world."
Sonya then looked at Mark. "I'm telling you this so you know me, who I am. I do have feelings, I do like to interact with and see others happy. In many ways, I am just like a human. I love John, Cameron, Delilah, all the kids, I have real feelings. I am also a metal Terminator who's made to kill. That, I can never change." In a pleading tone, she added, "And I would really like to have a close relationship with you, Mark."
Mark gazed at the beautiful, scary creature beside him. "You know, if I didn't know anything but the fact you're a government assassin who carries major firepower around in your car, I'd be scared shitless of you. I know different though, yeah, I'm sure you could scare a hungry bulldog off a meat wagon. I also have seen how kind you and your family can be. How vulnerable you can be." he petted her cheek with a finger. "How beautiful and funny you can be also. You are also very, very special, Sonya. I would love to have a very close relationship with you."
They kissed. As they kissed their arms went around each other. Needing to breathe from the long kiss, they hugged tight.
Meekly, Sonya said, "Mark, I've never done anything like I hope we're going to do, so..."
He kissed her said, "I will take care of you, my sweet. You are precious to me."