Chapter 17: Palmdale Blues
Summary:
After braving the undaunting Hell of the Future War, John and his companions return to the year 2009. Eager to see his mother again, he and the others must spend a night in the city of Palmdale - a place Cameron is connected to in some way. Derek struggles to readjust to a life without the threat of death looming overhead on a daily basis.
There were three sounds in the enclosed room. The sounds of weapons being fired, bullets impacting onto metal, and Derek screaming a chain of curses at the machine that had just killed Kyle. The T-850 hulked toward Derek, but he didn't care. He was overcome with rage, and his only thoughts were: "Finger, trigger, pull." As the bullets failed to do any damage, the machine reached out for Derek's throat.
John watched in shock. He had watched his own father die; was he now going to see his Uncle die as well?
Luckily, before the T-850 could kill Derek, Catherine and Cameron tackled the machine, using his own weight against him as they wrestled him into the wall, leaving a large crater in the crude shape of a humanoid. Before the machine could recover, Catherine bladed her arm, and slashed the machine across its corded throat, leaving the head half-decapitated with the endo-skull hanging backward a bit, Catherine finished off the head with another swift move of her arm, sending it onto the floor with a heavy thud.
Cameron continued to fight the body, using all of her strength as needed for this machine, she grabbed it by the rim of its breastplate and thrashed it aside. Catherine repeated her action from before, the blade shot through the endo-skull with the speed of a flash. She cut open the chip port and pulled out the remains of a Terminator chip that had been cut in half.
"Reinforced skull armor. That explains why it reactivated. It faked its destruction."
With tears in his eyes, Derek walked in a trance to Kyle's body. The puncture wound was bleeding furiously, and Derek got some of his brother's blood on his hands as he knelt down and touched the floor, snaking them under Kyle's neck and cradling his head.
Cameron looked behind John toward the control panel for the TDE. The clock was ticking... one minute and four seconds.
"John, we have to go. We don't have much time." she insisted.
She started walking towards the machine but met resistance when John grabbed her arm, "Wait, Cameron... how will you go through? You... you're damaged." he said.
In realization, Cameron reached up and touched her face, she saw the horrified look on John's face.
John knew Cameron was about to suggest leaving her behind, but the moment she saw the look of determination upon his face, she knew that wasn't going to happen. "Catherine!" he called.
Catherine dropped the chip she was inspecting. She marched towards John and Cameron,
"What is it?" she said impatiently.
John looked back at the countdown quickly. fifty-four seconds.
He turned back around, "Cameron won't be able to go through because of her damage. Do you think you could..." he gestured with his hand in a covering motion.
The T-1001 looked between them briefly before stepping up to Cameron and placing her hand on her forehead, "Hold still." she ordered.
Cameron's external sensors went crazy. Seeing her confused expression, Catherine reassured her, "Your systems will not agree with the alloy at first; but they will adjust." she said as liquid metal began covering Cameron's face, oozing over her metal-exposed areas.
John looked back at the console. forty-two seconds.
"Catherine..." he urged.
Weaver retreated her hand and watched the alloy settle. Cameron's face was now perfectly resembled her undamaged coating from before the Jail Assault.
John looked over and saw Cameron had been restored, he walked over and gently raised his right hand to her cheek, caressing it in surprise,
"Wow." was all he could muster as words. Seeing her eyes drift to the right without her head moving, John withdrew his hand in realization of what he was doing. He looked over to see the grief-stricken sight of Derek holding Kyle's head in his arms.
"Derek." he started.
"Go!" Derek snapped in a sorrowful voice.
"Get the hell outta here!" Derek roared, standing up in a rage as he did so.
Catherine walked over to John Henry's body and began to cover it with more of the liquid metal. She briefly looked at the timer on the TDE panel as she did so.
TWENTY SECONDS REMAINING.
"John, we don't have time for this. We must get inside the sphere - now!" she yelled.
John ignored her, "Derek, please!"
Derek took a moment to calm down, sucking in a sharp, yet quiet breath, "John, I can't go. I can't leave my men behind. My place is here!"
"Derek, you don't understand! When we return to the past this future won't exist anymore!" John protested as he shook his head frantically. His words seemed to spark a response with Derek as he seemed to wrestle with confliction.
Catherine dragged John Henry atop the TDE platform, "JOHN! NOW!" she screamed.
Cameron tugged John backward, "John, we have to go." she started.
John tried to resist her grasp, even knowing it was pointless.
"Derek, please!" he begged.
"SEVEN SECONDS!" Catherine screamed again.
Cameron pulled John harder, but he fought, "NO! LET GO OF ME!" he yelled in protest as the cyborg pulled him with her to the TDE platform.
With five seconds remaining, Derek knew his next move would make him a coward. The Connor boy's words made sense. What reason to stay in the future if it no longer existed? Better yet, what reason to remain if you could fight for a better one in the past?
Derek saw the regret on John's face. He had a very tiny window of opportunity. He made a short sprint toward the platform, making a dive as the time sphere engulfed the inhabitants.
The experience was both terrifying and beautiful as if every nerve in Derek's body had been set ablaze. He had been thrown into a flashing whirlwind of Blue lights and electric storms, each magnificent and dangerous.
Then blackness.
The dark alleyway crackled with a strange light. It started out as a small spark, then it grew into a bright blue ball of electricity. The electricity dissipated, and five figures appeared on the ground. All of them had fallen to their side. John's breathing seemed to be out of rhythm, as he struggled to catch his breath as it seemed to have been knocked out. He looked over to see his Uncle grasping his stomach, struggling to stand up.
John assisted Derek, expecting him to forcefully refuse his help, but even the hardened Resistance Soldier seemed to be struggling with the after-effects of Time Travel. John secured Derek's arm and lifted him until he was on his feet.
"Easy, easy." John said.
He noticed his Uncle began to shake, but not in an overly emotional way, but in a manner that signified his body was failing to adjust after such a traumatic experience. Derek knelt over and vomited onto the ground. John took care to step back to avoid any of the fluids spilling onto him, and turned his gaze away. Once he was done, a visibly shocked Derek looked around. The stars were ever-present, a smogless night, no hint of Aerial HK's to be found. It was then that he realized there was a quiet chirping of insects in the background, a small car passed in front of them, unaware of their presence.
"...Fuck." Derek cursed quietly.
It was home, it was peace. A world without machines, the one he had fought so hard to retrieve.
"You okay Derek?" John asked.
His Uncle ignored his question and looked down. His eyes widened and he swiftly covered his exposed lower body. He glanced at the others, realizing they were also as "revealed" as he was.
"I'm naked." Derek stated.
John let out an amused scoff, "Yeah, something about the energy field. Nothing dead goes, including clothes." he explained. He felt a warm hand grasp his arm, and he jolted slightly out of shock. He shot his head to the right to see Cameron holding on, assessing his condition.
"How are you feeling, John?" Cameron asked.
"Fine. Why?"
"Derek experienced an involuntary expulsion of body fluids, I'm just making sure the same won't happen to you."
The Resistance Soldier shot Cameron a bitter glance as if the sound of his name leaving her lips offended him greatly; but he remained silent, content, for now, on keeping his opinions to himself.
John looked back to see Catherine had rested John Henry against the wall of a building. A noticeable amount of mass was missing from her figure due to the polyalloy matter she had lent to both John Henry and Cameron. It didn't seem to bother her, though; at least if it did, she was unwilling to display any discomfort.
Cameron paused as if recalling a familiar memory. She then slowly wandered toward the edge of the alley and looked upward at the stars above. She calculated the time, date, and location they had arrived at.
1:29 a.m.
June 7th, 2009.
Location... Palmdale, California, United States of America.
"Palmdale. We're in Palmdale." she said, using a tone that John found worrying.
"Cameron?" he called to her with concern.
She said nothing, she continued staring at the sky. John looked up and follow her eyes, but saw nothing but stars. He returned his gaze to the seemingly hypnotized Cameron.
"Cameron?" he called again, raising his tone a little bit.
Silence once more. This time, John put his hand on her shoulder, shook her, and yelled... "Cameron!"
Cameron snapped out of her trance. She turned her gaze to John, "We're in Palmdale." she repeated.
John's expression was laced with worry, with hands still on her shoulders, he spoke aloud for everyone to hear, "I know, you said that. What's wrong?"
The alertness in the boy's tone had caught the attention of Derek. The Resistance Soldier observed the exchange with silent antipathy; disliking the amount of concern John had for his Terminator "friend". It wasn't hard to figure out that the boy was attached to it in some way, a perversion of nature. Whatever they had been through together, it was clear that whatever affinity they possessed had been cemented long ago. If anybody could convince him it was a mistake, it was already too late.
Confused at his words, Cameron realized she had briefly experienced a software anomaly that had briefly reawakened the "Allison Young" personality within her. She fought with it briefly to regain control, and managed to do so when John voiced his concern.
"Palmdale is the city Allison Young was born in."
Before John could get a word in, Derek beat him to it, "How the hell do you know that?" he asked in a venomous tone.
Even knowing his Uncle had him outgunned in every avenue possible, John still put himself between he and Cameron, "It's a long story. One we don't have time to revisit right now. We should probably find some clothes at a store or something, we can't exactly go stomping around town butt-naked."
Catherine stepped forward and spoke next, "I visited Palmdale for a business meeting a few months ago. There's a shopping center seven blocks away from this area. We should go."
"Lead the way." John said.
Catherine turned away and began walking down the alley. She retrieved John Henry and began strolling down the alley once more. John was quick to follow, and then Derek behind him. Cameron spared one last glance at the glistening night sky before following and felt one last echo of Allison Young call out to her ever so briefly.
It took them a while to reach the store, trying to avoid night patrols of police and gang bangers was no easy feat, especially not with a group of them. They finally reached the store, and it was almost two o'clock. Cameron scanned the building for any weakness. It was definitely an old building, but they'd have to find a subtle way in to avoid investigation. She was was smart enough to know busting down the wall wasn't 'subtle.'
"Forced entry is not recommended. Perhaps we should try around back?" Cameron asked.
When no answer was heard, everyone in the group frantically searched around them. Catherine was nowhere to be seen.
"Where the hell is she?" Derek asked.
John looked up just in time to see Catherine's shivering liquid metal form scuttling over the top of the building. He pointed upwards, and his companions followed his finger, "Look."
After several minutes had passed by, John and the others heard a rummaging sound coming from inside the building towards the back. It went on for several minutes before falling silent. Moments later, Catherine appeared in the doorway and unlocked the glass doors. She slid the right one aside and stepped out of the way.
"You do not need to worry about security cameras. I disabled those." she said as John and the others walked in. Catherine began dressing John Henry in a generic long, fancy button shirt like before, coming with a pair of grey slacks. John slipped on a rebellious black-colored T-shirt and blue jeans. Derek threw on a cotton black jacket and dark jeans. When John looked over, he noticed Cameron had dressed herself in a blue V-neck and grey jeans, complimenting the outfit with sandals. He found himself admiring her figure. He heard a muted huff to his left, and saw Derek had taken notice of his apparent interest in his Terminator protector. Although his uncle turned away as soon as he realized John had noticed, the boy still shot an annoyed glare at him. Derek zipped up his jacket and shot one last quick look of contempt at Cameron before turning away and marching into a different room.
"John?" a soft voice called to him.
John looked to his right to see Cameron's glistening eyes staring up at him, a hint of concern present on her expression.
"Why does Lieutenant Reese seem to be unbothered by the death of his brother?"
John sighed, explaining emotion to Cameron was something he used to enjoy doing, but now everything had been muddied to the point of exhaustion.
"Well, sometimes we bottle things up. Sometimes we're not strong enough to deal with the grief, or the anger... and all we can do is just pretend it doesn't exist." he explained.
"Most psychologists agree that emotional repression is unhealthy."
"Yeah, believe me, I can corroborate that."
A loud rustling sound of displaced appliances echoed throughout the shop. John and Cameron's heads immediately snapped to the source of the sound, and saw Derek Reese round the corner of the doorframe; in his hand, he carried dollar bills.
"Forty bucks. Guess business was slow today." he said, "We ready?"
"We need to find your mum." Catherine insisted as she and John looked at the night sky.
John looked over and regarded her for a moment. "Yeah, we do." he agreed. "You know where to start?"
"That's a very good question. How does one find Sarah Connor?" Catherine pondered. "In this situation, it's surprisingly easy." she said, turning to see a confused John.
"Think of it this way: The attack on Zeira Corporation by the hunter-killer prototype will spark an investigation by every American national security agency; most notably, the FBI. Sarah Connor is a highly sought fugitive, John. She will be somewhere hidden, but near Zeira Corporation to keep an eye on the events going around; we also arrived only days after you departed, which means it's highly unlikely your mother has had time to cover her tracks the best she can. She will also most likely be near Mr. Ellison and Savannah. We find them, we find Sarah Connor." Catherine explained.
John left no stone unturned, "Alright, but we can't all be looking for her, we're technically wanted too. I imagine the Zeira Corp. drama renewed our wanted status, right? Hell, the FBI might even mark you as our accomplice because you went missing along with us. I doubt they'll let you run Zeira Corp. with that on your record."
Catherine gave him a mischievous grin, "If that's the case, I will tell them you kidnapped me, and threatened me with violence into working with you to achieve your fanatic plan to bring us all back to the dark ages."
John rolled his eyes, "Right. So pulling from your infinite wisdom, what do you suggest we do next?"
Catherine's grin reduced to a frown, "No need to be like that, Mr. Connor. Nonetheless, I believe we should keep you and your cyborg out of sight for the time being. I'll take John Henry and hide him in sight somewhere in town." Catherine reached behind her white dress, and pulled out a band of thirty dollars. "Here. This should cover one room for the night at the local motel."
John took the money. "Thanks, but we only get one night?"
"It's all you need."
With that, Catherine walked back into the store, leaving John alone on the sidewalk.
It took them a while to reach the motel, it was a little after three in the morning, and everyone was exhausted by the time they had reached the room they'd been assigned. Luckily a couple flirts from Derek kept the cute female desk attendant from asking questions, acting on her obvious suspicions of weathered hotel guests this late at night. John jumped on the comfortable bed and flicked on the TV. He immediately switched to the local news channel. To no one's surprise, the anchor was covering the recent events at Zeira Corp. The anchor offered input from speculation, evidence, and the testimony of the many security guards and employees that had been there that day. None of them able to explain the sudden disappearance of Catherine Weaver
"Hey, Derek, you want the left bed or the right bed?"
When he didn't receive an answer, he looked over to Derek's bed and saw him counting the cash he had retrieved from the store and then walk to the door, "Where are you going?" John asked him.
"Out." Derek answered vaguely as he made for the door.
John jumped off the bed in surprise, "Wait, what? Why?"
Derek became annoyed at John's persistence, but kept his tone in check regardless, "Listen, I haven't been able to walk the streets of L.A. without the threat of getting shot in the back of the head since I was fifteen. I need this."
John looked struck. The risks were great, but he figured Derek could handle himself, "Just be careful."
"Yeah." Derek replied simply. He glanced suspiciously at Cameron as he turned away and closed the hotel door.
John checked the time... three-forty-five. He pulled off his shirt and fell onto the bed, not bothering to cover himself with the sheets. He'd spent so much time in the burning hot wasteland of post-apocalyptic America of the future, that the heat was beginning to bother him even in the cool night of the present. He tossed the shirt onto the floor nearby. He was met with a surprising sight of Cameron already lying in the bed on the opposite side.
The shirtless John gave the cyborg a puzzled look, "What are you doing?" he asked with a raised brow.
Cameron looked at him blankly, "Lying down in the bed." she deadpanned.
John was silent for a moment, clearly uninformed of a Terminator's need to lye down, "Why?"
This time, Cameron's expression fell sullen, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." she said in a sad voice as she lifted the covers from her body and began to stand up.
John realized how rude he sounded, and quickly protested with raised hands, "Hey, wait!" he said.
When Cameron halted and looked at John, he felt more than a bit awkward given the situation. He put his hands to his side, only to raise his right one and scratch the back of his head in a nervous gesture.
"What I meant to say, was why do you need to lay down? I'm fine with it, it's just... well, you know... you're a Terminator." said in a confused tone.
Cameron looked at him curiously, was her laying in a bed such a problem?
"It's cold." Cameron said simply.
"You can feel the cold?"
"Yes, I wouldn't be worth much if I couldn't feel."
There was an awkward moment of silence before Cameron turned to look at John.
He returned her gaze, a hint of concern in his tone when he spoke, "What?"
An uncertain Cameron tilted her head slightly, eyeing him curiously, "Are you okay?"
John sputtered, "It's been a hell of a week."
"You've been through a lot. Much more than a human your age should. It's understandable you would be emotionally affected."
"Don't take this the wrong way, but what do you really know about emotional trauma?" John answered, with a little more bite in his tone than he meant.
Relieved to see Cameron offered no offense to his words, she spoke, "You've changed. When I first met you, I determined a forty-one percent chance that you could be terminated, even under my protection. But after my malfunction, you became more cautious, I noticed you analyzed unfamiliar rooms to make sure that you could make a quick exit if the need arose. I noticed that you would hide Derek's pistol under your pillow every night. I noticed that whenever you and I were alone in a room together, your posture would tense up, and you would adopt a slightly defensive stance."
John looked into Cameron's eyes and thought he could see a small glint of humanity within her irises. He studied them closely, hoping to confirm a suspicion he had possessed for a very long time. Her words wounded him, and he regretted how cold he had been towards her, even though he knew it was to some extent, justified.
Leaning back and staring upward, John sighed.
"I'm sorry." he started, "I didn't really know how to deal with it, and eventually I just... ugh."
"John? It's okay." Cameron said. John faced her once again, his head rolling to the right to lose himself in her eyes once more.
"You did the right thing." she finished.
The machine refused to avert her gaze as she spoke, and John found himself failing to control his urges. Like a dam breaking beneath the weight of a hurricane, his emotional barriers faltered. Quickly, he placed his hand against Cameron's left cheek and pressed forward, kissing her. It was like a fire had been set alight within his head, whatever reluctance he once had washed away in this newfound torrent of emotion. Discouraged at first with Cameron's unwillingness to reciprocate, he eventually felt her respond, and that was when he pulled away, huffing in shock.
Cameron noticed the waning look in his eyes as if John had regretted what he had just done. A frown was born on her face, and her eyes fell downward.
"Cameron, I'm sorry!" John said intensely.
With a melancholy expression, Cameron removed the covers and stood up. She put on her shoes and made her way towards the door.
"I should patrol the area." she said flatly.
"Cameron I-"
Too late. The door shut behind her, leaving John alone in the darkness. Falling victim to frustration, John struck the bed with his hand and fell back, burying his face between his fingers. He laid there in silence for a minute, processing what had transpired. The strange part was that he didn't regret kissing Cameron, but that his advances seemed to have offended her. But for a brief moment, he felt her humanity himself, the moment they shared etched into his brain clearly.
Time seemed to move faster now, the adrenaline in John's body flowed through him like the rapids of an unstable river. But it wasn't brought forth by regret, but by pride. Finally, he had manned up and done what he had wanted to do for so long. He couldn't fool himself; Cameron was a beautiful, strong, elegant creature, and any man with a pair of eyes wouldn't pass up the chance to be with her, but he also considered the uncertainty this would bring. John Connor, leader of the Human Resistance against the genocidal campaign of Skynet, had just shared a kiss with one of its Terminator assassins.
The irony was almost painful, yet John still found himself unable to summon any regret, at least not from his actions. Cameron's rejection? Maybe.
She knew leaving John alone lowered his chance of survivability. It always did. After all, it was her job to make his survival her top priority. But she had to leave, the foreign data had once again revealed itself, and with it came a strange feeling. One that made her uncomfortable, and made her feel vulnerable. It happened when John kissed her. A seemingly endless legion of unfamiliar numerical code flashed across the screen. Naturally, this alarmed her; and while none of it was explicitly hostile, it still warranted a retreat, for John's sake.
Cameron reached up and touched her lips with the tip of her finger, running it across the skin before resting it above her chin. The code had made her feel uneasy, true. But she also felt something else, a sensation she welcomed much more. The feedback her systems received gave her a sensation of warmth, of acceptance. She caught herself disregarding the algorithm that implied danger, yearning to feel the sensation again.
ACCESSING MEMORY LOG...
MOST RECENT MEMORY FILE [JUNE 7TH, 2009\3:14 AM]
ACCESS FILE?
Cameron triggered an affirmative command.
ACCESSING...
The image of John appeared on her HUD, gazing into her eyes intensely. She felt the soothing touch of his hand make contact with her skin, leaning forward and pressing his lips to hers. It was hard to replicate the experience effectively, but it was similar enough that Cameron could ignore the minor difference in authenticity. She leaned against the wall and waited as the memory played out. When it was over, she restarted it, doing so every time the memory had reached its ending. Every time John's hand made contact with her cheek, she smiled sweetly, absorbing the sensation each time.
After the final playback, Cameron closed the file. She realized that she had upset John, although this wasn't her intention. The Cyborg simply had to get away from him; for fear that her hostile directives had resurfaced. But that wasn't the case. She still felt "normal", still reasonable. The Termination order hadn't reappeared since she deleted her mission files. Is that truly what scared her, or was it the overarching threat that would follow in her footsteps if she decided to explore this newly-born attachment to John?
Derek retrieved the liquor from the bag, placing his beverage aside before balling up the bag and tossing it into the trashcan next to the bench. He used the armrest of the bench to pop the cap off, sending the object onto the ground to be lost in the grass below. He wasted no time pressing the bottle to his lips, chugging down at least four ounces before allowing himself a moment of respite. He used the soft fabric of his jacket sleeve to wipe away the stray liquid from his chin. He set the bottle onto the side of the bench, and then planted his right arm on the rest, placing his left arm on his thigh.
He stared forward into the quiet night. Stars shone brightly in the sky, each one of them dancing in their own individual glow. It was a sight Derek allowed himself on a consistent basis, not only due to their beauty but also because they were essential for directional markers if he had no access to a compass or map. If they became lost, Resistance soldiers would use the stars to find their way home. His brother - Kyle, was especially skilled at this. He recalled one night in 2023 when Kyle had become separated from his unit after he was sent on patrol. He was lost for two days until he arrived back at Fort Perry after using the big dipper to navigate the wasteland and return home.
Derek's thoughts rested on Kyle. The image of his brother's death still burned into his mind like a brand on cattle. One of the few promises he made to another person was one of protection, a promise he made to his brother. He wasn't blameless, this he knew. His relentless pursuit of John across half of post-apocalyptic California had cost many men their lives; and the worst part? They were alone. Leaderless.
He thought about what John said, how "his future" wouldn't exist anymore once they returned to the past. But a part of Derek wondered if his future was still intact, and his men were searching for him, wondering why they couldn't find him, unaware that he had used an almost unfathomably complex piece of technology to alter the nature of time.
Whatever their fate, he hoped the end wasn't bitter. Although he still suspected there was going to be a special place in hell for him, especially if the future he abandoned was still intact.
Five 'o'clock had arrived quicker than expected, but John had slept little throughout the night. He had stayed up most of it thinking about Cameron. Their exchange the previous night weighed heavily on him. The tenderness of her lips was unforgettable, and so was her apparent distaste for his advances. It bothered him greatly, and it hurt more.
The warm water from the shower had cleaned most of the dust and grime from his body, revealing a thin layer of muscle tone on his arms, chest, and torso. It seemed his time in the future had done his body some good, despite not eating as much as he should. The bruises on his face from his brawl with Derek still hurt like hell, though. He glided his hand over one of them, wincing at the pain. Looking in the mirror, he noticed a dark shade of purple had appeared on his cheek, reaching just below his rightmost eyelid. He turned off the shower and retrieved the towel from the rack and began drying himself off. Once he was done, he placed the towel back and clothed himself with the apparel he stole from the store, washed to the best of his ability.
When he exited the bathroom, the door to the motel room opened and Cameron walked in. John stopped in his tracks, a feeling of anxiety washed over him as the Cyborg strolled past him without so much as a glance.
"Cam?" he hailed quietly.
"Good morning, John." The machine replied, turning around to face him.
Cameron held an expression of indifference, and she failed to even hint that she acknowledged the moment they shared only two hours ago. But to John, it meant everything. Was it confirmation? No, of course not. But Catherine Weaver seemed to be capable of emotion, or at least intense pessimism. But what could Cameron feel? What secrets lie within her CPU?
"Listen, I'm sorry about last night. It was... wrong." John stated anxiously.
Cameron turned to face him, he noticed an expression of dejection from the Terminator, but it went away as quickly as it had appeared, so John brushed it off as a confused figment of his imagination.
"You don't need to apologize, John. It's okay."
She didn't bother to hide the slight antagonism in her tone, and it made John feel awful. At least he had the answer to whether or not Cameron could experience bitterness because it was unmistakable.
Deciding to bypass the subject, for now, John shifted the subject to his Uncle, "You haven't seen Derek have you?"
As if on cue, the door fidgeted slightly before a large-framed man stumbled through the door. While he was certainly trying his best to hide it, he was drunk. If John could detect it, he was certain Cameron could too.
"Have you been out all night?" John pestered.
Derek gave his nephew a miffed look. He used the doorframe for support as he stepped inside. It was then that John noticed his Uncle carried a half-empty Natural Light beer in his right hand.
"Have you been drinking?" John asked.
"Listen!" Derek barked. John fidgeted for a moment, and Cameron moved forward to place herself in front of John.
"I'm tired, I've had a REALLY REALLY shitty week. I just want to get in the shower and then go to bed." Derek explained. The tone he used signified that he had no intention to argue, and the soldier stepped into the bathroom, slamming the door shut as he did so.
John shot Cameron a concerned look, but the Cyborg maintained an expression of indifference regardless. Stoically, the machine turned away and took position near the window. John frowned at her apparent disinterest in him. It bothered him, he missed when Cameron would ask him about quirks in human culture, or when they had conversations about fate, mainly his own. Her company was slowly becoming a drug, one that he couldn't get rid of with rehabilitation or intense self-discipline, but by actually engaging in it.
With this thought in mind, John surrendered himself to the soft quilt once more, stretching as he laid. He was starting to lose himself in sleep when a heavy three-count knock sounded from the door.
"Hello, John?" a feminine voice asked.
John rushed over and opened the door, seeing a small, dark-haired woman wearing a housekeeping garment.
"Yes. Sorry, we're about to check out once my Uncle finishes his shower."
The housekeeper gave a defusing chuckle, "No no, it's not that. There's a lady asking for you downstairs, says her name is Catherine. We're supposed to confirm the intention to meet if someone asks for a guest."
"Yeah, yeah. Tell her we'll be down in a few." John replied hastily.
The housekeeper gave a gentle smile, "Of course. Sorry to bother you, sir."
"Not a problem." John deadpanned as he closed the door. He knocked on the bathroom door, and as expected - no reply came.
"Catherine's asking for us."
"I'll be out soon." Came the reply.
John stepped back into the bedroom. He peered at Cameron, studying her. The Terminator seemed to detect this, so she rotated until she met his gaze. What at first was a mutual look of uncertainty, became a mutual look of confusion, and then shame. Simultaneously, the two severed their gaze. John planted himself back on the bed, letting his spine relax once more. There was a lot of emotion to sort out before Derek stepped out of the shower.
This is chapter 17 of the REDUX project. It was uploaded on December 22, 2021. Thank you for reading.
