Again Great Apologies for the long wait, with updating other stories, starting an old story again, getting into new fandoms and ships and real life and work, writer's block and my own general lazy arse, it tends to slow me down … a lot. Hope you enjoy an extra-long chapter to make up for it!

Warning this chapter is very, VERY long. 27,013 words

Terminator

Bond of Steel and Bone

Chapter 29

Interrogation. Teams meet at last. Halloween Party Nightmare.

Well, who knew the night was going to take such an interesting turn? Not only was it Stark's first night fighting for the good guys but he'd also caught himself a prize.

'I'd have to give the guy a bonus, if I were actually paying the guy.' John thought to himself as he and Cameron pulled up in the jeep to the abandoned apartments. 'I never seem to get away from this place.' He mentally commented. As soon as Stark had told him of the situation he and Cameron had set off to meet him, though Cameron took a little longer to follow him.

"We'll need a few things." She had said at the time and marched off into the shed while he awaited her in the jeep.

"So, what're your thoughts?" John asked as they ascended the stairs.

"I'm not sure why someone would try and terminate Derek Reese." She paused for a moment before adding. "Unless they know something we don't."

"At this rate, we don't know much of anything, so it wouldn't surprise me." John said through panted breath, damn there were a lot of stairs, he turned his gaze forward as they continued to ascend the steps. "I just thought, if we'd put off reprograming Stark like we had initially planned," John paused for a moment to release a deep breath and to wet his dry mouth. "He'd be dead right now."

"Or captured and being tortured for information." Cameron added, receiving an annoyed look from John, "Sorry." She apologised, pouting at John a little which made him smile.

"It's okay, let's just find out what this bastard was up to." John said with anger edging into his voice.

Finally they reached the top floor, John was panting hard by time they got there, they walked to the door Stark had told them to meet him in and opened the door, Cameron stepped inside first and scanned the room.

"It's us." She announced.

"Bathroom." They heard Stark say.

Cameron marched forward with John in toe to the bathroom where they found Stark standing over the would-be assassin whom was tied to a chair and with tape over his mouth.

"I know him." Cameron announced, John looked to her expectantly. "His name is Craig Fitzgerald, he's a Grey, a traitor."

John turned his attention to Fitzgerald and glared at him before looking to Stark. "Rip the tape off." He ordered, Stark leaned down, grabbed a corner of the tape between his thumb and index finger and tore the whole strip off creating the usual "tearing" sound as the tape was pulled from the skin and cause Craig to cry out in pain.

"Bastard." Fitzgerald grumbled and glared at the Triple-Eight before turning his attention to John. "Well if it isn't the bastard General himself, I thought you'd be taller." He taunted and gave John a smug smile.

Enraged, John stormed up to Fitzgerald only to be over taken by Cameron whom punched Fitzgerald in the side of the jaw with enough force to knock out several teeth, John paused in astonishment and looked at Cameron whose eyes were glowing red and glaring intensely at Fitzgerald.

"You should be careful with what you say." Cameron suggested in perfect monotone, not even trying to hide the threat in her tone, which only made her expression all the more threatening.

Fitzgerald cried out in pain and spat two bloody teeth from his mouth before spitting in Cameron's face. "Fuck you." He snarled.

Cameron said nothing else as she stood up straight. "You will answer John's questions."

Fitzgerald snickered cruelly, ""John", are you on first name basis with your stolen property Connor?"

John felt like punching the guy himself, but he knew he'd have to put the urge away, for the time being. "I'm the one asking the questions here." He said trying to make himself sound as strong and as intimidating as possible.

"I'm not answering anything." Fitzgerald smirked as blood dribbled from his mouth to his chin.

"Why were you after Derek Reese?" John demanded to know, Fitzgerald paused for a moment before motioning John closer; cautiously he did so only for Fitzgerald to spit blood on John's face.

"I'm not tellin' …" Fitzgerald was cut off as Cameron punched him once more across the face breaking more teeth and damaging the man's jaw and cheek bone. "AAHHH, FUUUUCK … you fuckin' bitch!"

John wiped the blood of his face disgustedly and glared at Fitzgerald. "Answer me, NOW! Why were you after Derek Reese?" John demanded angrily.

"Go to hell Connor! I ain't telling you SHIT!" Fitzgerald retorted heatedly.

John clenched his fist tightly and stepped up to Fitzgerald only to be stopped as Cameron put her arm out, John turned to look at her and glared about to demand why she stopped him, but he paused when he saw the look on her face, to most it was her usual expressionless "Terminator mask" but he swore he could see something in her eyes, the way he right eye twitched ever so slightly the ever so faint red glow within her pupils.

"John." Cameron began monotonously. "Why don't you step out for a few minutes to calm down, while I have a talk with Craig Fitzgerald, get him to be more cooperative."

John was about to ask what her intentions were before he saw Fitzgerald pale slightly at her words, he knew he wouldn't like it, this talk she was going to have with the traitor, but right now he didn't care.

"There's a 24 hour store across the road, Stark could get you a drink." Cameron continued, her eyes never moving from Fitzgerald's, her tone never changing.

"Sure, sure." John said as his nerves calmed slightly then looked to the smartly dressed Triple Eight. "Could you get me and Cameron a coke or something?"

Stark looked from John to Cameron, then back to John and pulled a wallet from his pocket, Fitzgerald's wallet. "Yes." He said before marching out of the room.

"You might want to either hide the gun or leave it here." John told him, before he got too far. The Triple-Eight hid the weapon in his pants and covered it with his jacket before continuing on.

"You best go John, I'll talk with Fitzgerald." Cameron instructed calmly.

John nodded wordlessly and walked out of the room. "I'll, ugh, just be down the hall." He called to her over his shoulder, Cameron turned to him and smiled caringly at him, the change in her demeanour was so instant that only she could have pulled it off, John smiled back and left the room.

"And now it's just you and me." Fitzgerald said smugly to Cameron whom turned to look at him expressionlessly. "You won't get anything out of me, I'm not weak like Resistance soldiers, like Reese."

Cameron said nothing, she could hear John's footsteps getting further and further away.

'Good, he wouldn't like this.' She thought. "That's fine." She said out loud and walked to her black bag.

"There's no point in trying anything." Fitzgerald said heatedly as he watched her search through the bag.

"I disagree." Cameron replied and reached into the bag and pulled out a hammer.

Fitzgerald paled as he saw the tool in her hand. "I won't break, you can't make me." He said as fear began to course through him. "There's no point, you're wasting your time."

"Perhaps." She said as she walked up to him and stared at him coldly in the eyes before turning her attention to the hammer. "We aren't built to be cruel." She said mirroring the words she had once told John on the way back from Mexico. "But we can learn." She raised the hammer to chest height and brought it down on Fitzgerald's knee.

From the end room John just barely heard Fitzgerald's scream and jumped in shock, he knew what Cameron was doing more or less, but he didn't want to think about the details. Part of him hated that he needed Cameron to do such a thing when he couldn't, how was he supposed to become the Great John Connor, if he couldn't interrogate people like his mother could, or do the things that Cameron could and was.

"Some leader I'm turning out to be." He murmured to himself dejectedly. How could he lead an army when he himself couldn't take charge of a situation and instead of remaining cool and collected like a leader should, acts out angrily like a hormonal teenager, though to his defence he was a hormonal teenager? He heard Fitzgerald cry out again and winced. 'Get over it John, the bastard deserves it.'

John exhaled quietly through his mouth and looked to the ceiling, "I need the bathroom." He thought out loud, "Hope the one in here works." He wondered and moved towards the bathroom. Walking into the bathroom he immediately covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve, it seemed someone, mostly likely someone homeless had the same idea as him; the stench was awful! Pushing down the urge to be sick John walked further into the bathroom and unzipped his fly.

'I may have to get used to such smells.' He thought disgustedly. He didn't imagine there being many showers of indoor plumbing in the future, so he guessed the foul stench of body odour and "mess" would become natural as time went on, so they'd just get used to it after so many months.

Finishing up John tried to flush, but of course nothing happened, mentally groaning he rushed out the bathroom and slammed the door shut before gasping for air. With his head clear and the smell dulled greatly John's thought went back to Cameron, more so when he heard Fitzgerald cry out again. He realised in her own way, what she was doing was an act of affection, to save him from witnessing or performing such a deed on a person, or at least trying to delay what was most likely the inevitable.

'Love is so confusing.' He thought as he sat down on the decrepit bed.

"AAARRRGGHHH!" Fitzgerald cried out as tears dripped down his face. "YOU FUCKING BITCH!" he cried out as Cameron stepped back and looked at the Fitzgerald's smashed knee.

"Are you willing to comply?" she asked.

"NO!" Fitzgerald roared, "FUCK YOU!" he yelled.

Cameron knew she could have replied with something witty, but she preferred to reserve her growing personality for John, so for Fitzgerald she simply stared into his eyes with coldly before going back to her bag, put the bloodied hammer away and removed a simple manually operated drill, she turned her attention back to Fitzgerald, placed her other hand on the crank and spun it causing the drill bit on the end to spin.

"You get nothing out of this." Fitzgerald said panicking, "You'll get nothing out of me!"

"I disagree." Cameron said once more and walked slowly up to him. "You'll break, all humans do, or you'll die from shock or blood loss which means one less traitor to the Resistance, this is a win-win situation for John."

Fitzgerald grimaced. "You'll turn against him eventually, all Triple-Eights revert to their originally programming eventually." He said out of spite.

Cameron's lips twitched into an almost-smirk. "That is no longer possible." She said a hint of smugness in her tone. Fitzgerald didn't know what she meant: no longer possible? How? "Will you cooperate?" she asked again.

"You won't break me." He said with finality and stared her in the eye.

"Yes," she said as she placed the drill against his knee and ever so gently dragged it along his thigh then pressed it up against his crotch, Fitzgerald paled considerably shaking his head vigorously. "You will." The drill bit rested just above his crotch pointing down.

"You, you, you wouldn't." Fitzgerald gulped, his eyes pleading for mercy.

"Will you cooperate?" she asked once more.

Fitzgerald weighed his options before answering. "I'm dead anyway." He smirked. "Fuck you and fuck Con…"

Cameron didn't let him finish as she rapidly spun the crank on the drill.

"Daddy! Daddy!" came the voice of a child calling for him.

"Oh no, dear what's happened?" Daddy came running out to look of the house to find a little girl, no older than 8 with long soft brown hair, the most beautiful brown eyes wearing a little blue dress: his poor little girl, limping towards him, some blood running down her leg, he gasped in horror, "Oh my god, pumpkin, come here, it's okay, come to daddy." He picked up his little girl and rushed into the house.

"What happened, what's going on?" his wife called out, confused and panicking.

"Annie fell over I think, I'll get her cleaned up." He called to his wife and rushed up the stairs to the bathroom.

"Will I be okay daddy?" the little girl whimpered.

"You will be princess, don't worry." He said soothingly as they entered the bathroom. Daddy sat her little girl on the side of the bath then reached up on top of the cabinet for the medical kit they kept, pulling it down he looked at his daughter's leg once more, it looked back, he didn't know what had happened but it was rather bloody. "Okay, just brace yourself this'll hurt okay?" he said caringly as he dabbed some alcohol onto a rag.

"Okay." The little girl whimpered and grit her teeth as her daddy put the rag on her wound, it was very painful, but daddy would make it all better. Within minutes and some more pain the wound was cleaned.

"How's it feel pumpkin?" he asked

"It hurts to move my leg." She whimpered. "I think I might have broken something."

"Is she alright?" Mommy asked from the door way into the bathroom as she nursed her baby boy.

"She'll be okay." Daddy smiled to Mommy, "She thinks a bone might be out of place." He then reached into the medical kit for another item.

Mommy smiled to Daddy then looked to her little girl. "Don't worry, Daddy will check and make you all better."

"Mommy's right, I'll make it all better, now baby, pumpkin, this might hurt a little bit more so I need you to be a big, strong, brave girl okay?" He asked his daughter.

"Okay daddy." She replied and who smiled at him.

Daddy nodded then pushed the blade of a surgical knife into his daughter's wound and began cut it open, his little girl whimpering above him.

"Don't worry princess, it won't last long." Mommy said encouragingly.

Daddy cut open his little girl's wound and stuck his finger, he felt something out of place near her knee then nodded to himself, made a quick horizontal cut along his daughter's leg, pulled open her flesh making his little girl sob.

"It's okay Annie, not long now." He said comfortingly and pushed the joint back into place. "Okay, how is it now?" he asked and watched as his daughter's leg moved perfectly.

"All better now daddy." His girl said sweetly all the pain forgotten.

Daddy looked up to his daughter's face and smiled as his eyes gazed into her beautiful glowing red eyes, he laughed and looked to his wife he smiled at him with her a damaged face revealing glimpses of reflective alloy. "She'll be okay." He said softly not noticing the changes in his family.

"I'm sorry daddy." His little girl said to him apologetically.

Daddy looked back to his little metallic angel who grinned at him with a skinless face.

"Just be careful out there okay?" he chastised softly before wrapping his arms around his daughter's shiny skeletal body. "I want you to be safe okay?"

"Okay daddy." His daughter said as she broke away, jumped up and ran past him.

Daddy stood up and smiled to his skeletal wife who nursed a tiny metal skeleton in her arms, he walked over to her, kissed her forehead and wrapped an arm over her shoulders.

"She gets it from you, you know?" he commented jokingly.

"Most likely." Mommy replied, when suddenly the tiny endoskeleton leaned back in his mother's arm, opened his mouth and released a loud belch causing both parents to stare at the little one in wonder. "He gets that from you." Mommy said jokingly.

"Most likely Cam, most likely." John Connor smiled as he gently stroked his son's metallic skull.

"I love you John." Cameron said as she turned her glowing red eyes to her husband. "I love you John." She repeated.

"John."

"John!"

"John Connor!"

"John Connor, wake up!"

John gasped loudly and sat up, the dream rushing through his mind a thousand miles an hour.

"Oh god my head." He grimaced.

"Cameron requested you return." Stark spoke up gaining John's attention.

"Cameron?" he wondered before his memory of recent events kicked back in. "Oh, she's done, good." John got off the bed he'd been laying on and followed Stark out of the room, "ugh, how long was I asleep?" he asked

"I returned twenty-point-six minutes ago, found you asleep on the bed, informed Cameron that you were asleep, and was told to let you slumber as she was not yet finished with the captive." Stark replied monotonously just as they arrived back into the room where Cameron stood with her back to them blocking John's sight of Fitzgerald.

"Cam?" he asked.

Cameron turned around and smiled at John. "He's ready for you John." She said pleasantly.

John gasped as he saw Fitzgerald, his knee shattered, a pool of blood forming under his chair spilling from between his legs, which made John wince.

"What the fuck do you want Connor?" Fitzgerald hissed through his pain.

John put his feelings aside and forced himself into the role of "The General".

"Why were you after Derek Reese?" John demanded with a gruff voice as Cameron placed a hand on Fitzgerald's neck.

Fitzgerald groaned slowly then lifted his head to look at John. "He and some woman caught a friend of mine, well she caught him, and they both interrogated him, after that Reese shot him, I wanted some payback."

John looked to Cameron waiting for her to clarify his statement, she nodded.

"How'd you find them?" John asked.

"I got lucky and saw the woman get into her car, and I followed her." Fitzgerald explained.

John glanced to Cameron and received another nod.

"Alright, how many more Greys are there?" John demanded to know as he looked back to Fitzgerald.

"I don't know." Fitzgerald groaned only to cry out in pain and Cameron squeezed his shoulder.

"He's lying." Cameron stated coldly.

John groaned with frustration. "Just tell me, and it'll hurt a lot less."

"What the point, you're going to kill me anyway." Fitzgerald retorted.

John froze immediately, he hadn't thought about afterwards, they couldn't let him go he was far too dangerous, he could track them and get others, he felt ill with the realisation that, yes they would have to kill him.

"We'll see, depending on my mood and if what you tell us is any good." John replied, his words coming from his mouth before he'd fully though them through.

"Right." Fitzgerald snickered. "You wouldn't risk me staying alive." He glanced to Stark then to Cameron. "You'll just get one of your stolen toys to do it for you."

John couldn't answer, he didn't know what to say, could he live knowing he would be the reason for the death of another human being. 'It's Sarkissian all over again.' He thought glumly.

Cameron meanwhile noticed John's dismay then looked down to Fitzgerald and squeezed his shoulder again. "The difference will be whether or not your termination is painless." She told him, a hint of anger in her tone, Fitzgerald groaned angrily as Cameron continued to squeeze his shoulder, "Your choice." She said.

"Alright, fine." He said, defeated. "As far as I know, there's three more of us, though it's most likely just one other now; Conroy." He explained

"What happened to the other two?" John asked.

"We don't know," he looked to Cameron immediately, "Honest! We don't know!" he looked back to John, "They were following a lead or something and never heard from again."

"He's telling the truth." Cameron stated.

John put that train of thought elsewhere from the moment. "And where's Conroy, what should he be doing now; a specific job?" John asked.

"Other than our boss, who's dead thanks to Reese and his bitch, we were just here to give young Skynet a helping hand, that's all, information on how to build Triple-Eights earlier." Craig told him.

"If Skynet is able to produce Triple Eights during the early stages of the war, it would be devastating to the Resistance." Cameron stated.

John had to agree, the Triple Eight was a powerful Machine and a great infiltrator, especially when compared to the T-800, but not so compared to the new Terminator … that gave John a sudden thought.

"Do you know anything about a new model Terminator?" he asked, Craig looked at John confused, "A female Terminator … not her." He stated as Craig had slowly turned to look at Cameron. "Something different from the Triple Eight, more armoured, stronger."

"No, I haven't heard of it." Fitzgerald admitted while being curious about the new Machine.

John lowered his head for a moment and decided to get back to Conroy. "Should your friend be doing anything else?" he asked.

"Just what I said." Craig stated moments before his shoulder was squeezed. "AAAHHH OKAY, OKAY! He … he found another team of us, he didn't tell me anything else I swear!"

John glanced to Cameron, "True." She simply stated.

"Do you know where Skynet is located?" John asked.

"Even if I did, I'd rather die than tell you." Craig told him angrily.

"Why did you betray your own kind to fight for something that's trying to kill us?" John asked him, while glaring at the man.

"Because the living conditions are better, the food is better and there's actual chance of survival." Craig answered.

John couldn't believe what he was hearing then looked to Cameron. "Is that true?"

"Skynet created a more desirable environment for its human workers, this includes clean beds and food." Cameron answered.

John glared at Craig with a whole new level of hate. "You bastard, you'd betray your own for a comfier life."

"I did what I had to, to survive Connor, living in shit and eating mangled coyote doesn't really appeal to me."

John punched the man hard in the nose causing Craig's head to snap back.

"YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" John roared, "I swear to god, if we fail to stop Skynet now, in the future if I see your and your friends' traitorous asses again, I will kill you, I will see to it, personally." John said as he spat the final word out.

"You'll never win Connor, Skynet is smarter than you, its machines are tougher than humans, winning is impossible, you may as well surrender already." Craig said smugly as blood came out from his nose.

John stood up and looked immediately to Stark. "Did he have a wallet?"

"Affirmative." The reprogrammed Triple-Eight replied.

"Good, give it to Cameron, Cam we're leaving." He ordered. "Stark follow us in five minutes."

"What of Fitzgerald?" The Machine asked.

Rage still flowed through John's mind, the thought of what this bastard had done just to make himself comfy, it sickened him. "Kill him," He commanded, "and make it hurt, a lot, then get rid of him." John knew this wouldn't likely be the last execution he ordered, and knew later he might be sickened by it, but fuck it, he wanted this bastard to regret every decision he'd ever made. John stormed out of the room followed by Cameron whom now had Fitzgerald's wallet.

On the way back down to the jeep Cameron knew John was upset, knew he was angry, she had to choose her words carefully and pick the right time to speak to him due to his volatile mood. They had just past the third floor when Cameron began to speak.

"You did well John." She began, thinking it best to start with a compliment.

"No I didn't." John grumbled in reply, annoyed with himself. "He knew what he was doing, pushing my buttons and he got me, I'm no general I'm just a kid."

Cameron shook her head. "I disagree, you held a firm tone of voice, you asked the right questions, and effectively extracted information from him, yes you lost your temper but that isn't a problem, even Future John loses his temper which to some is even more intimidating, then when he had nothing left to offer, you had him disposed of, your progressing perfectly." She smiled at him as she finished

"You were the one who softened him up for me." He said in a defeated tone as he looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"I didn't want you to witness it, not yet." She said in a soft caring tone. "Future John has done it before many times and in time you will too, I however would prefer to keep you from doing so as long as possible."

"I love you." He whispered with a sad smile.

"I love you too." She whispered in reply and took her hand into his. "We must get you home quickly, it's late and you need your rest." She informed him as they descended onto the ground floor.

"Yeah." John yawned, "I'm really tired, my little nap didn't help that much."

"I'll make sure Sarah lets you sleep in, you've earned it." Cameron commented as she got into the driver's seat of the jeep and John into the passenger side. "You can sleep now if you wish, and I'll take you to bed." She offered.

"Sounds good thank you, if you hear from Stark let me know in the morning." He said sleepily and yawned before leaning back in his seat and closed his eyes.

Last night had been good, Flores thought to herself, Derek had come over they'd talked about getting rid of the metal, talked about plans with Riley and then had a sweet hot and sweaty romp in bed, what could've been better?

Derek had told her John was ill with a fever which meant he'd be at his home all day which meant the metal would be there too she needed Riley to try and get in between them, the Machine could prove a problem, but if it were necessary she knew Riley would find a way to sneak in, or John would help her and/or order the Machine to let her in.

'Better get that started.' She thought to herself before looking at the clock: Thursday 30th October 6:45am. "Best wait an hour or two." She said to herself before getting herself ready for her daily routine starting with her jog. She got dressed in her jogging pants and grabbed her cold bottle of water from her fridge and left her room. She turned her eyes right then left as she carefully checked her surroundings, she glanced over her shoulder and saw a car pulling out of its parked position, she turned her gaze back to her right then started to jog down the street.

As she jogged she barely took note of the people she passed, all these people blissfully unaware of the horror that awaited them in a few years to come, their entire world turned upside down as cities were reduced to ruin and ash, it was a thought that had crossed her mind numerous times in the past every time she simply observed people. Derek had mentioned the Connors were trying to stop Judgement Day but so far hadn't been having much luck until recently with the addition of Danny Dyson. Maybe they could do it, but Jesse had her doubt, a small team of people searching near blind for something could be hidden in a guy's basement right now or hidden in secret in a heavily guarded military base, getting to it would be near impossible, in her opinion the best thing to do was to make sure the resistance, namely John was ready for what was to come, and to make sure he would be at his best was to ensure that the fucking metal bitch was destroyed, or dismissed, preferably by John's hand.

With Derek in mind she made a note to contact him, hopefully he could slip away from Sarah Connor and meet with her to talk. Actually, she realised, she could have Derek let Riley into the Connor residence. She paused from her jog, having been moving none stop for fifteen minutes straight she looked back and found herself near the park where Derek would take her sometimes, she checked her watch; 7:11am.

It was then Jesse's instincts kicked in, she spun around her eyes tracking the environment around her looking for something out of place, something that shouldn't be there, she couldn't see anything, which was a major problem. Whether or not she was being paranoid she didn't care and sprinted as quickly as she could back to her hotel room. Back in her room she ran to her bed side table, opened the draw and pulled out her Ruger pistol then she moved quietly to the window, pulled back the curtain a little and tried to find anyone or anything that shouldn't have been there; again nothing.

Jesse released a slow calming breath. "Calm it lass, you're getting paranoid." She told herself trying to calm her nerves. "Not that that's a bad thing." She mumbled quietly under her breath.

She was completely unaware of the unblinking eyes that were still staring at her from afar.

A.T had finished her research on the Cyber-Core convention and of the School hosting the Halloween Party, in her CPU now she had information on the exits/entrances, fire escapes, security areas and even where the buildings got their power, Halloween night, James Anthony Shepard would die, all she had to do was pick out the right costume; she'd do that today, she'd pick the tools and think over her strategy. She unplugged the laptop from her head, patted down the flesh and got up from her seat, she stepped into the doorway to her room and saw the still unconscious Susan Ann Jones, a drip beside her feeding the woman's body painkillers, thankfully the woman's wounds were healing and the medical treatment A.T had given her.

"Don't make me regret my decision." A.T said to the unconscious woman, by her calculations Susan would be unconscious for another two days and would most likely be incapable of comfortable movement for another six days. "Plenty of time to get my job done." She thought out loud.

"Your job is making my job a lot harder." Sofia groaned as she sat up on the couch, her hair messy with "bed-head". "You're making the chief very paranoid and actually very scared."

A.T couldn't help but smirk and glanced over at Sofia. "I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not."

Sofia groaned and stood up slowly then stretched, "You're making us cops look bad, we know you've infiltrated the police at least once and that's making security step up and become tighter, which wasn't really that lax in the first place."

"As is a post-911 world." A.T shrugged and walked towards the door. "I'm going out, lock up when you go."

Sofia groaned and rolled her eyes as A.T closed the door behind her, then got ready for her day of work. She knew that A.T, the Machine assassin, had one or two more people to kill some James Shepard and the other Susan Jones, she might even have to kill the Susan Jones in the bedroom if the young woman didn't cooperate, might even have to kill her and/or Rebecca, when she got home, if she didn't do as the Machine asked, she didn't want to think about that possibility.

Sofia walked into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror, bed ragged hair, pyjamas thrown haphazardly on with three buttons on her top undone revealing the top of her breasts.

"You're an awful person." She said to her reflection, and she acknowledged she was, she was holding her tongue to the police, her co-workers, about the location of a serial killer, regardless said "serial killer" was a hyper advanced robot from the future, and was allowing to keep her silence as long as she and her wife were spared, speaking of said wife, Sofia realised she was all but cheating on her, just to make her stay as a captive more pleasant, she wouldn't call it being raped, well perhaps at first but not now, A.T was a fantastic lover, the Machine knew just where to touch her, just how to kiss her, fondle her, caress her, knew how to fuck her just the way she liked. Sofia felt disgusted to admit that A.T was better than Rebecca the revelation made her sick to her stomach. "You're a backstabbing whore Sofia, live with it." She said glumly to her reflection before undressing and stepping into the shower.

Shower finished she stepped out and walked into the bedroom in which Susan Jones still laid unconscious, Sofia gave the woman a passing glance and frowned. "When will you wake up and realise how much shit you're in?" Sofia wondered then pulled her uniform from the bedroom closet.

When dressed she left the apartment, locking the door as instructed, went downstairs and got into her car and drove to the precinct. During her journey she looked at the buildings, the people going about their daily activities, people walking dogs, people in suits running down the streets, all the life that would be extinguished in a few short years.

'Would she stop it if she could?' She wondered, referring to A.T. She wasn't sure, if the Artificial Intelligent cyborg found her younger self, would she destroy it and allow humans to live, or simply replace it and ensure humanities downfall? Would she and Rebecca still be okay if the latter were to happen?

Within the hour she pulled up inside the police precinct garage and saw Dennis waiting for her.

"Hey Dennis." She greeted as she parked up and got out, she noticed Dennis tense expression. "What's up?"

"Chief is going crazy, paparazzi are hounding him like there's no tomorrow wanting to know what's going on with the murders and the police massacre, and it's making him more stressed." Dennis told her. "Like fucking 1983 all over again." He grumbled.

'Sarah Connor.' Sofia thought to herself. "So what's that got to do with us?" she dared to ask.

"Chief wants answers and no one's got any, with Susan Elizabeth and Susan Ann missing it's making us all look incompetent and making the chief mad, and you know how he is, that guy's got a short fuse anyway."

"So he's expecting us to try and find clues like we're detectives right?" she complained.

"Got it in one." Dennis replied.

Sofia rolled her eyes then banged her head on her car repeatedly in frustration before looking back to Dennis. "So what're we expected to do now?"

"The chief has got you, me, Johnson and Levi to go to where ambush team were located and try and find something, or at least lend a hand." Dennis informed her.

Sofia felt her heart beat quicken and a cold sweat form on her forehead. "Hope we can help." She said, trying to keep her tone even.

"Levi and Johnson are gunna meet us there, get signed in and let's go." He said and let Sofia walk off into the station.

Sofia was panicking silently, what if there was something that lead them to A.T what if in finding her location they saw her own belongings, she'd become a fugitive and worse if A.T thought it was her fault, A.T would kill her, kill Susan and Rebecca.

'I hope to God we don't find anything.' She internally prayed.

So far Dyna-Core seemed to be plain old computer company, then again, they'd only been here two hours and were simply being set through their paces, given the right information about their job, simple cleaning information restricted areas and where their lockers and supply closets were.

"Alright you think you got all that?" the Martin Hues, the senior cleaner, had asked. "I'll stay with you to make sure you got everything, then I've got to go."

The old man had shown Luna and Tony how to work with the mop and bucket, his preferred technique on how to wash the floors and when they were allowed to go on break, then he'd walked off to work on his specified area.

"My god I thought he'd never leave." Luna grumbled. "What a fucking pervert." She growled, as Martin had taken the occasional glance at her breasts and ass and he hadn't been all that ashamed of being caught. "I'm an old man, can't I look and appreciate a nice body?" she said as she impersonated his voice. "Fucking, dirty bastard." She spat on the ground, only to have Tony wipe that part of the floor, to which Luna gave him a "seriously" look.

"We're cleaners, we have to clean." The T-800 defended with a shrug.

"Let's just clean and look around, okay?" she whispered, and started to clean the floor, an act for the cameras.

"Affirmative, security will be light in our current area." Tony said as he copied her action.

"Meaning there won't be much of anything here." Luna said quietly,

The duo cleaned the floor moving into other rooms trying to locate anything important or possibly Skynet related, so far all they'd found were small meeting rooms for lower paid staff, various supply closets and a few lunch rooms, it wasn't till over two hours later they would find themselves on the higher floors in the building, areas with computers.

"Do you think all the computers in the building will have shared information?" Luna asked Tony as they took a short break.

"The main possibility is floor by floor access." The Cyborg answered

"So someone down below won't be able to access information from someone up top." Luna summed up, then glanced to the ceiling. "We'll scout out the area today, see if there's a way to gain access to something above our pay grade."

"We should continue on with our plan, see if we locate anything of interest." Tony suggested.

"Acknowledged." She confirmed and got back to work.

Sarah Connor awoke late that morning at 8am, her sleep thankfully had been dreamless which was just how she liked it, for once she felt refreshed.

'Today might be okay.' She thought before sitting up, she and Derek had another appointment with Dyna-Core today, hopefully with what John had told them they'd be able to further pull off their act.

Sarah got up from her bed and took a clean set of clothes from her closet then walked out of her room towards the bathroom, pausing as she looks at John's door. She wasn't as stupid as John thought she was, she knew, true John had upgraded Cameron with longer and stronger limbs and who knows what else, but she knew they'd had sex, she noticed how his eyes seem the be a bit more alive, how his movements seemed so much lighter; she knew she should be disgusted but in truth Cameron was doing John some good, a lot of good actually, it seemed a lot of pressure had been lifted from his shoulders, it seemed with Cameron he was happy, finally really happy.

'Damn it Sarah, get a grip, your turning into a girly girl.' She couldn't help but laugh at that thought.

She walked over to John's room and carefully opened it finding Cameron sat at the foot of John's bed simply watching him.

"How is he?" Sarah asked.

"He's getting better, the fever is going down and he's getting plenty of rest." Cameron replied without turning away.

Sarah nodded slightly but kept her gaze on the cyborg girl, "You love him, right?"

Finally Cameron turned to look at Sarah. "Yes, I love him, with all my being." She replied. "I know you don't approve of us, but we are in love."

"I don't," Sarah paused trying to gather herself. "I don't doubt you both love each other, as strange as it is." Her words seemed to have surprised Cameron as the cyborg girl tilted her head a little and her eyes opened a little wider. "I'm not saying what this is doesn't disgust me, but it's real and it works. Keep up the good work." Sarah said not unkindly.

"Thank you, Sarah." Cameron replied in a somewhat warmer tone than normal.

Sarah turned to leave but stopped and looked back to Cameron. "I do know you know?" she said

"You know what?" Cameron asked.

"That you two, you know." Sarah replied.

"We two, what?" Cameron asked naively.

"That you two are …" she looked down the stairway then looked back to Cameron, "having sex." She whispered.

"We're not hav…" Cameron tried to say.

"Look, I'm not stupid, I know okay? I see how John is I know my son, and sure he was happier when you two started this, but then I've seen him different, happier than that, refreshed. I know you two are having sex, and it's okay, alright? Just tell me if he'll catch anything."

"I am unable to catch any disease, John will not be able to catch anything either, and no before you ask I cannot get pregnant." Cameron informed the older woman.

Sarah nodded. "Okay, okay, thank you for telling me."

"You're welcome." Cameron replied and watched Sarah leave before turning her attention back to John.

Sarah showered, brushed her teeth and put on her clean clothes before dumping her dirty washing in her clothes hamper and made her way downstairs where she found Danny Dyson making breakfast at the stove.

"What time do you get up?" Sarah asked with surprise.

Danny just chuckled and looked at Sarah with a one sided smile. "I sometimes have a hard time sleeping so I cook instead, I more of less just got up." He explained.

Sarah nodded wordlessly then made her way to the table. "You making everyone breakfast?" she asked.

"I can." He replied without looking back.

"Would you?" Sarah asked, 'Please!' she mentally pleaded.

"Sure, no problem." Danny accepted happily. "I'll give you this when it's done then start on everyone else's."

"I'm really not regretting keeping you here." Sarah jested.

"I'm glad my culinary skills are in need." He joked back.

Sarah really liked Danny, she could imagine the young man's father being the same before his family had encountered her's and their nightmare.

"How're Susan doing? I haven't spoken to her much." Sarah began

"Well she's terrified, I've found waking up from nightmares at night." He told her from over his shoulder. Sarah could imagine. "But she says she feels secure here, said at least you guys know what you're dealing with, and says that thing just killed several cops singlehandedly."

"Back in 1983 a single T-800 wiped out an entire police station with moderately armed police officers, The Triple-Eight is tougher than an 800 and this thing as we've seen can overpower a Triple-Eight, so thinking it could do so much damage isn't that hard to imagine."

"Think we can beat this Terminatrix?" Danny asked.

"We'll find a way, we've beaten tougher before, we can beat this one." Sarah said with determination.

Breakfast came around and one by one people rose from their slumber, Derek followed Sarah, whom was followed by Cameron bringing John some breakfast whom was eventually followed by Susan Jones.

Derek was halfway through his breakfast when he felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket, knowing who it was he pulled out his phone discreetly and saw he'd received a text.

Derek, Riley be over within twenty minutes, make sure she gets in and see's Connor.

'Shit.' Derek thought with a groan, and he was just thinking he was going to have a good day.

He'd have to make sure he was the one to answer the door, he didn't know that Riley knew about John and Cameron being together, if he did his life would've been so much easier, but again he didn't know and thus didn't know what expect.

Fine, I'll make sure she gets in. He texted back.

"Derek!" Sarah called to him from the stairs. "We need to get ourselves ready for our meeting with Dyna-Core." She told him before walking upstairs.

"Right, I'll just get showered and shaved." He called out. 'Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!' he thought.

Derek rushed upstairs and quickly showered and was half way through his shave when he heard someone knock on the door.

"I'LL GET IT!" Danny yelled out.

"Oh … fuck!" Derek grunted and rushed out of the bathroom, nearly knocking over Susan Jones and rushed down the stairs to see Danny greeting the blonde haired girl.

"Hi is John in?" Riley asked, as Derek made his way over quickly.

"Yeah he's just upstairs." Derek said over Danny's shoulder causing the younger man to jump away in shock. "Come on in, I guess."

"Thanks." Riley smiled to Derek and stepped in then noticed Sarah in the kitchen washing dishes. "Um, hi Ms Baum." Riley waved awkwardly in greeting.

"Hi Riley, John's upstairs." Sarah replied tensely, and watched the girl walk towards the stairs then glared at Derek, to which the man in question sighed, shrugged, and then slumped off back to the bathroom to finish shaving.

Later, Sarah and Derek were dressed in fancy suit ware and were looking at the others, minus John.

"Have you looked over the information John put together for you?" Cameron asked.

"Yeah we made sure to memorise it." Sarah informed the cyborg.

"I hope they don't throw us a curve ball and ask us something we can't answer." Derek grumbled as he pulled on his suit collar.

"If it comes to it just use your initiative." Cameron stated monotonously.

"She's right." Sarah stated. "We'll wing it." She smirked, then looked at Cameron. "Keep your eye on her."

"She'll never leave my sight." Cameron replied, her hand twitching a little which caught Sarah's attention.

"Good, see you all later, wish us luck." Sarah said before she grabbed Derek and left the house, slamming the door on the way out.

"Sarah you can let go of me now." Derek called out as she still all but dragged him to the jeep.

Sarah stopped and spun on Derek. "What is she doing here Derek?" she growled.

"I don't know, but listen, she doesn't know about John and Cameron, we can't let her know or things will seem a bit weird, right?" Derek said trying to defend what he'd done.

"Or we tell her he's too sick to see anyone." Sarah shot back.

"Alright, so I panicked, sorry can we discuss this after we get back?" he pleaded.

"Fine, alright, but you aren't off the hook yet." She glared at him before walking to the jeep with Derek groaning and following in tow.

John awoke from his restful slumber to find Cameron in her arms, naked.

"Hey." He greeted kindly and kissed the tip of her nose making her go cross-eyed before she looked back into his eyes.

"Good morning." Cameron greeted with a smile, John loved her smile

'I love that smile.' He thought, moments before the events of last night/earlier that day came flooding through his mind. "Stark report anything?" he asked.

Cameron's smile vanished immediately. "Affirmative, he followed Jesse Flores' movements as she ventured out for a morning jog which took approximately twenty minutes, then seemed to sprint back, there's a possibility she became aware she was being followed, experienced Resistance soldiers would somehow gain this trait."

John took in the information she'd given and thought it over. "Sounds like extreme paranoia, but I can't say I'm surprised, anything else?"

"Negative, she hasn't left her room since ten past seven this morning, just over an hour ago." Cameron replied.

John nodded to the information, at least Stark was able to keep tabs on their enemy. "Maybe we should tell Stark to try and be more discreet, then when Jesse leaves to try and sneak his way inside her place."

"I'll let him know." Cameron stated and moved to get up only for John to wrap his arm around her.

"Not just yet." He said tiredly, "stay with me a bit longer." He requested.

Cameron didn't put up a fight nor argument and laid back down and snuggled back up to John, she then debated whether or not to let John know that Sarah figured out they were having sex, she knew she had to.

"John." She called to him quietly, gaining an "hmm?" in reply. "Your mother knows we're having sex."

"Hmm." He replied, a moment past. "What!?" John yelped and sat up.

Cameron sat up beside him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Sarah figured out we were intimate, I do not know how."

"Oh we're boned!" John could just see his mother charging in with an axe to cut off his … he quickly looked under the covers just to check, "It's still there." He found.

"She was happy for us, or rather happy for you." Cameron commented, ignoring John's strange behaviour.

"Really?" to say he was surprised was an understatement.

"Yes, she said you seemed refreshed, I did not understand." Cameron admitted.

John chuckled at his girlfriend's naivety and kissed her cheek. "Since we've been together Cameron, I have felt better, a lot better, like finally something in my life is right and makes sense, do you know what I mean?"

"I understand." Cameron replied smiling innocently.

"Good, and I guess with you, I'm not as, as scared about what might be coming, if we fail to stop it at least I won't be alone." He said and gazed deeply into her beautiful brown eyes.

"I won't leave you alone John." Cameron replied then kissed him on the lips.

They sat there in silence for a moment before John spoke up once more.

"So mom is really okay with it?" he asked, still somewhat surprised.

"Yes, she was happy as long as you were happy." Cameron replied.

'Well this was unexpected.' John thought to himself and couldn't help a smirk rising to his lips. "Hey, where is everyone now?" he asked

Cameron paused for a moment to listen. "Your mother is downstairs speaking to Danny Dyson, Susan Jones is asleep, and Derek is most likely asleep as well. Why do you ask?"

Without verbally responding, he simply kissed Cameron on the lips, then moved down to her neck eliciting a small gasp from his lover, then down to her collar bone, then down to her breasts placing gentle kisses upon each of them and teasing her nipples gently with his teeth and tongue.

"John." Cameron gasped as her CPU received a multitude of positive sensory feedback, her more advanced systems began to sputter, falter, pause then crash. John knows how to touch her, just how she likes it, she feels him moving south pressing kisses to the underside of her breasts, then travels further south, by her calculations his actions will end in cunnilingus, to say Cameron is eager with anticipation is an understatement. "J- John, p-please." The poor cyborg begs.

"Not yet." She hears John's muffled voice from under the cover as he presses light gentle kisses to her stomach then drags his tongue over her belly button, Cameron's legs rubbed together with anticipation as John drew closer to her sex. She felt his hand caress her legs lovingly as her peppered her waist then thighs with light teasing kisses. "Open." He softly demanded. Cameron was unsure of if she should or not, on the one hand if she did John would cause the majority of her systems to crash and shut down, would overwhelm the sensors in her skin, cause her CPU to overload with data and positive feedback, cause every circuit and fibre to burn with such intensity that the thought that he could do that to her was alarming, it was … scary. But on the other hand she so desired to feel that burn, desired to feel that sense of weakness, that overwhelming overflow of information drowning her CPU with sensory feedback to feel that pleasure coursing through her very being. "Open up." She heard him mumble again as he kissed and licked at her crotch.

She couldn't say no, even if she want to. "Alright." She whimpered and opened her legs for her lover. She felt him push her legs up so they bent at the knee and spread them further apart giving him better access to her, the anticipation had set off a subroutine which caused a chemical reaction in the lower region of her organic covering, causing a lubricating solution to form at the entrance of her vagina, in short, she was wet and John could smell it, how Skynet had created such a thing he didn't know, perhaps Cameron had become even more complex than Skynet had originally designed, he didn't know, nor did he care as he pressed soft kisses just around her sex, ever so gently allowing the corner of his lips brush against his lover's sensitive inner labia.

"J-John!" he heard his lover gasp. "Please John! Before we're interrupted!" she begged as her torso went rigid. John pulled her face away from her snatch and slowly pushed his right index and middle finger between her wanting lips, Cameron gasped loudly and let out a slow moan as his fingers descended towards his second knuckle. "John!" finally both of his fingers were fully inside her, he gave them a gentle wiggle and watched Cameron shake, before pulling them out and worked them into a slow thrusting motion, he heard Cameron whimper and moan above him enough so his own erection throbbed eager to enter her, but he wouldn't not yet, this was for her, all for her. He withdrew his fingers, ran his tongue up and down his digits to taste her then gently licked at Cameron's lips causing her to stiffen, without another thought and pressed his tongue into his lover then pressed his face against her and felt her wrap her legs around his head. His tongue worked slowly as it slid around inside of her, lapping at the skin inside of her, tasting her nectar and feeling her quiver under his actions of his tongue alone.

Cameron didn't know what was happening, they had made love before but now she couldn't see straight, her vision was shifting between her various vision modes and at times her vision briefly turned to static, she couldn't form complex or even simple sentences yet nothing should have been stopping her all she could utter were whimpers, moans or at best stutter, her CPU – as she thought - was overflowing with data, overwhelmed with pleasure, she wanted it all to end quickly so she could get control of herself back and yet she wanted this feeling to last forever, but she knew she wouldn't be able to last much longer as her orgasm quickly approached, she reached down under the covers and placed her hand on John's head. "J-John … I …" her words were drowned out by another moan of pleasure as John ran moved his tongue in different patterns inside her. "I … can't." Her eyes rolled back on their own accord and she had to quickly cover her mouth with her hand as she cried out in bliss as her orgasm overcame her.

Once it subsided John pulled back, lifting himself and the bedcovers up and licked his lips once more and allowed Cameron to see his throbbing erection. Cameron was panting, a sheen on sweat over her skin and bathed in the afterglow of her orgasm her eyes finally focused on him as her panting ceased. "How did you do that John?" she asked as her systems rebooted and her body was once more in her control.

"You ready?" he asked smugly as he eyed his erection, Cameron glanced down his erection then back to his face.

"What if they hear us?" she asked.

"Then you're gunna have to control yourself." He replied still feeling rather smug, which Cameron gave him a sour look for.

"Do you not want me to - ?" she tried to ask

"No it's fine, this is all about you." His said caringly and watched Cameron spread her legs once more and welcomed him to enter her, John slid himself into her causing the cyborg girl to gasp with pleasure, then froze immediately, spun John onto his side laid her head on his shoulder. Shocked, confused John was about to ask what she was doing, just as the door handle turned, immediately getting the idea he turned his head away from the door and closer his eyes.

"John?" His mother called to him quietly.

"John is still asleep Sarah." Cameron called to the woman.

Sarah noticed Cameron's bare arms and collarbone and deduced that Cameron was at the very least naked from the waist up, but she noticed John was still wearing his sleeping top.

"What are you doing?" Sarah asked tensely.

"John was shivering and I laid beside him to warm him up." Cameron lied.

"Yes well, Danny's been cooking breakfast and John's is ready, that'll warm him up, get out of his bed and wake him up and come get his breakfast, if he's still tired afterwards he can go back to sleep." Sarah told her before leaving.

Cameron waited till she knew Sarah was far enough away. "Sorry John." She apologised.

John groaned with frustration and turned to look at her, "It's okay Cam, there's always next time."

Cameron nodded and repositioned herself, carefully as John was still inside her then sat up and slid off from John shrinking erection. "Soon I hope." she said.

Once dressed Cameron disappeared downstairs to get John his breakfast, and then returned, it seemed Danny had cooked a lot.

"Danny Dyson's cooking skills are far superior to Sarah's." Cameron noted as she walked into John's room and closed the door behind her, walked over to John's bed and placed the plate in front of him. "How're you feeling?" she asked.

"From earlier, a little frustrated but not bad." He said to her.

"No, I mean about with what happened last night." She explained.

John turned away from her and looked down to his covered lap. "It had to be done, I don't like it, what I order Stark to do, but there was no other option if I wanted to keep us all safe. So I'm going to move on from it, chances are I'll have to make calls like that again, right?" he asked

"Right." She replied then placed her hand on his shoulder. "I want to stress what I said before John, you did efficiently, the interrogation went as well as it could go." She press her lips to his cheek.

"Thanks, I guess." He gave her a sideways glances then look to his breakfast and started eating.

Over the course of the meal he continually offered Cameron some to which she declined, then John's phone buzzed from his desk. Cameron glanced to John and walked over to retrieve his phone.

"It's from Riley." She said with distaste in her voice. "She says she has to come over since Jesse has told her to, Jesse may also be close by."

"Well then, get in touch with Stark and tell him to change vehicles and follow Jesse discreetly, we don't want her to get suspicious." John told her to which she agreed, "We'll get Riley in here, see if she's bugged with anything, then we'll discuss what to do about Jesse, it's about time we dealt with her." He said with finality and narrowed his eyes.

Cameron nodded in agreement. "Riley said she'll be here within twenty minutes."

"Alright, could you find me some paper and a marker pen?" he asked.

Riley arrived not too long later, fifteen and a half minutes later to be exact, she went upstairs where she found John, clothed in short pants and a T-shirt holding up a piece of paper with "Are you bugged?" written in black marker.

Riley shakes her head 'no' "I'm clean." She says and John puts the paper down.

"Good." Cameron's voice came from behind Riley causing the young girl to jump and spin around just as Cameron closed the door behind Riley then walk around towards the windows and glance outside and scan the area. "I can't see Jesse." She announced.

"Doesn't mean she isn't there." John replied over his shoulder then looked to Riley. "Grab a chair, it's time we discuss what to do with Jesse."

"So, what's the plan?" Riley asked as she pulled up a chair.

"The Halloween party is tomorrow, I imagine that if you're going Jesse might follow, try and check on your progress, there, we'll confront her, and get her to talk." John summarised.

"Chances are, she'll be concentrated on you and Riley, if so I may be able to sneak up on her if I can find her." Cameron added. John and Cameron shared a glance, they knew exactly who would confront Jesse but Riley didn't need to know.

"What do you need me to do?" Riley asked.

"We need you ensure that Jesse comes to the party." Cameron stated.

"Make it look like this is it for you and me, that we're about to go all the way." John stated without any emotion in his face or voice.

Riley sputtered, "All the way? As in?" she didn't need to finish her question and John nodded without break eye contact, Riley straightened up in her seat and looked between John and Cameron. "Oh, right. Okay, sure."

"Good, now why did Jesse want you here today?" John asked.

"Same as usual, get closer to you, keep her away." She said giving a slight glare to Cameron. "She heard you were sick and wanted me to comfort you." She went on.

Cameron and John looked to one another once more, the silent message going between them "Derek".

"Alright, that's fine." John said as he turned his gaze from Cameron and settled it on Riley.

"So, what do we do now?" Riley asked, which brought John's thought process to a halt.

"I'm, not too sure, I didn't think we'd get this far this quick." He admitted awkwardly and scratched the back of his head, it was then a thought came to his head. "Actually, there is something you can tell me, Morris pulled me away the other day to talk." His words struck immediately with Riley causing her to pale. "I wonder why he thought me and Cameron were having some sort of incestuous relationship." He said as his eyes hardened. "I wonder why Riley."

"Alright, I got mad okay? People do stupid things when they're mad, I felt, I was jealous alright? Jealous that a, a Machine of all things, replaced me." Riley spat out as she stood up.

"My and John's relationship has always been complicated, things were progressing well, until something happened." Cameron stated, intentionally being oblique about the events of John's birthday. "If it wasn't for that event, you wouldn't have been a problem." Cameron continued.

"She's right." John admitted calmly, he noticed Riley's questioning expression "and no before you ask no you can't know what happened, it's not for you to know." John stood up from his bed and stared at Riley. "I get it you were angry, if the roles were reversed I would be to, but informing someone who doesn't know the situation was dangerous, it directs attention to me, attention that if brought up with teachers could lead to the police, and that could attract Terminators," he paused then shifted a little so Riley had a better view of Cameron, "then again that's if Cameron let the police get past her to get to me, it could be a small problem when a few police go missing, "John Baum" would get into more trouble would want to be questioned about these missing police, if they find the bodies I'd be wanted for information about the dead cops, that's more unneeded attention, I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this."

Riley was somewhat stunned into silence but nodded her head slowly.

"You could have been a security risk to John, I wouldn't tolerate that." Cameron stated as she stared at Riley with cold yet threatening eyes.

"Alright, I'm sorry, next time I see Morris I'll clear things up with him." Riley said timidly.

"Good, see that you do." John said uncaringly then sat back down.

"Morris is John's friend, it would be a shame if something were to happen to him because of your breach in security Riley." Cameron stated coldly.

"Alright, alright okay you two, I get it! Please stop." Riley pleaded.

"Okay, okay, enough of this." John said as he laid back on his bed, both girls following his movements with their eyes. "Tomorrow is the Halloween party, and me and Cameron haven't got a costume yet." He glanced to Riley, "Have you?"

"Ugh, no, not yet, Morris has but I was going to get mine tonight." Riley replied.

That gave John an idea, he knew Derek and his mother were going out today, and if Jesse was following them then he had a perfect way of checking.

"Why don't you, Cameron and me go get out costumes today?" he suggested and looked from Riley to Cameron, both whom looked at him puzzled. "Well, you're not doing so great in your grades anyway Riley, what's a single 'F'? Besides it'll save us all some time." He explained.

"Well ugh, fine okay." Riley said a little bit bewildered.

"JOHN, CAMERON, ME AND DEREK ARE LEAVING!" Sarah Connor yelled from the stairs.

"I'll go down and see them out." Cameron stated and walked away from the window, pausing to glance at Riley. "Don't do anything." She warned then continued onwards.

Cameron had gone downstairs to see Derek and Sarah off before returning to John and Riley, she had instructed Riley to leave while John got dressed, then all but pushed the young girl out the door and slammed it shut, only a few minutes later John appeared from his room, dressed in a thick jacket, pants and boots and a clean shirt.

"We're ready to go now." John stated and walked down the stairs leading the two girls to the door.

"Hey John." Danny greeted as he saw the young man descend the stairs. "Ugh, you three going out?" he asked.

"That's why I got my jacket on Danny." John said in good humour.

"Ugh are you sure you should be going out?" The dark skinned man asked cautiously, "Don't want your fever to get worse."

"I'm feeling a lot better Danny, just need some fresh air, I'll see you later." He saved and waved the man off before walking to the door as Cameron grabbed the keys to the other jeep.

"Well Mr and Ms Gale, your initial donation has been very gracious and greatly needed to our research we couldn't thank you enough." The CEO of Dyna-Core said to Sarah and Derek.

"It's no trouble, we wanted to contribute to the future, and what better way than computers, right?" Derek replied keeping his "role" firmly in place, Sarah was even impressed. "Would it be too much trouble to ask for a tour of the building?" he requested, "We'd like to know in more detail what our money is going into."

The CEO leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment. "Of course, no problem I myself am busy sadly but I'll get my assistant to give you a tour." He offered and buzzed his assistant in, Derek and Sarah turned around and watch as woman walked wearing a professional suit and skirt.

'This guy is a perv.' Sarah thought immediately as she got a look at the woman, whom didn't seem too happy to be there.

"Would you mind showing Mr and Ms. Gale around please Estella?" the CEO asked, the assistant; Estella looked at Sarah and Derek then smiled a half-hearted well-rehearsed smile.

"Of course sir, would you both like to follow me." She instructed as Derek and Sarah stood up. "Just this was please."

The woman led them through the building speaking highly of what they were doing and what they hoped to achieve, more sophisticated computer systems, smarter, able to lead mankind into the future.

'You have no idea lady.' Derek thought darkly to himself and looked at all the egg head nerds working on their computers, conversing with one another and going between each other's devices.

"We're hoping to achieve great things by the end of twenty-ten." Estella told them.

Derek and Sarah froze, if that was true and they achieved their goal they could have a full blown A.I in just over a year, was this Skynet? Had they found it?

"It's incredibly impressive stuff." Sarah said putting on an air of awe. "How has the success rate been so far with this project?" she asked

Estella went quiet for a moment and bit her bottom lip. "In truth, we have had a few setbacks, a year or so ago we believe we had the solution but," she shrugged, "it wasn't to be, so we had to start from scratch, however we are confident we have it this time." She added encouragingly.

Derek and Sarah glanced to one another then to Estella. "We're sure it'll be fine." Derek commented confidently.

Estella nodded in Derek's direction then glanced to the clock. "Would you both care to join me for lunch?" she asked.

"Can we make the time?" Derek asked turning to Sarah who was in the middle of thinking.

"I do believe we can, call John and tell him to move our next appointment back an hour." She said giving him a look to play along.

"Sure," he looked to Estella, "Just a moment ladies." He turned away and pulled out his phone and faked the call.

"So, what's it like to work here?" Sarah asked the woman.

"It's tough, we've got a lot of orders to fill with computers and with the project one since early last year, well not much time for a break." Estella replied glumly.

Sarah looked back into the men full of people working and took notice of something. "Not many women in there." She noted.

"There are a few women who work here, they're brilliant, intelligent." She noted.

"Is there any, problems, with men to women interaction?" she asked.

"Are you asking if they hit on the women?" Estella asked, and snorted. "These guys probably played D&D in their mother's basements and didn't see the sun unless they were going to school, so yeah they hit on the women, who just don't care. Sure not all the guys do it, but when it's constantly? It gets aggravating." She groaned and looked into the room.

"I can imagine." Sarah lied, just as Derek came back.

"Right that sorts that, so ladies, lunch?" he suggested.

The trio moved to the closest executive lunch room with Sarah and Estella simply talking, Derek knew what Sarah was doing, she was pouring on the charm and trying to get the woman to open up to her, then hopefully let something slip, or to give out some form of useful information. Once at the lunch room they got themselves some food and sat down at the fancy tables.

"If you ladies would excuse, I need to use the bathroom." Derek said before leaving.

"Sure, no problem." Sarah said giving Derek a look, look around: was the message within the look.

Derek left the ladies behind him as he started to search, being discreet due to the multiple cameras, he would glance into rooms briefly to take a look and still use the excuse of "I was looking for the bathroom" if confronted about his actions. So far his search had been fruitless, lots of egghead scientists sat at computers and moving between computers looking at boards with calculations on it he couldn't understand.

'It may be best to bust in here, steal a few hard drives get John to look it over then bomb the whole place.' He thought to himself before reaching the bathroom, once finished he left, then immediately wished he'd stayed in there a bit longer, to his right he sees a man walking stiffly, he knows those mannerisms, that blank look in the face, that vacant stare, his resistance instincts act up immediately and one thing is screamed within his mind: 'METAL!' . He turned around and walked quickly, not noticing the woman who followed behind the Machine and continued to talk to it.

'Metal, fucking metal! This place is Skynet, I've found proof.' He thought in panic and power walked back to Sarah. Entering the lunch room he found Sarah and Estella engaged in comfortable conversation.

"Sorry I took so long." He said trying to keep his cool, "But John called and said there was a little problem, and needed our immediate attention." He shrugged apologetically.

"Oh of course, no problem, would you like to continue the tour another day?" Estella asked.

"Of course, we'd love to." Sarah replied as she stood up. "Alright, let's go, thank you for your company." She said thanking Estella

"My pleasure." Came the reply and both women shook hands, then Estella shook Derek's hand.

"Thank you again." Derek said before he and Sarah took off.

Once they left the room Sarah glanced to Derek, "What'd you find?" she whispered.

"Metal." He replied. "We'll come back tonight, and take what we can get, we've got no other choice."

"Fine, but if we're fighting a Machine we'll need Cameron." She replied.

"Alright, fine." Derek answered.

John, Cameron and Riley found themselves in a costume store looking for an outfit for the party that night.

"The quality of these costumes are of a higher quality than the previous store." Cameron commented.

"This store specifies in costumes Cameron, it's kind of their thing to get better costumes than other places." John explained and watched her as she scanned through the costumes. "See anything you like?" he asked.

Cameron paused and pulled out a costume from the others. "How about this?" she asked.

If John were a cartoon character he was positive his nose would be bleeding, "Naughty Devil Girl" was definitely a rather revealing costume, "Um C-Cameron don't you think it's a little revealing?" he stuttered.

Cameron looked at it again then back to John. "Yes it is." She smiled innocently.

"Cameron." John began trying to control himself. "As great as it would be for you to go in that, you may get kicked out of the school." He swallowed to moisten his dry throat.

Cameron tilted her head then look to the costume. "You are correct, this would be for more private use." She said and glanced at John, her face expressionless but her eyes showing her sly intent.

John winked at Cameron and mouthed: "Love you" to his girlfriend.

"Love you too." Cameron mouthed back, before putting the costume back and continued her search.

"Hey what I should I get?" Riley spoke up from the other side of John.

"A witch costume." Cameron said without a hint of humour in her voice causing John to snort.

"Oh you're funny, you're a real riot." Riley replied sarcastically

"I'm not a riot, but give me a minute and I can be." Cameron shot back before her phone buzzed in her pocket, pulling it out she looked at the sender; Stark, opening the message she saw Stark's update.

Jesse Flores is near your location, across the road straw hat and sunglasses, sat at a table with a beverage.

Cameron shifted her position to get a clear sight of the opposite side of the road, she zoomed her eyes in and located Jesse, she'd need a discreet way of telling John.

"Hey Cam what's up?" John asked as he looked at her.

She looked back to John. "Stark has located Jesse Flores, she is across the road from us, straw hat sat at a table." She informed him, it took John all his self-control to not turn to look around and search for Jesse. "We need to inform Riley in case she says something."

"I'll tell her, okay?" he said quietly then turned to Riley and put his arm around her. "Play along, Jesse is watch … don't look." He hissed as she began turning her head. "We got to make it look good right?"

"Right. DO I get to cuddle and kiss you?" she asked.

"Only while we're being watch by Jesse." Cameron stated as she glared to the blonde.

"Alright, chill don't worry." Riley said defensively, and put her arm around John. "Can't help a girl if I enjoy this as much as I can while I can." She said smugly while giving Cameron a pompous grin.

"Okay you two calm down, let's just pick our costumes and get out of here." John instructed, giving the two girls an unamused look before releasing Riley.

Cameron and Riley continued looking through costumes, going to different parts of the store with John looking for his own, sometimes being called by either girl to check the costume they'd chosen, at times it was like they were trying to kill him via heart attack, but hey what a way to go right?

"Alright, those two will do." He said, still both would definitely be turning a few heads that night but at least they wouldn't get thrown out, and he himself had finally picked a cool Werewolf costume, Cameron had picked a sexy vampire costume and Riley, ironically, was a witch.

The cashier asked John a series of questions: whether or not the costumes were to buy or rent: rent, how long would they be rented for: tomorrow night, so the day after. The trio took the costumes after having exchanged a surprisingly large sum.

"What a rip-off." John commented and glared at his receipt.

"Why were they so expensive?" Cameron asked.

"Because it's Halloween, these are rather adult costumes, and I had to pay extra for him not to ask our age." He grumbled in reply, he glanced at his watch and groaned in thought. "Let's get some lunch, I'm hungry."

Stark followed his target at a distance as she followed General Connor and his companions, he had heard her muttering under her breath about a "metal bitch" and encouragement towards Riley, whom he assumed was the blonde haired girl, from leaving her room the woman had either called someone or sent a message to someone. He had calculated he could have terminated Jesse Flores a number of twenty-seven times without anyone taking any notice or suspecting anything.

The General and his allies were sat in the park eating greasy food products, the cyborg seemed less enthusiastic about her treat, but ate slowly anyway. His eyes diverted from his commanding officer to his target who was buying a drink of coffee, he decided it would be optimal to his mission if he bought some form of product to blend in better with the crowd. He walked past his target who didn't seem to take notice of him and stepped up to the woman behind the till.

"Can I get you anything sir?" she asked with a fake smile.

"Yes." He paused and scanned the menu. "I'd like a latte." He requested, exchanging the money needed he took his coffee then sat down and kept his eye on his target even as he turned his head.

It was only a few moments when his phone began to ring, he pulled out his cell and placed it to his ear. "Hello."

"John wants you to scope out Jesse's hotel room, we will try and keep her away as long as possible, but it would be best to hurry." Cameron said through the phone.

"No problem." Stark replied.

"John wants you to say the following before hanging up, "alright honey, I'm on my way home, now."." she instructed before hanging up.

"Alright honey, I'm on my way home now." He said before putting his phone in his pocket and made his way towards his vehicle.

"I've let him know John." Cameron whispered into John's ear as she kept her eyes on Jesse's general area.

"Good to know, I want to know everything she has on us." He replied, "And any information we can get is another plus for us." He added then took the final bite of his burger. "Can you think of where we can go next?" he asked.

"We could get the jeep and go to the pier." She offered. "Like a date." A small smile adorned her face.

"I like it, good plan." He looked to Riley who was still talking about school.

"I don't think she's noticed you're not listening." Cameron noted.

"Most likely." He replied and chuckled.

"… and that's all I gotta say really, some teachers just aren't fair." Riley concluded and looked to John.

"I gotta agree with you there Riley, some teachers suck." John replied as if he'd been paying attention.

"Suck what?" Cameron asked.

"Just suck in general." John told her, then noted her confused look, "I'll explain later, promise." He resisted to kiss her, it was very tough doing so. John turned his attention back to Riley. "How about we go to the sea, take a look around the stores and go to the pier?" he asked.

"Yeah sure." She replied then sighed. "Is she still watching?"

"Yes." Cameron replied immediately.

"Alright, let's move." John said as he got up from their seat.

Hours passed, John and his two companions had gone to the beach and come back after dropping Riley at home, Cameron had informed Stark when she'd noticed Jesse no longer following them and he had withdrew from her room and was awaiting for John to pick a meeting place. When John and Cameron got home, they found Sarah and Derek already back and seemed to be preparing for war, Derek had explained what'd happened in Dyna-Core and finished that he had seen an Infiltrator, stoic expression, stiff movement, large guy with beefy muscles.

"That's a lot to go on from just looking at the guy." Danny said and leaned back in his chair.

"You don't know them like we do Danny, not like I do, I know what to look for when it comes to metal." Derek told the young man.

"Tin miss, we'll need your help in case we encounter the cyborg." Sarah informed her.

"But what about John?" Cameron asked.

"Don't worry I'm sure he'll be alright without his girlfriend for a little while." Sarah said in a demeaning tone, her words registering just after she said them. "Ugh." She noticed John's smug expression, "Shut up."

John laughed, and watched as Derek loaded Shotguns and M4s into a large ruck sack.

"Do you have any more of that special ammunition of yours?" Sarah asked.

"I haven't had much chance to make more, but you may have what I have left, I'll go get it." She said walked towards John's room.

"You need any help with it?" John asked.

"No, you stay here, if we need tech support we'll take Danny." Sarah stated.

"M-me?" Danny stuttered with shock. "Why me?"

"Because you're not John Connor." Derek replied.

"Can I, um, help?" Susan asked timidly.

Everyone paused and looked to the woman surprised the timid girl had actually said anything.

"Can you shoot?" Derek asked.

"Well, no but …" Susan began

"No." Derek stated before continuing on with supplying themselves.

John watched them for a moment longer. "Are you guys going tonight?"

Sarah looked to John then to Danny. "Preferably, yeah."

"Alright, just be careful, all of you." He said sincerely.

"We'll do our best John." Sarah told him, trying to remain optimistic.

Cameron came down not too long later with three 30 round magazines of 5.56nato and 12 shotguns shells. "This is all I've had chance to do." Cameron said in an almost apologetic tone.

"It'll do, don't worry about it." Sarah told her and glanced outside. "We'll go after dark."

"Alright, you ready amigo?" Luna asked as slung her AK74u over her shoulder via its strap, with a small bag on her back.

"I'm ready." The T-800 replied.

It was nearing midnight and the air was cool, wind gently blew against the dead trees, Lieutenant Luna and Tony were in their car awaiting to enter the Dyna Core building and find out what they needed. Tony had constructed a plan of entrance, to break in through a side fire exit that Tony had damaged and removed the alarm from earlier in the day, and make their way to the security station, they would have to be fast in case the silent alarm was tripped then they would have to go up a few flights of stairs and get their hands on some hard drives for Tony to look into.

"Let's go amigo." She pulled the charging handle on her gun and got out of the car, with Tony taking point with his Mark 23 .45 calibre pistols holstered in his pants, a taser and the M14 EBR slung over his shoulder.

The T-800 marched forward and pulled the door open, as expected, no alarm went off, he quickly aimed and fired the taser at the camera short circuiting cameras wires.

"We have to move quickly, the guard will be coming to check the camera." He told her and quickly rushed out of sight of the cameras path, with Luna quickly on tow.

"You know where the guard will be coming from?" she asked as she kept up with the cyborg.

"Affirmative, I read the security section of our guide." He replied and ascended the stairs with a few large leaps.

"No me jodas! Wait up damn it." She called out as she rushed up the stairs as fast as she could, turning the corner she sprinted to keep up with the large machine. "I wish you'd take into account, I'm shorter than you and need to breathe." She complained quietly but kept her pace best she could, thankfully she was in fit physical condition.

"Wait." Tony said and pushed her against a wall, then pressed himself to it.

"Can you hear him coming?" she asked.

"Affirmative, he's on the radio." He glanced up to the camera that that swivelled back and forth, he knew the model of camera and by the angle it was position, when it finished its rotation towards them they would be standing just in its blind spot.

"I got a plan." Luna whispered, and pulled Tony down towards her and whispered into his ear. "Understand?"

"Yes." He replied, "We need to back up." He whispered.

They moved back just as the guard came around the corner, Tony had timed it perfectly, the rotation of the camera just passing by the guard as he grabbed the aging man and pressed the taser to his neck knocking him unconscious. Luna grabbed the guard and pulled him back further out of sight of the camera.

"Mike, you there?" came a voice over the radio.

Luna nodded her head towards Tony whom picked it up and imitated the old man's voice. "Right here, I'm just looking at the damned thing now, looks like a short, might be able to fix it, gimme a sec." he paused for a moment, as if Mike were actually working on the camera. "I got nothing, hey why can you shut down the system then reboot it?"

"That's dangerous Mike." The voice replied.

"Oh come on, who's gunna show? Nothing has happened all night, and I doubt it ever will." Tony said making it sound like a long drawn out complaint.

"Hmm, I guess, okay, I'll let you know when I shut them down, how long should I keep them off?" the voice asked.

"Give it a few minutes." Tony told him.

"Sure okay, stand by." The voice sighed, Tony turned his attention on the camera and watched as it slowly shut down, "Okay, systems down, so do you see anything wrong with it?" he asked.

Tony nodded to Luna as they continued on towards the Security room. "As I said, I can't see anything wrong with it, must be these damn cheap camera, multi-million dollar company and won't buy good cameras."

"Pfft, you're telling me, CEO puts all the big bucks into hookers and fast cars." The voice replied with annoyance.

"Things never change it seems." Tony replied keeping up the act as he and Luna came upon the security room, he reloaded the taser darts into the weapon and quickly opened the door.

"The fuck … ?" the man spun around just as darts struck his chest.

"Security systems down and the guards are out for the count, good work tin man." Luna patted Tony's shoulder.

"No problemo." Tony replied.

"Okay tie him up and I'll go do the old man." Luna instructed and turned around to allow Tony to get the tape and gag. "Right meet you upstairs when I'm done." She told him and run off.

Derek pulled up in the jeep on the side of the building.

"Alright, we know the plan, Cameron you take point, we need to disable the security system, and we'll be following in behind you, alright?" Sarah ordered as she readied her M4. "If we see the Machine we take it down."

"Right." Cameron replied as they all got out of the jeep, Cameron moved in first and broke open the side door.

"Alright let's do this." Derek mumbled to himself as he pressed the butt of the M4 to his shoulder.

Cameron stepped in firing her pistol at the camera then moved towards the nearest set of stairs.

"How long till the police get here?" Derek asked.

"At this time of the night, 10 minutes, tops." Cameron replied as they moved quickly.

"Fucking great, we don't have much time." Derek grimaced.

"Stop complaining and keep going." Sarah ordered only to come an abrupt halt as Cameron stopped. "Shit! What're you doing?" Sarah whispered angrily.

"Something isn't right." The cyborg girl noted, "The cameras are offline." She said and pointed her Benelli shotgun at the camera.

"Offline? But why?" Sarah asked.

"Two guesses, that fucking metal." Derek growled.

"Then it just made our job a lot easier." Sarah replied as they continued moving again. "Now there's no or little chance that the police will get here, we can move freely."

They reached the stairs and quickly ascended them, Cameron glanced around with her shotgun pointing down range before motioning for Derek and Sarah to follow her.

"We'll want to be a few more floors up." Derek instructed, but paused when they heard voices. "Security?" he whispered to the others.

"Maybe, or it could be our metal friend has someone with him." Sarah replied.

Derek readied his M4, "I say we engage."

"We should try and capture the machine's accomplice alive and try and retrieve the cyborg's CPU." Cameron added.

"Alright usual formation." Sarah instructed as they moved on towards the source of the voices.

They had to move up another flight of stairs, only for the voices to stop. "Where are they now?" Derek whispered.

"They came from this direction, keep clear." Cameron instructed as she moved onwards towards the voices last location.

Sarah and Derek were tense, awaiting for the lead to fly, and a fight against a machine and who knows how many accomplices.

Cameron scanned the darkened hallway, not seeing any signs of life, nor hearing any movement. Her head jolted to the side and she fired her shotgun through the glass wall.

"HEY, HEY, HOLD YOUR FIRE!" a voice yelled, Cameron tilted her head and watched as a woman stepped out from the shadows.

"Identify yourself." Cameron ordered.

"Lieutenant Catherine Luna, Tech-Com!" The woman said as Cameron lowered her weapon.

"LUNA?" Derek yelled as he came running towards them followed by Sarah.

"The hell? Derek?" Luna said with surprise. "When the hell did you get sent back?" she asked.

"2027." He replied and looked her over, "My god, you look, older, when did you come from?" he asked.

"January 2029." She replied and looked at the other woman. "You must be Sarah Connor." She noted.

"Yeah." Sarah said awkwardly, completely thrown off by the circumstances.

"Amazing." Luna said with awe and stuck her hand out, to which Sarah awkwardly shook. "Amazing." She turned her head to the room she'd just come from. "Hey Tony, come out here." She called.

Sarah and the others watched as a large man exited the room, M14 styled rifle in hand.

"The metal." Derek growled.

"Ah chill Derek, this is Tony, series 800, classic right?" Luna chuckled and patted Tony on the arm.

"Lieutenant Reese." Tony said and bowed his head.

It was then something occurred to Luna. "Hang on wait, Reese you said you left in 2027?" she asked.

"Yeah, so?" he shrugged.

Luna looked at him with confusion. "I talked to you the day I left in 2029." She replied.

The three humans looked at one another confused about the circumstances. "We've changed the future." Cameron stated.

"So I never got sent back?" Derek asked curiously, "I guess it makes sense."

"Look as nice as this is, we need to get out shit and leave, okay?" Sarah stated then looked to Luna's back pack. "You got hard drives?"

"Yeah, a few we were gunna look over them for any Skynet intel." Luna replied.

"So it was you two who disabled the security system?" Cameron asked.

Luna looked to the young girl, "Yeah", and after a moment it clicked in her mind then immediately saluted. "Sorry ma'am, yes ma'am."

The others, other than Tony were caught off guard by Luna's sudden change in demeanour.

"Luna, the hell you doing saluting metal?" he hissed earning a glare off Cameron.

"Metal?Derek, it's fucking General Connor." Luna replied as if Derek was an idiot.

"General?" "General?!" "GENERAL?!" the three said and Sarah roared.

"Secondary General Cameron Phillips Connor, joint leader of the human resistance and spouse to General John Connor." Tony rattled off.

The others couldn't believe what they'd just heard, neither could Cameron, had they really changed the future that much?

"Alright, okay, talk later work now." Sarah stuttered out. "Come on lets go, lets go."

It took the best part of an hour but the group had successfully stolen twenty hard drives for their more technical savvy allies to use and suffice to say the drive home was awkward especially with Luna and Tony following them in their car.

'What the hell have we done?' Derek thought to himself from the back of the jeep as Cameron drove. 'The metal becomes John's WIFE and becomes joint lead of the Resistance. How? Why?' the answers were obvious, their relationship grows to the point they get married and John being John would have given Cameron control but that was a bad thing right? It didn't seem so given Luna's attitude, he inhaled deeply and exhaled to try and calm himself.

"When we get home, we'll all have a big talk." Sarah said without a hint of emotion.

"John will need to be involved." Cameron stated from the front.

As they neared the house Luna and Tony immediately recognised the neighbourhood.

"Hey we were here the other day, how the hell did we miss them?" she asked Tony.

"I don't know." Tony replied as they followed the Connor clan up the drive way and saw a young General John Connor open the door.

"Everything okay, you guys didn't call!" he called out alarmed and worried.

"Ugh, everything's um, everything is fine John, just something unexpected." Sarah said as she exited the jeep.

"What do you mean unexpected? Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Yes John we're okay." Cameron said as she walked up to him. "We just have back up." She said and turned towards the other car. John looked up and noticed Luna and Tony walk towards the house.

"General Connor." The 800 greeted monotonously as he approached.

"Good to see you General." Luna smirked and released a wary sigh, they'd done it, they'd finally found John and Cameron Connor.

"You're from the future." He stated as he looked between the two, knowing the man was obviously a Machine.

"An alternate future John." Cameron stated, making him look at her with confusion. "We've changed things, they're from a different future."

"A future you're going to tell us about." Sarah demanded as she barged past John and Cameron.

And so everyone gathered in the front room as Luna and Tony told them their version of events. Judgement Day being in 2011 same as theirs it seemed, but different in so many ways, John and Cameron got married just before Judgement Day an alliance with an unknown faction. John had asked for more information on this alliance, but neither resistance fighter nor Terminator knew about them in any great detail, Luna was only told that they would know their ally by a message.

"What message is it?" John asked.

"I was told not to tell you," Luna replied, "at least not until they made themselves known first."

John looked to Luna then to Cameron, whom seemed to be giving Luna a curious look.

"If shit hits the fan though, you'll tell me right?" He asked.

Catherine Luna weighed up her options in her head before replying. "Sure, it couldn't hurt I guess."

They continued on about how the alliance tried to replenish food and were somewhat successful, people didn't starve, but they still went hungry for days.

They explained John Connor's faith in Machines and how he trusted them.

"Seems like your John likes metal more than the John I remember." Derek stated grimly.

"Some people don't agree with him, but he's said time before, the Machines are only slaves to Skynet, only tools, with the Resistance they can evolve into more." Luna replied.

"What do you mean he said? Connor doesn't talk to anyone." Derek shot back

"I wouldn't say he's a people person, but he isn't closed off Derek, he seems to manage balancing the need for public appearances and being sheltered." Luna shrugged. "I think he gets a lot of help from Mrs Connor here." She said and nodded her head to Cameron.

Cameron for her part, was intrigued by this turn of events, perhaps even excited about being "Mrs Cameron Connor" being John's wife, the John Luna spoke of sounded more like her John than the John she left in 2027, he sounded more human, more alive than the old John, also the sound of this alliance was intriguing, she wondered what Weaver and this John-Henry had to offer to John for there to be an alliance, but then if either were who she thought it was, then a lot would make sense.

"That's a lot to take in." John said as he leaned back against the couch and exhaled sharply, his mind overwhelmed. "Just, wow … it sounds like we're doing kinda well, actually sounds promising compared to what else I've heard." He liked to think things were looking a lot more positive.

"The Resistance is going strong, I'll say that." Luna agreed.

"Hey." John said as he thought of something. "We've encountered a Machine we've never seen before, stronger than a Triple-Eight, faster too."

"Was it the Machine that attacked General Connor and you at the police station?" she asked as she turned her eyes to Sarah.

"How do you know about that?" Sarah asked tensely.

"We were there, I provided covering fire against the Machine then we tried to follow you." Tony explained.

"Regardless, yes that Machine." Cameron stated, wanting to move onto more important information.

"Affirmative, the cyborg is a T-895 heavy class combat unit." Tony stated.

"An eight-nine-five?" Derek questioned.

"What do you mean by combat unit?" John asked

"Machines like series 800 and 888 were made for infiltration primarily, they are powerful units but are primarily designed for killing humans, they're capable of fight other machines but are not designed for it, correct?" he asked receiving a nod from the others. "The series 850 and 890, and by extension the 895, are units designed with heavy combat in mind specifically combating other Machines."

"Wait, Machines designed to fight other Machines? Like some Anti-Terminator, Terminators?" John asked with a mix of shock and horror.

"Correct." The 800 replied.

"But why would Skynet, create something that fights other Machines?" John asked.

"Because of you." Tony answered confusing the teen. "You managed to reprogram many Machines, especially early models and use them to capture newer Machines, Skynet needed to counter your growing forces and created the series 850 then 890, 895 and then the 900

"A nine-hundred?" Cameron asked with intrigue.

Tony looked to Cameron, "I will give you the necessary files." He stated.

"How will he do that?" John asked looking between the two cyborgs.

"He will create a bridge between our CPUs and send information he knows directly into my CPU, like sending imagines and files via email." Cameron explain.

"The information is vast and will take over an hour for the process to complete." Tony explained.

"Should we do it now?" Cameron asked as she looked to John.

"Might as well get it over with." He suggested.

"You go to bed John. I'll see you up there." Cameron smiled before turning her gaze to Tony.

"Okay, good night everyone." He waved to everyone and walked towards his bedroom.

"Night General." Luna called.

"Night John." Sarah said as her son vanished from sight, then sighed. "Wow, a lot has changed."

"Sarah, this information exchange will take a while and I won't be able to move." Cameron told her.

"Or what, it severs the connection?" She asked.

"Something like that, just keep a watch out." She said then turned her gaze back to Tony whose eyes glowed a bright red in which Cameron's eyes began to glow blue in return then both stopped moving all together.

"Well, this should be fun." Luna smirked, "What's on the tube?" she asked.

The file transfer went off without any problems, and once it was complete Cameron knew it would take a further few hours to analyse and sort through all the new data, but it was good, now they knew their enemy, she went upstairs and climbed into John's bed after she undressed herself and snuggled up to her lover.

'Mrs Cameron Connor.' It sounded better now that it was confirmed that she and John would one day be wed, from the little scraps on information Luna and Tony gave she sounded like a good wife, and she sounded a lot more developed mentally and emotionally than she was now, she almost sounded human, which sounded very alien to her, but not bad.

She closed her eyes and set the majority of her CPU the job of analysing all the new data, while a portion of it kept track of the surrounding area, namely John. 'Mrs Cameron Connor.' Cameron felt her lips twitch upwards into a small smile.

"You're up early." A.T commented, still in her nightgown while holding the morning paper in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, as Sofia quickly put on her belt.

"There was a break in at a computer company last night, guards were knocked unconscious then tied up, and multiple hard drives were stolen." Sofia explained, "You know anything about it?" she asked with a raised brow.

A.T just shrugged uncaringly. "Not me, I just kill people." She joked. "How'd it go yesterday anyway, I forgot to ask, you said they found blood in the crime scene?" she smirked.

"Yeah synthetic, it's nearly real but isn't quite, seemed more man made, yours I take it?" Sofia replied.

"Yep, that's mine, have fun with that." A.T replied smugly and took a sip of her coffee.

"When you're done, I'm gunna take a long vacation, I think I fucking earned it." Sofia grumbled and marched out of the room.

A.T laughed and watched the woman slam the door shut, she knew she should cut poor Sofia some slack, but seeing the woman frustrated was just far too much fun, after she was done, yeah she guessed she deserved a vacation too, away from LA and all its miseries, Spain perhaps, Spain was nice.

"A thought for another day." She mumbled to herself and took another sip of coffee. Tonight was going to be fun, she loved parties, she loved crashing parties, and killing James Shepard would be a bonus, the last in the list, then hopefully she'd one day find Susan Jones and kill her too. "It's been a long time coming." She commented to herself.

The other day she'd found the perfect costume, it had a lot of space in it, fully covered her body and was humorously appropriate, she'd selected her weapons for cancelability, weapons that would fit into her costume, once she'd finished making alterations to it, and she'd might as well for the damn price she'd paid for it, sure it was a costume specific store, it shouldn't have meant they expected twice the fucking price.

"Bastard." She grumbled to herself, before going back over to the costume set upon the table with a sewing machine beside it, with leather and extra black material placed on top of the black fabric. "I hope you enjoy Halloween Shepard, it's going to be your last." A.T said darkly as she sat down and continued making alterations to her costume.

Back at the Connor house hold, everyone who got any sleep had awoken and met downstairs in the kitchen, John found his mother sat at the table exhausted bags under her dark sunken eyes.

"Jesus mom, you need to get some sleep." He told her as he rushed up to her.

"Whaaaaa?" she said as if mentally returning to the real world.

"How long have you been awake?" he asked with worry.

"Wha … what time is it now?" she asked wearily.

John checked the clock on the wall. "It's quarter past ten in the morning."

"Then about twenty-seven hours-ish, I think." She replied.

"My god mom." John shook his head with disappointment. "You need to get some rest, who else stayed up all night?" he asked angrily.

"It seems Derek did too." Cameron noted as she saw the same exhausted look on Derek's face.

"My god, what the hell were you both doing up all night?" John demanded to know.

"My guess if they both needed time to think about what we told them." Luna spoke up in between bites of toast.

"My god." He shook his head and rubbed his eyes with frustration. "Hey ugh …. Ugh." He paused and looked at the 800 series who stared blankly out the window.

"Tony." Luna called out making the Machine turn around. "Connor wants you."

"Yes General Connor?" the Machine asked and looked at the young General.

"Ugh, could you help me and Cameron take mom and Derek to bed?" he asked.

"Of course, shall I grab Derek?" he offered.

"Yeah, his room is downstairs in the basement." John told him.

Tony hoisted Derek over his shoulder, the Resistance fighter too exhausted to fight back, and took him downstairs, while John and Cameron more gently picked up Sarah and took her to bed.

"Put me down." Sarah said with barely any energy.

"We will once we get a bed under you." John replied as they carried her up the stairs then into her room. "Sweet dreams mom." He said before they dropped her onto her bed.

"Mmmmmmnnnn mmmm." Was all Sarah said before her eyes shut and sleep overcame her.

The couple moved back downstairs and watched as Tony came up from the basement.

"Hey Cam, can you tell ugh ... Tony I want to talk with him?" John whispered.

"It's likely he can hear you John." She whispered back.

John turned seeing Tony looking at him and nodded.

"I want to talk to you later, with Cameron present." He whispered and the series 800 nodded once again.

The couple joined Danny, and Luna for breakfast.

"So you were the guy who answered the door before, eh?" Luna said as she eyed Danny. "You'd have saved me a lot of time if you told me a Sarah and Cameron lived here amigo." She said with frustration albeit playfully.

"I didn't know who you were, you could have been that … Cyborg that Cameron fought, I didn't know." He defended.

Luna shrugged and bit into her toast. "I suppose."

Danny turned his attention to John. "Hey John breakfast is ready, ugh you want anything Cameron?" he asked.

"No thank you Danny." Cameron replied pleasantly.

"Thanks man, I'm hungry." John said as he sat down and Danny past him his plate.

"So, do we have a better idea of what we're up against?" Danny asked.

"Yes, an advanced Cyborg built upon the "Anti-Terminator" line, a line which started with the series 850 which is the physically strongest of the 800 series family, however the 890 series is more advanced." Cameron rattled off.

"Okay, good to know, can you beat it?" Danny asked.

"Between myself and Tony, possibly." She replied, Cameron took a moment to sort through her thoughts before looking at Luna and Tony. "In the future my body is upgraded?" she asked but knew the answer.

"Yes, General Connor updated your body once in the late 2010s and then again in the mid-2020s." Tony stated.

"I see, so I had the idea anyway." John thought out loud between bites of food.

"The General Cameron Connor from our future had improved strength and speed over a heavy framed Triple-Eight, however she is not as powerful as an 850." Tony replied.

"Right, right." John contemplated, he was thinking if he could somehow ambush the Machine with Cameron, Tony and Stark, Stark would be his little ace in the hole, his physically strongest Machine, hopefully in a three on one fight, they'd be able to take it down.

"The Machine seemed to have a lot of experience." Cameron stated regaining everyone's attention. "This Machine may have been active for quite some time, it's been learning gaining combat experience." She explained.

"That's going to make it a problem, fresh 890s are bad enough, and ones that have seen combat multiply the problem by three." Luna complained.

"How smart is the 895?" John asked.

"Comparable to a Triple-Eight, that was the idea behind the 890 series to combine a Triple-Eight's intelligence and speed with an 850's strength and durability." Tony replied

"However to make it there were some adjustments. The 890s sacrifice some of the raw strength and durability of the T-850 to enable the speed and agility of the Triple Eight." Cameron added.

"There's that at least." John sighed.

"John and I are going to a Halloween party." Cameron announced trying to change the conversation.

"Oh yeah?" Luna asked with amusement. "I've never been to a Halloween party, we don't really celebrate Halloween, but I've heard of it." She smiled. "Think I could come along."

"No, it's a school party, invite only." Cameron shrugged. "Sorry."

"Ah maldita sea, never mind." She cursed. "Never mind then." She looked at Danny "Guess me and you will be celebrating Halloween eh?" she smirked.

"Ugh, yeah sounds fun." Danny replied and eyed Luna wearily.

The day progressed without much of a problem, John decided to take the day off, Cameron called school and, while using Sarah's voice, told the school that John and Cameron wouldn't be in due to their fever but would most likely be in tomorrow, the school accepted and simply requested someone to pick up their homework.

"I'll go for it." Danny offered.

"Sure thanks, that's a great help." John replied smiling to the man.

Cameron and John later retired to the shed where he helped her in creating more hyper-alloy ammunition, and sorting through Bravo team's weaponry, while Tony drove back to his and Luna's safe house for the rest of their weapons.

"Nice gun." John commented as he examined Tony's M14 rifle EBR. "Modern remake of a classic." He smirked and placed the gun down onto the table.

"Their appearance is a much needed help." Cameron supplied. "An experienced soldier and another reprogrammed Machine, their aid will become beneficial in the future."

John nodded in agreement. "Maybe soon we'll have a chance to bring Stark to everyone else."

"Perhaps." Cameron replied as she examined the pistol in her hand. "However they may not be comfortable with that, a Triple-Eight has the potential to slip back to its original programming, they may not trust Stark." She explained.

John knew she was right, but hopefully Stark's programming would hold out.

"You think we could get Tony in on our plan with Jesse?" he asked.

"Affirmative, according to the records from Tony's files and my own experience with the 800 series, their programming is much simpler and more reliable when reprogrammed." She explained.

John formulated a quick plan in his head, going over it with Cameron the pair made a few alterations and made the plan rock solid; tonight they confronted Jesse Flores. Their work completed John called Stark, giving the Triple-Eight the passphrase to ensure the Machine knew it was him.

"There's been an unforeseen development." John began quietly, "A Resistance soldier and reprogrammed T-800, I want you to meet me, Cameron and the 800 at your place."

"Understood." Stark replied.

"Did you do what I told you to do at the bank?" John asked.

"Affirmative, they believed I was a descendant of myself, however it will take some time to clear and for me to gain access to the funds." Stark replied.

"Great, we may need the money, the 800 should be back soon, we'll keep in touch." John replied before hanging up.

"You're doing excellent work John." Cameron commented.

"How so?" John asked, curious as to what she was talking about.

"You've formed a little task force, loyal only to you, your own personal guard and have a hidden agent, you're thinking like the man you'll become." She complimented and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "You're formulating plans, you're planning on countering and capturing your enemy, you've grown so much John."

John was speechless, he simply looked at Cameron, stunned by her words. He realised she was right, since getting together with her he had been more focused, he felt better, things seemed more clear to him now, maybe he was ready for this.

"Thank you." He replied and kissed Cameron on the nose making her go cross-eyed once more, before focusing on John.

Cameron turned her head towards the driveway, "He's back."

"Where's everyone else?" he asked.

"They're in the house, Danny Dyson is talking to Catherine Luna." She replied.

"Good, let's get to Tony before they realise he's back." John told her before he got up from his seat in the shed and walked out towards the approaching car., with Cameron quickly following him.

"Tony, I need to talk to you, but we need to go, quickly." John told him

Tony tilted his head but got back into the car and waited as Cameron and John got in behind him.

"What do you need?" The 800 series asked.

"Just reverse out of her quietly, this is a stealth mission." John told him.

Doing as he was told the 800 reversed the car quietly out of the drive. "What is the nature of this mission?" he asked.

"We'll tell you on the way." John replied before getting out his phone. "Cameron call Stark and tell him we're on our way."

Cameron took the phone and called the number, "No fate …. Stark, we're on our way and bringing the 800 series." With that Cameron hung up.

"Who is Stark?" the 800 asked.

"Stark is a Triple-Eight Cameron and I reprogramed a few days ago." John explained. "There's someone in this time trying to get me and Cameron apart and has been using a girl as a manipulating tool, are you familiar with Jesse Flores?" he asked

"Negative." He replied. "My reprogramming was done a few days before my mission briefing." He explained.

"That's alright then, you're about to find out all you need to know about her and the plan we have to confront her." John explained.

Within the hour they parked up outside Stark's safe house, and met said Cyborg outside.

"Stark, this is Tony, Tony Stark." John introduced the two, the Machines said nothing and looked at one another, seeming to eye each other up, "Tony's from an alternate timeline." John explained, that got Stark's attention.

"Because of what has happened in this time?" Stark asked.

"Affirmative." Tony replied.

John looked between the two hulking machines for a few moments before glancing at Cameron.

"Well as riveting as this conversation is, we need to get down to business." John spoke up before looking to Stark. "Take us inside, we need to reconfigure the plan."

The four of them went inside, John brought Tony up to speed and then explained to Stark what they were up against, to which Cameron put into more detail, there wouldn't be any time for a file transfer as time was short and they would notice John and Cameron being gone after so long, Stark also explained to the two future Generals what he had seen in Jesse Flores' hotel room, photographs of them, of their home, some a year or so old, but otherwise there wasn't much else, no Skynet intel, no Resistance intel, though there were named for the some weapons dealers.

"So we will converge on Jesse Flores, disarm her and bring her in for questioning" Tony summarized on the plan for that night

"Affirmative." John replied with a coy smirk, the 800 series nodded and looked to the T-888 opposite him. "Alright, Stark you get a costume?"

"My suit and Thompson will be my disguise." Stark replied, causing John to look at him queerly. "I'll be a gangster." Stark explained causing John to laugh.

"I'm really beginning to like you."

"Thank you." The Triple-Eight replied.

John got up from Stark's bed, "Alright, the plans all set, we know our roles, and you two have got your phones so keep in contact with one another if you see Flores."

"No problem." Both Machines replied then glanced to one another.

'Creepy.' "Alright, Tony lets go, Stark, you're free for the evening, but keep your phone on you." John instructed before walking towards the door with Cameron and Tony following him.

"You're getting better John, I'm proud of you." Cameron whispered and kissed John's cheek.

"Thanks, I appreciate it." He replied. "Well you and I have a party to get ready for."

The day had gone without much incident, Sofia had returned home at around 4 in the afternoon, she informed A.T of what had happened, a camera short circuited then someone had broken in, tied up the guards and stolen hard drives.

"Very clever." A.T pondered and looked out the window at the darkening world. "Could be nothing major." She commented.

"What if it is something though?" Sofia asked.

A.T turned around and regarded her. "What like John Connor's resistance searching for me? Perhaps. Could be someone working for me looking for information, again I can't be certain; I'm currently working alone." A.T turned her attention to the outside world.

"You're going to that school tonight, aren't you?" Sofia asked.

"Yes, I'm going tonight." A.T replied.

"How many will die?" Sofia dared to ask.

"If all goes to plan? Just one, but then I can't account for any caught in the crossfire." A.T explained.

Sofia glanced to the costume, now finished and modified along with the guns beside it. "Do you need all those weapons for one kid?" she asked.

"No." came the reply, "But so far when I get near one target, that Machine seems to pop up at the most inopportune times, I'm not taking any chances this time, I'd rather have the weapons and not need them, than need them and not have them."

"Makes sense I guess." Sofia hated to admit before sitting on the sofa.

"Don't worry, when this is all over, I'll make sure you and Rebecca never have any troubles ever again, you have my word."

A.T's words didn't do much for Sofia' conscience but she had no other choice.

"I hope you keep your word." Sofia mumbled in reply.

'I will, I will.' A.T thought to herself.

Darkness descended across Los Angeles, kids laughed and roamed the streets dressed as creatures of the night, Witches, Vampires, Werewolves and creatures of make believe totally unaware of the real monsters that stalked the Earth in human skin.

"Alright mom, we're going." John called out to his mother dressed in his Werewolf costume.

Sarah openly glared at Cameron who was dressed in the sexualised Vampire costume.

"Don't you be getting into any trouble Tin Miss." Sarah warned the Machine girl.

"I won't." Cameron replied before they took each other's hand and walked out to the jeep.

This part of the plan involved John and Cameron picking up Riley whom would be followed by Jesse, whom was followed by Stark, Tony would then meet up with Stark who would tell Tony where Jesse was, or if Jesse was lost both metal men would look for her.

John and Cameron appeared at the front of Riley's foster-parents door and waited as Aaron opened the door.

"Hello John." The man said tensely before looking at Cameron, the poor man's eyes nearly bulging from his head. "Cameron."

"Hey, is Riley ready?" John asked.

"She is." He said in the same tone and turned his head as Riley appeared in her sexy Witch outfit. "Hi John" she said happily. "Cameron." She drolled.

"Riley." Came Cameron response.

"Well we better get going." John smiled, taking Riley's hand and walked her to the jeep, with Cameron following behind them.

"Is everything ready?" Riley asked quietly.

"Yeah, where's Jesse?" he asked in return.

"She's here, texted me, said she'll be there, but I haven't seen her." Riley replied.

The trio got into the jeep: John in the driver's seat, Riley riding shotgun and Cameron riding "9mm". The drive was quiet, and Cameron was keeping her eye out for Flores, Tony had asked her why John didn't just have Stark break into the woman's room and kill her. Cameron replied that, "that isn't how John does things, not yet anyway." A part of her hoped it would never happen, but a more logical part of her realised, that would have solved all their problems at once, but John wasn't a killer, not like her old John was, she was curious to hear about more of this new future John though.

They finally arrived at the school and John parked up the jeep then got out.

"Come on ladies, let's go." He called out to Riley and Cameron.

Cameron got out and walked over to John. "I'll try the punch to make sure it hasn't been spiked." She said.

"Good idea, I wouldn't put it past someone to do it." He whispered in return.

"ALRIGHT, TIME TO PARTY!" Riley hollered enthusiastically.

"Are you drunk?" John asked.

"No, just excited!" Riley replied.

Cameron rolled her eyes as she led the pair inside the school gym which had been outfitted with Halloween decorations.

"Invites?" the security guard asked.

"John, do you have our invites?" Cameron asked.

"Yeah, right here." John replied and gave them to the guard.

"Alright come on in, have fun." The guard said and let the three of them in.

The trio walked in and began to mingle.

"Hey, HEY! Guys over here!" came a familiar voice, they turned and saw Frankenstein running towards them.

"And all the way from Germany …" John joked.

"John its Morris, he isn't German." Cameron replied.

John shook his head and looked at Frankenstein/Morris, "You're a lot taller than I remember Morris." He said as he looked up to the boy.

"I'm wearing platform boot man, and small stilts, they make me look like a giant right?" he laughed.

"You look great man, homemade?" he asked

"Yeah man, best things normally are." Morris winked.

"Wow Cameron, Riley you two look ho-ugh great, you look great." Morris stammered.

'Poor guy' John thought.

"Hey guys." Came another voice: James, dressed as pirate.

"Hey James." John greeted and shook hands with the boy. "Nice costume."

"Thanks, nice Werewolf." James replied before looking to Cameron and Riley. "Hot costumes girls." He complimented.

"Thanks James." Riley replied bubbly.

"Thank you." Cameron replied stoically. "Where's the punch?" she asked.

"Just over here, I'll show you." James offered.

Cameron glanced back to John who nodded, she looked back to James. "Alright."

Morris looked at how comfortable Riley and John seemed to be, which confused him.

"Are you two …?" he tried to ask.

"No, just being friendly." John replied.

Morris looked to Riley for confirmation.

"Yep." She said.

"Alright cool, it's big of both of you, to put it behind you and stuff." Morris complimented

"Thanks man, we've been tense since it happened, but now it's past us, I feel better you know?" John replied and leaned against the food table.

"Thanks Morris." Riley thanked sincerely.

John took note of Riley's tone and looked between his ex and his close friend, was there something going on? Something happening between them?

"Sure, no problem." Morris replied in a cool voice.

Yep, there was something going on with them, at least from Morris' side of things.

'I'm happy for him.' John thought then turned his attention to Cameron whom was returning with punch and James.

"And?" he asked.

"It's nice." Cameron said aloud, before leaning closer. "Someone has spiked the punch, the alcohol rating is 1.5, you better not drink any if you intend to interrogate Jesse." She whispered.

"Don't like punch anyway." He replied and looked to James who had a bigger cup of it. "Good punch?"

"Great punch." James smirked and raised his cup over his head as if toasting then took a sip of his drink. "Great party too."

"Yeah, it's lively." John commented and looked at everyone around, people were dancing to the music that was playing, talking, some had others pressed up against the wall and making out. 'Nice party.' He thought, part of him being sarcastic.

He felt his phone buzz in his pocket and answered it.

"Hello?"

"No fate." It was Stark

"But what we make." John whispered before looking at James, "one sec man, it's my mom." John turned away and covered one ear. "Update." John ordered.

"I'm outside, Tony is approaching me, Jesse Flores is there, but I lost her when she went inside and mingled amongst the crowd." Stark answered.

'Shit, she's in here.' John panicked and forced not to look around. "Try and get Tony inside I want you out there to keep watch on the main exit."

"Understood." Stark replied.

John hung up and moved to Cameron. "She's in the crowd, keep an eye out, Tony should be in soon to search for her too." John whispered.

"Understood." She replied and activated her facial recognition software. "I'll search for her."

"Discreetly." John empathised.

"Discreetly." She replied.

Cameron walked back over towards the punch, putting on a fake smile and scanned the area while doing so.

'This is it.' John thought to himself with determination and he looked around, before walking back over to Riley.

Mr Toppleton was finishing up tidying his things and placing them back in his briefcase while he sat in his classroom, he hated Halloween, nothing but children being loud and dressed in stupid costume or older children and adults dressing like whores. He despised it. He locked his briefcase just as he heard the sound of something crashing.

"Hello?" he called out with surprise. "Who's there?" he asked, before shaking his head, Halloween, of course, it was obviously some stupid kids. "Alright, very funny, you've had your fun." He called out then stood up from his chair and walked to the door, opened it, then looked from left to right, nothing. "Hello? You better come out or it's detention!" he ordered, still nothing. 'Maybe I imagined it.' He wondered before feeling a cool gust of wind blow past him causing him to shiver, he walked back into his classroom and grabbed his briefcase, before turning and leaving the room.

As he walked towards the exit he saw that the fire escape had been broken open and the front of a car parked right against it, blocking the exit. "Damn vandals." He growled angrily, before hearing footsteps behind him, he spun around and saw the damn of a dark figure disappearing around the corridor. "HEY! HEY YOU!" he yelled and ran after the obvious culprit, running around the corner he saw the figure walking away from him, not having acknowledged his existence. "Hey you, did you break that door?" he demanded and ran to the figure, still it didn't reply. "Don't you DARE ignore me!" he yelled, grabbed the person only to be knocked backwards with a single handed shove.

"Get lost." The figure demanded.

'Some girl?' he thought before feeling indignant that some student dare shove him. "I don't care who you think you are, laying your hands on a teacher isn't tolerated." He said firmly before rushing after the girl and pulled down the hood. "Now let me see who you are!" he demanded and stopped in front of the woman, who just pushed him out of her way.

"Get out of my way." She demanded.

Angered, Mr Toppleton moved back towards the woman, grabbed the mask and pulled it off, "Now then!" he said angrily before he felt a strong hand wrap around his throat.

"I warned you to keep out of my way." She said and hoisted him in the air. "Your fault, not mine." She said before breaking his neck with a flick of her wrist then dropped him to the floor, put her mask back on and pulled her hood back up then continued her way to the gym.

"So James, how're you liking L.A.?" John asked.

"It's a nice place, I like not being completely surrounded by buildings like back in New York." James replied with a really happy grin.

'Booze must be getting to him.' John thought. "So what're you planning to do after school?" he asked.

"What like when I graduate?" James asked receiving a "yeah" from John. "Computers, I like computers ugh … maybe psychology too, I like that, my uncle is a psychiatrist so I thought that would be cool to get into, you know how people think." He explained.

"Hey that's great, good luck with that!" John replied enthusiastically.

"Thanks man, what about you?" James asked.

"Who knows, maybe flower arranging." He joked, causing the tipsy James to laugh.

"You're funny, you're a funny guy Baum." James complimented and swayed slightly.

"Thanks, I'll take any compliment I can get." John replied earning another laugh from James.

"You could be a comedian."

'I'm not that funny.' John thought humorously, he glanced up and caught Tony dressed as the security guard from near the door scanning the area for Jesse, 'Hope he's okay.' He hoped then turned over his shoulder and saw a tipsy Morris, who had taken off the leg extensions of his costume, openly flirting with Riley. John would admit, he was happy for him, Riley was a nice girl all things considered, just not really his type, he mentally wished Morris all the best.

John looked around again and saw what he presumed was a "Bloody Mary" making out with Wolverine from X-Men, he glanced around again, he saw more Werewolves, some Japanese anime/manga shit a devil here and there, and a Grim Reaper; which was a pretty cool costume.

Suddenly his phone buzzed in his pocket, he pulled out his phone, Stark, then put it to his ear.

"Got her, among the dancers, dressed as a cat woman hybrid, moving between a mummy and a witch." Stark informed him.

John took a glance, his eyes roaming carefully among the crowd –

THERE!

He saw her, his eyes opened a little wider. "I got my eye on her, keep tracking her and inform and inform Tony, I'll tell Cameron." He ordered.

"Affirmative." The Triple-Eight replied before hanging up.

John was about to call Cameron when someone called his name.

"HEY! Hey BAUM!" the voice roared in a drunken rage.

John spun around and saw Mike Tyrone, the Jock who'd picked on him just last week, dressed as Bigfoot, approaching him. "Your fucking sister nearly bust my fucking junk, asshole!" the jock pushed James out of the way and grabbed John.

"Hey, leave him the fuck alone!" James said to the Jock asshole and pushed him back.

"Hey arsehole, what the fuck do you think you're doing?" Riley roared as she and Morris came to John's defence

"No guys, it's cool, leave him to me." John said and looked at the severely pissed Jock.

"Fuck this guy John, kick his ass!" Riley shouted.

"Riley not helping!" John shot back.

She scanned the room, looking for her target, she knew her target was here, she'd seen his named ticked off on a list of turned in invites, so she knew she was here, when she entered the gym she'd asked a few party goers if they had seen James Shepard. They didn't know him. She continued asking until she heard someone behind her tap her on the shoulder.

She turned seeing well-made up Medusa. "James Shepard?" the Gorgon asked.

"Yes, do you know him?" she asked.

"Yeah he's in my class, I danced with him earlier, he's dressed as a pirate, long black coat and a fake black wig." Medusa told her, before pointing off in a certain direction. "I saw him go over there, he a friend of yours?" she asked.

"He's my date." She replied immediately. "Thanks."

She now had a more accurate idea of what her target was, she approached the first pirate that fit the description she saw and grabbed him. "James Shepard?"

"No, Long John Silver." He replied drunkenly.

'Great, please be Shepard.' "Is your real name, James Shepard?" she demanded

"No, no, he's Frank Boyle." The girl opposite said and laughed, they were both drunk.

'Fantastic' she thought.

"You've got a cool costume girl." John Silver said.

'Well it better be for the fucking price.' She thought angrily.

She continued her search, pulling aside a few more pirates, but none were Shepard.

"HEY! Hey BAUM!" she heard someone yell, and glanced to the side and watched Bigfoot march towards a Werewolf, then push someone out of the way.

'Another pirate!' she thought and walked towards them.

The pirate pushed Bigfoot back and yelled at him, A.T maximised her audio input to listen in.

"… alone!" the pirate roared.

"Hey arsehole, what the fuck do you think you're doing?" Riley roared as she and Morris came to John's defence

"No guys, it's cool, leave him to me." John said and looked at the severely pissed Jock.

"Fuck this guy John, kick his ass!" Riley shouted.

"Riley not helping!" John shot back.

'James Shepard!' her eyes opened wide under her mask and reached her arm inside her robe, pulled out a Mini-Uzi, aimed it towards the Pirate.

"Riley, you're not helping!" the Werewolf said to the Witch before she pulled the trigger.

"HEY! Hey BAUM!" Cameron heard a familiar voice yell, she turned and saw a large Sasquatch like creature march towards John, she immediately turned to intercept.

She watched James Shepard push the Sasquatch or rather Mike Tyron away from John then Riley and Morris come to his defence.

"No guys, it's cool, leave him to me." She heard John say, before movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She saw a tall Grim Reaper, who was marching towards John, Mike and the others reach into its robe and pull out a Mini-Uzi.

"JOHN!" Cameron yelled and ran towards Death.

Mike snarled and pulled off his mask and stepped back towards them.

'Oh shit.' John thought moments before Mike stopped dead in place as a bullet tore through his head and body. "OH SHI-!"

The room came loud with gunfire as Mike Tyron blown away with gunfire, John grabbed James and dived for cover as Mike fell to the ground, people turned around confused for a moment, the brighter sparks put two and two together quickly and screamed before running towards the exit, soon enough everyone was dashing away from the maniac with gun like a herd of wildebeest.

John watched as Death grabbed those that got in its way and literally threw them out of its path. 'TERMINATOR!' John's mind screamed before he watched Cameron tackle Death to the ground.

"Oh shit, come on man, come on!" James yelled, grabbing John and pulled him away from the Machine.

"RILEY COME ON, COME ON!" Morris yelled as he grabbed the girl and pulled her towards the exit.

"This way! Come on!" James called as he pulled John deeper into the school.

"But this isn't the exit!" John yelled to him as they ran.

"We'd get trampled by the crowd if we went that way, besides the door's blocked!" James yelled back.

'This FUCKING Machine!' A.T roared mentally, grabbed the Machine by the hair and head-butted it in the face, before kicking her off, she didn't know what it was doing here and she didn't care, she'd had enough of this Machine. Standing up she felt someone grip her shoulder, A.T spun around grabbed the large man and threw him over her shoulder, she noticed the extra effort she needed and ran an in-depth scan of the man's body.

'800 series … primitive.' She thought with disdain, before looking down the corridor her pray had ran and charged after them, she saw the Werewolf looking back at her.

"This way, come on!" she heard James yell to his companion as she pulled out another weapon a Glock pistol.

"James split up!" she heard him yell and watched as James ran down a left side corridor and the friend pull off his face. "HEY COME ON! COME ON!" he yelled as if it meant anything to her.

A.T ignored him and ran down the corridor after James, she raised her arm and fired her Glock just as Shepard turned around corner, the shot hit him in the side and sent him sprawling.

"HEY!" the other boy yelled. "I'M JOHN CONNOR!" he yelled causing A.T to stop, she turned around and zoomed back into his face, comparing to the John Connor from the future, they were a near enough match. She'd found him! "COME GET ME! I'M HERE!" he yelled.

A.T had come too far to stop now and turned around and ran towards the wounded James. "WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GOING?!" John Connor roared.

"Oh god, please, please no!" James begged as Death itself loomed upon him, A.T raised her pistol and fired into his skull twice, killing him.

"NO, WHY!? YOU FUCKING MACHINE!" John yelled.

She turned her attention back to John and back towards him, immediately he continued on running back down the corridor.

'Terrific!' she groaned sarcastically and charged after him only to be tackled by a heavy force.

Cameron tackled the Machine in Death's uniform to the ground, and began to pound her fists against the back of its head, the Machine pushed itself up with its arm then flipped them over sending Cameron crashing onto her back and allowing the Machine to get back up, it spun around to strike her only for Tony to bring his heavy booted foot to the Machine's mask and kick it off of her.

"Thank you." Cameron said as she got up.

"You're welcome." Tony replied as the Machine got back up, its mask having flown from its face.

"The 895!" Cameron stated and watched as the Machine woman snarled and charged towards them.

Tony and Cameron ran towards the 895, Tony threw a strong right hook towards it which the machine caught in one hand, Cameron moved to assist only for the Machine to kick in the chest and knock her away. Tony used the moment of distraction to grab the 895 and charge it face first into the wall.

The 895 pushed herself back and glared at the 800 before pushing its arm away and threw it into the opposite wall which cracked upon impact. Cameron rose up just as Tony had been thrown and grabbed the 895's still outstretched arm and returned the harsh head-butt before spinning the Machine around and throwing it through a classroom door.

A.T felt like yelling in age as she stood back up, the little bitch had a friend, and what's more, it seemed the little bitch wasn't so little anymore. 'Modified, possibly to be better against me.' She thought as the unknown Cyborg stepped into the classroom, grabbed one of the chair and threw it at her. She ducked under the chair then only for the Machine to shoulder barge right into her knocking her onto her back.

The Machine rushed to her only for A.T to lean back pulling her legs up to her chest then thrust them into the Cyborg's torso kicking her straight across the room, she got back up then immediately pushed her hands out catching the 800 who was charging at her, she took a firm grip on the Machine's jacket and spun him around and out of the window.

She had to be quick, in case Connor got away, A.T ran out of the door and stampeded down the path Connor had took.

'Oh shit no!' John paused momentarily as he saw the dead Mr Toppleton on the floor, he had heard the crashes and smashes of battle behind him then a brief silence. 'Get going John!' he thought and continued on before hearing the sound of footsteps rapidly getting closer to him, he panicked knowing the Machine was once again after him and ran towards the fire door and barged into it only to slide to the floor in pain, he looked between the gasp and saw a car parked outside it, most likely the Machine's.

He turned and saw the unmasked Machine running towards him. "Oh shit." He had to hide! He got back to his feet and ran down the corridor and ducked quickly into the second classroom, a science lab. "Oh shit, come on John, think, think!" he whispered to himself then immediately got an idea, and began to open up the gas valves on the desks. 'This could end up getting you killed Connor.' He mentally berated himself.

Stark, had tried to get in by the gym entrance but couldn't get past them, he saw Jesse Flores among the crowd and could have waited for her, but John Connor was in trouble, his primary directive was to ensure his survival, watching where John and the others had gone he grabbed his violin case and ran towards the front entrance of the school, he found the doors locked with a security shutter pulled down, dropping his violin case he pounded his fists against the security shutters make it buckle and bend, he hoped he would be able to assist them in time.

A.T looked down the empty corridor and saw a few classroom doors shut, she couldn't hear Connor's footsteps but she could hear the Machines coming after her, immediately she hid in the first classroom and waited, she heard them come to a halt at the end of the hallway, but then nothing, quietly she reached into her torn robe and unsheathed her knife, she heard a set of footsteps move closer to the door then carefully open it, she saw a figure step in and she lunged immediately driving the blade into its torso, the 800 looked at her with wide shocked eyes then down at the blade then had penetrated several inches into his chest.

A.T spun around just in time to see the other female cyborg grab her, A.T retaliated and grabbed the Machine in return and slammed it down onto the 800s chest, using the Machine's weight to bury the blade deeper into the larger cyborg. The Machine didn't even flinch but punched A.T straight in the face once, twice, then she grabbed the 800's fist only for the female bring her fist under her chin and knock her off.

She got up immediately and watched as the female cyborg rose, grabbed the handle of her knife and pulled it out of the 800, without a word the smaller Machine charged at her flipping the knife in her hand so the blade pointed downwards and went with a slashing motion, she reached forward and grabbed the offending arm.

"That knife is mine." A.T said angrily before grabbing the arm with her other hand and pushed the blade down towards the Machine's leg, only to be stopped as the Machine pushed back using with both arms, but was quickly being outmatched in strength.

Suddenly gunfire pounded into A.T's face causing her to flinch and giving the female Machine her chance to break free of her grasp. There was a pause in gunfire as the 800 reloaded its pistol, the female threw the knife towards A.T who put her hand out to stop it, only for the blade to penetrate through her hand the tip poking through the back of her hand, thankfully the blade hadn't severed any connections in her fingers but had broken open the armor plating.

A.T grabbed her knife just as gunfire pounded into her again and was sent sprawling as the female Machine tackled her to the floor.

John finished turning the valves, he could hear the fighting in the other room, and prayed Cameron and the others were okay, moments later the side wall burst open as Cameron, Tony and the 895 burst through.

"Shit!" John cursed quietly and shut himself in the nearest closet.

On the floor the 895 kicked Tony away as it struggled with the knife against Cameron with Cameron quickly being overpowered, the 895 took the knife forcefully from Cameron's grasp and was about to plunge it into Cameron before Tony managed to kicked the hand sending the blade sprawling away.

Cameron brought her hands up and slammed them down onto the Machine's head only for both of her arms to be caught then a firm kick to send her sprawling off the Machine. Tony grabbed the 895 as it got to its feet and threw it across the room as hard as he could sending her crashing into gas canisters causing one to crack and leak into the air.

The 800 didn't waste any time and ran around the desks and towards the 895 who quickly got to its knees then tackled Tony mid run sending him crashing to the ground, the female Machine got to her feet quickly and picked up Tony like he were nothing and slammed him down into a wooden desk causing it to shatter, she brought up her foot and slammed it down onto the 800's head trying to damage it, she brought her head back up just as Cameron hopped over another desk and tackled the Machine to the ground, with its knife in her hand, she plunged the blade down towards the Machine's head, who had just enough time to push Cameron's arms out of the way enough to simply slice the flesh of its cheek.

The 895 grabbed Cameron by the throat and squeezed trying to damage any hydraulics in her throat, forcing Cameron to let go of the knife with one hand giving the more advanced Machine enough time to head-butt Cameron knocking her backwards, though held on firmly to the knife, the Machine got up and threw her out of the door, then followed after her.

Cameron knew she was fighting a losing fight, but she couldn't give up, she didn't know where John was at this point and had to save him, and to save him, this Machine needed to be put down, but how? It was too strong, too fast even her and Tony weren't a match for it, where was Stark?

The Terminatrix stepped out of her room, her face like thunder as she stormed towards Cameron, picked her up with one hand and threw her against the wall, the Machine approached and Cameron lashed out only for the Terminatrix to grab Cameron's arm and twist it forcing her to drop the blade then forced her down the hallway and to the floor.

She heard the Machine woman pick up her blade and glanced up seeing Stark come striding towards them.

Stark saw as the Machine woman paused as she saw him giving him opportune time to thrust his hand through the box wrap his hand around his weapon's grip then tear the violin case open from around his Tommy Gun then immediately fired, unleashing a multitude of rounds at 900 round per minute.

He watched as Cameron rolled onto her and saw the Terminatrix recoil violently from the heavy hitting high velocity rounds pounding against its frame, he emptied the drum magazine, and began to reload.

Cameron kicked the Machine off its feet and moved out of the way as Stark put another drum into his gun and racked the charging handle before opening fire once more.

This time the Terminatrix fought against the recoil and forced itself to stand, getting to its feet just as Stark emptied the weapon, Cameron grabbed the Machine only for it to strike back and impale the knife into Cameron's arm then push her against the wall.

Stark grabbed his weapon by the stock and used it as a club and smashed the weapon against the 895's head sending it stumbling to the side.

"Run!" he ordered Cameron and grabbed the Machine by the back of the head, pulled it forcefully and slammed the Machine head first into the wall.

Cameron moved back into the room to check on Tony and saw as John came out of the closet.

"John!" Cameron cried and rushed to him.

"We need to … get out of here, I've filled the room with gas." He told her.

'Gas?' that gave her an idea.

Out of the room The Terminatrix pushed her leg against the wall and sent the pair to the floor, before he could react the Terminatrix turned over, straddling him and brought the blade down upon his head, he felt nothing, didn't see anything, he turned into nothing.

A.T pulled the blade from the Cyborg's head having destroyed its chip then pushed herself back to her feet, and moved back into the room, only to immediately fall to the ground as the 800 tripped her then felt the smaller Machine grab her and throw her across the room.

"Both of you, get out of here!" The 800 ordered, A.T looked up seeing John Connor with the female Machine. 'Wait, what?' she mentally froze just as the 800 pulled out its other pistol with its working arm.

"Hasta la vista." He growled before pulling the trigger.

Cameron dived on top of John as both rooms exploded in a loud earth shaking fireball, Tony and the Terminatrix were both enveloped by the flames and Tony was blown right out the door way.

"Cameron you okay?" John asked after the ringing in his ears stopped.

"I've suffered some damage, but I'll be alright." She replied, and slowly stood up.

"We need to get out of here." John told her then saw his two Machines laying on the ground.

"Cameron get Tony, I'll get Stark we've got to go NOW!" he ordered.

"No, you get the car I'll get them." Cameron replied then kissed his lips. "Go."

Cameron grabbed Tony, his organic covering had suffered massive damage, his flesh completely scorched from his face, arms the front of his legs and chest, his revealed endoskeleton was scorched black but seemed otherwise undamaged, Stark however was dead, CPU had been sheared in half.

Cameron dragged both Machines to the exit where John was waiting in the jeep.

Come on, come on the cops are coming!" he yelled as Cameron threw the bodies into the back.

"Switch places." She told him as he climbed into the passenger seat and she jumped into the driver's side, and drove off away from the school.

"Are you okay?" he asked adrenaline flowing through his body his breathing highly erratic as he panicked.

"There's no permanent damage, don't worry there's nothing you can't fix." Cameron said trying calm him down.

"Fuck. FUCK! I couldn't save him, I don't even know why it was after him! FUCK! I couldn't save Stark, I can't save anyone!" John roared and punched the door repeatedly.

"Maybe not, but we're alive John, that's what's important, we're alive." Cameron said as she put her hand on John's leg.

John's breathing slowed as he tried to calm himself, he looked to Cameron with obvious panic still in his eyes. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." He said as a tear ran down his eye.

"You won't lose me John. You won't." she told him.

"I love you, I love you, I love you!" he stammered as the tears flowed freely.

"I love you too John." Cameron replied and pressed her lips to his. "Now rest, try and get some sleep."

John Connor leaned back against his chair and stared at the road before them, how could he have frozen like that, unable to do anything and let the people around him die, would he freeze if it was Derek, or Danny, his mother, what if it were Cameron? He turned his eyes towards Cameron.

'No, I'd save her. I'd save them all, even if I had to lose an arm to do it. I'll get tougher, I will.' John Connor made a silent promise that night, he would never freeze again, he would act, he would fucking fight. And no one would stop him.

Jason's notes

Sincerest apologies for the massive wait, and even more so for the insanely long chapter but it is part 1 of 2 of my Christmas gift to you: my wonderful readers.

I love you all and I hope you have a very Merry Christmas

Reviewer Bag!

Luke777: I always try an update when I can, and don't you worry, as you can tell A.T is/was on the warpath, in the words of Major Chip Hazard "there will be no mercy."

Ericlecter: Thank you so much for the wonderful review, I really appreciate it.

Oddliver: Thank you and thanks for all the reviews you've ever given me

Supercode: Thank you, you're praise means a lot, you story is awesome as I've told you before. As for Riley her story arch isn't finished yet. Not by a long shot.

Dragzxx: I'm glad I could make you laugh, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

To Troll99 XxDeathStarxX: I'd like to thank both of you for your continued support. It means so much to me, I love you both.

Scaryrobot: I'd like to thank you for giving me a place in the forums, it makes me feel really good to have a haven. Thank you.

Once again to all my readers, Merry Christmas and a happy new year.

I love you.