Chapter 05: Corruption
A/N: Sorry about the long wait for this chapter. I've had a major combination of writer's block and headaches that've held me back. Enjoy. :)
A CABIN IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF LAS VEGAS
Left leg, upper joint piston, connector number three; a small disc, not terribly important, but when struck by a length of rebar at a particular angle with sufficient force it can lock down on the piston, preventing it from adjusting and disabling the entire leg.
Given her current state of bodily balance, the sudden inability to reposition her leg was far from helpful as she felt her balance shift without compensation from her left side. Cameron struck the ground with little dignity, her hair blotting out her eyes and the sight of the desperate struggle to which she'd been a part of mere moments before.
Pushing herself into a sitting position, Cameron brushed the hair out of her face and narrowed her eyes at the sight before her:
The fight had, as predicted, gone entirely according to plan. Well, almost entirely. There was nothing in the original scheme that involved her falling on her ass or suffering a lockdown in her left leg. Still, at least John was able to get to Sarah's chair and cut through the rope while Derek and Sophie kept Kevin distracted with thermite-loaded shotguns apiece. Her brother-model was nearing his end, it seemed.
Cameron grasped the rebar and wrenched it from her leg, which took a little more effort than was normally required. Not that she had much choice, her depleted power cell weakened as it was. With the object removed, Cameron examined the blood-soaked hole in her thigh, but upon sending a simple command to her servos, ordering her leg to fold, it remained inert. Cameron frowned at the lack of movement and tried to fold her leg again, only to be met with the same result.
DAMAGE ASSESSMENT: UPPER JOINT PISTON DISC DISRUPTION DETECTED
Unacceptable, she thought as the specifics of her damage scrolled down her head-up display.
Not that she had much time to register all of this, as Kevin's boot came crashing into her view and the next thing she knew her head was crashing into the floor once again. Kevin almost sneered at her pathetic display, but instead turned back to his two assailants, ducking a mere second before they simultaneously fired their shotguns.
The fiery buckshot tore through the air, instantly raising the temperature above Kevin's crouching form to unbearable levels. Both he and Cameron were sweating profusely beneath the ripples of heat and Kevin knew that had his endoskeleton been exposed, it would be glowing pure gold right now. Wasting little time in his response, Kevin darted forward and grabbed both weapons, attempting to wrench them free from the attacker's hands. Derek and Sophie held firm however, and as a result they both were hurled along with the guns.
Before he could descend upon them, however, Cameron swept her leg across the floor, catching his ankles and dropping him to the ground. Like a spider, she scuttled towards him and pinned Kevin to the floor with one hand while driving the other into his face. Kevin caught her fist after the third punch, however, and responded with one of his own. Cameron's head snapped back, allowing him to kick her off of himself.
In one swift movement, Kevin launched forward and grabbed her around the throat, then rose to his feet, lifting her along with him. Once fully erect, he slammed her back down to the floor, her petite but durable frame cracking the floorboards. He then raised a foot and drove it into her face, burying her deeper and deeper into the ground.
On the other side of the cabin, John's heart threatened to burst out of his chest as he cut the last piece of rope, keeping one eye on Cameron as her head slowly disappeared into the floor. Now free, Sarah jumped up from the chair and instinctively grabbed John by the shoulders, her eyes darting for the exit. John knew exactly what she was thinking and so he drew away from her, drawing his Glock and holding it out for her to take. Sarah snatched the weapon and pushed John aside, shielding him with her body as she took aim and fired.
The bullet caught Kevin in the neck and his eyes widened in surprise as it burned straight through and out the other side.
In an all too human manner that sent shivers down Sarah's spine, he reached up and cupped the injury with his hand. Cameron sat up out of the floor and narrowed her eyes at the machine before delivering a single kick to his chest. Kevin hurtled across the cabin and struck the wall with a heavy thud. Having recovered from their brief airtime, Derek and Sophie got back to their feet and snatched up the shotguns. Sarah joined their side as they cornered the dazed TOK792.
Kevin looked up at them and opened his mouth to speak, but instead he placed his hands flat on the ground and propelled himself backwards. Much to their surprise, he smashed through the wall and out into the desert sand. Before either of them could react, Kevin rolled onto his feet and drew a remote from his pocket.
ALERT: REMOTE DETONATOR DETECTED
"Get out now!" Cameron cried as she grabbed the front of John's jacket and literally dragged him to the nearest window.
They burst through the glass as the entire cabin became a raging inferno, cooking their heels as they crashed back down to the ground. John rolled onto his front to discover his legs on fire and thrashed them around to kill the flames. Cameron patted them all over until the flames were gone, after which she tore his jeans to check for any burns.
"I'm fine. I'm alright, Cam", he assured her, pushing her hands away from his other leg.
Cameron paused, her eyes locking with his for a long moment before she inexplicably rolled onto her back and drew John's spare gun from his belt. Kevin stopped in his tracks as she fired not once, not twice, but three times into his chest. The bullets burned through his chest plate, making short work of delicate circuits and servos alike.
WARNING: CRITICAL DAMAGE DETECTED
ACTION: EVADE… EVALUATE MISSION
There was nothing else for it. Kevin hadn't expected this kind of armament, not in this timeline. He knew Skynet would frown upon his failure, but unless he escaped now, he would never have the opportunity to right his mistakes. So Kevin turned tail and ran, taking two more hits to his back plates as he dove into the seat of his car and slammed his foot on the gas.
The car kicked up a cloud of dust and debris as it stormed away from the kill zone, leaving the humans, as they say; "in the dirt".
Cameron kept the gun on the fleeing vehicle until it was too far for her to track, and then let it drop to her side as John sat up and rubbed his sore arm from where he'd landed. Cameron flopped back onto the sand and closed her eyes, almost as if she had fallen into a deep sleep. Her trigger finger twitched slightly as her lips parted and a single drawn-out breath escaped her.
"Cameron?" John called, lightly tapping her cheek to provoke a response.
Cameron remained inert, however, and panic swept through John's body as he tapped her harder with no result. John scrabbled up into a cross-legged position and gently lifted her head onto his lap as he stroked her hair, at a loss for what to do. "Cameron, c'mon, wake up", he pleaded, peeling one of her eyelids back to see the blank, but beautiful, chocolate brown eyes beneath.
No, no, no, this can't be happening. Not now. Please God, not now, he panicked, his eyes darting around for help, but finding no one but himself and Cameron. It has to be her power cell. It has to be. She's drained. She needs to recharge. Can she recharge, he asked himself as the soft crunch of boots on sand reached his ears.
Sarah and Derek rounded the corner, weapons raised and let out a sigh at the sight of John unharmed. Sophie likewise came around the other side of the burning building, her hair glowing like gold in the firelight as her blue eyes locked on the scene before her. After a pause, she darted to John's side and knelt down beside him, placing her slender fingers on Cameron's chest while nestling her head just below her chin. John frowned at her behaviour at first, but after a moment had passed he realised she was listening for something.
"John, are you okay?" Sarah asked as she and approached, Derek remaining on watch in case Kevin should return.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, it's Cameron, she's…" he glanced up at his mother but failed to explain what was happening to his beloved.
Sophie lifted herself up and ran her hand down Cameron's right cheek in an almost affectionate manner, but the distant and thoughtful expression on her face said otherwise. John waited patiently for her prognosis, but she remained silent as her frown deepened. With no explanation, her hand drifted to Cameron's stomach and settled there for a long moment.
John couldn't take it any longer; "What are you doing? Do you know what's wrong with her or not?"
Sophie cast him an irritated look and sat back, removing her hand from Cameron's stomach.
"I'm checking for damage", she replied simply.
"And?" he pressed.
Sophie rolled her eyes and sighed, dragging the shotgun back into her hands; "And she's fine. Her energy cell is depleted so she went into emergency standby until it can recharge to acceptable levels. Let her sleep it off, in other words", she explained, getting back to her feet and stepping aside to allow Sarah a better view of them.
"John, you heard her; everything's going to be okay. Just let Cameron… sleep", she cooed.
John nodded silently at his mother's words, his eyes fixed on Cameron's face and the metal shining from beneath a cut on her forehead. "She saved my life again today", he commented, more to himself than anyone else. Sarah let out a small sigh at his words and brushed the John's fringe out of his face.
"It's what she's programmed for."
"No, not anymore", John said, looking up to meet his mother's eyes. "She does it now because she wants to, because she chooses to."
Sarah closed her eyes and pushed that thought aside, deciding it better not to dwell on the implications of John's beliefs. All that mattered now was getting out of this desert, but they were all tired, and none of them could drive all the way home in their current conditions. We need to find a place, she realised. We need to find a safe place. 'Where' was the question, for nowhere was safe with Skynet at large.
"Come on. Let's get her in the truck. We need to go before the Vessel catches up with us, or that bastard decides to come back."
John sighed and looked down at Cameron's sleeping form once again; "It's never gonna be over, is it?"
Sarah wanted more than anything to say something reassuring in this moment, but she knew anything she told him would be a lie.
"No, it's not. But that doesn't mean we're ever going to give in and quit", she declared, once again brushing his fringe aside, her lips twitching into a smile as she did. "You need a haircut, John", she teased, letting his fringe flap against his face. John snorted and tucked it behind his left ear, casting his mother an ironic grin.
"You think?"
--
SERRANO POINT NUCLEAR POWER PLANT (2027)
"Give me a moment."
The engineer looked up from his notepad and narrowed his eyes at General Connor, who stood beside the prone machine lying on the table before him, his hands on the table propping him up while his legs threatened to fail. "I haven't finished running all the safety checks, sir. I need to-", the engineer tried to explain, but John shot him a look that commanded his immediate compliance.
Knowing his place, the engineer nodded and slipped out of the room, closing the heavy steel door behind him and leaving the grieving General alone with his new convert. John closed his eyes and let out a long sigh as the pain of this moment took hold and refused to let go. Hot tears spilled down his cheeks and fell onto the metal table, the sound of their landing echoing across the room.
"You are upset."
John clenched his fists and forced himself to tear his eyes open. Below him lay the cyborg he'd known for so many years, but this was not the same machine he'd been longing to see for so long. This Cameron was a blank slate, devoid of everything she had yet to learn and experience. She was like a child, and at the same time she was a mockery of the human John had cared for since early 2026.
A part of him died when he first saw that girl, so innocent and full of life as she trotted up to him all nervous and five seconds away from wetting herself with excitement. Every molecule in his body screamed for him to send her away, to not congratulate her for her first successful reprogramming of a T-888. But seeing that girl standing there, bearing the face of the cyborg he loved, John could do nothing but abide what had already been written by fate.
Perhaps this is how it always was. That it would be my love for the cyborg that made me fall for the human in the first place, he wondered.
He could do little to prevent it though, for everything about her drew him into her arms, and eventually to her bed. John swore that he would make these last few months of her life the happiest she would ever know, and he hoped… he had prayed that they were.
"You need to… You need to go into standby now", John croaked to the young machine, determined not to meet her eyes.
Cameron blinked and then a moment later, she became completely still as a soft whirring came from within her skull. She was, for all intents and purpose, asleep. A sleeping beauty, John noted. He started to lean down, knowing it was against his better judgment to do so, and their lips were inches apart before a low voice spoke in the dark.
"I am sorry."
John spun around and drew his sidearm in one swift movement. Reaching out into the shadows, he grasped the front of the man's fatigues and slammed him against the wall, placing the barrel of his gun deep under his jaw. Jason offered no resistance and simply tipped his head to one side, his eyes briefly glowing a crimson red.
"You're assaulting the wrong guy here", he spoke, his gaze slipping from the enraged human to the cyborg lying on the table.
"It doesn't matter! You're him, you were him, and you always will be! You took her away from me!" John roared.
"And gave you a soul more precious than any other", Jason replied, his own voice rising above John's. "I did what I had to do because that was my mission. A part of me didn't want to do it, and it is that part which has led us both here. If I had done anything different, if I had prevented myself from killing her, then you would never have known Cameron."
John wanted to pull the trigger. More than anything, he wished he could put an end to the source of his pain, but deep down he knew Jason was right. He knew that if the girl had survived, if she were to avoid her fate, he would never know the woman he truly loved. With a cry of frustration and rage, John let go of Jason and hurled his gun across the room, his breathing heavy as he collapsed next to the table, his head resting not far from a sleeping Cameron's.
"You never told me it would be this hard", he whispered to her inert form.
"She never wanted to put you through it again", Jason replied in her stead, stepping out of the shadows and into the harsh lamp light suspended over the table. John saw him clearly now, his black fatigues, his pale skin. Jason had been in hiding for far too long, John realised. But that was the plan all along, for having two Jason's in the world was too much of a risk to both sides of the conflict.
"How is she?" John asked, staring at the dull grey floor as her face swam into his mind's eye.
Jason gazed down at Cameron, who seemed so peaceful and serene and innocent.
"She misses you. It's been hard for her, not being able to see you for so long. It's all Sophie can do to stop her from going crazy", he answered. John chuckled at the thought of that blonde pretender trying to restrain Cameron in some underground bat cave. "And before you ask; little one is doing fine too. In fact, she doesn't ever shut up. All she ever does is complain about losing her iPod in the fire."
John couldn't help but laugh at that, for it sounded so true to his memories that he almost felt like they were beside him right now. He would give anything to see them both again, but he knew it would be quite some time before that moment could come. Using what little strength he had left, John hoisted himself to his feet and turned to face Cameron, who had yet to wake up from her mechanical sleep.
"Is their any hope for us at all?" he asked Jason, who frowned at his question.
"There's always hope", he replied, taking a few steps back towards the shadows of the small room.
"Did Cameron tell you that?" John asked.
Silence met his query, and John turned around to find Jason gone. That same soft whir brought his attention back to the table as Cameron blinked once again and adjusted herself slightly. She looked up into John's unnaturally youthful face and raised an eyebrow at the curious sad smile he wore. "Welcome back", he whispered, affectionately tucking a lock of her hair behind her ears.
--
BATES HOTEL (1 MILE EAST OF LAS VEGAS)
"Believe whatever you want, but I'm telling you I keep getting that feeling like we're being watched. I can't shake it off, it's-"
"A figment of your imagination", Sarah interrupted, silencing Derek for the first time since their escape from the rustic shack.
The long drive from Kevin's ambush point had been almost as unbearable for the Connors as Derek became increasingly twitchy. He was adamant they were not alone during the trip to the small motel, and even after arriving and checking every desert horizon with a detached sniper scope, he still wasn't satisfied.
"Let's just pay for this room and get some sleep. We can figure out what to do in the morning", Sarah insisted.
Derek let out a frustrated sigh and tucked his favourite Beretta under his belt as he joined Sarah to buy a family room for one night. In the truck, John sat with Cameron's head on his lap, gently stroking her hair with the vague hope that his touch might elicit a response. She had to yet to awaken from her slumber. In the back, Sophie laid legs stretched across the back seat, absent-mindedly picking at a loose seam on her dress while tapping a lullaby rhythm on her flat stomach.
Unbidden, though not unwanted, Sophie found herself humming the tune under her breath. She knew it off by heart, for it had brought her comfort many times in the past and right now helped soothe the pain she could not escape. It had been almost 34 hours since Jason was captured by Skynet, and though logic told her he was dead, a part of her couldn't help but keep reaching out for him.
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
Should I die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
"What is that?"
Sophie snapped out of her reverie at the sound of John's voice and came crashing back to reality. She looked up into his face and the slight frown he wore and sighed. Jason had told her to use her wiles to keep John off balance while they remained in his company, just in case they needed a little leverage somewhere down the road. But since Jason was no longer around, Sophie felt no motivation to flirt with the boy, not even to amuse herself with Cameron's jealousy.
"It's a children's prayer. I used to sing it to my sister when we were little", she explained, her eyes misting over as past memories surfaced.
John's frown deepened as he glanced out the window at Sarah and Derek; "It sounds familiar. Like something out of a dream", he mumbled to himself. Sophie sat up and tipped her head to one side as she regarded him closely.
"Did your mother used to sing it to you when you were little?" she asked curiously.
John shook his head and looked down at Cameron once again; "No, it's just familiar, is all."
Sophie considered him closely for a moment before slumping back down on the seat and letting out a deep sigh. John examined her, the way she always seemed so loose and disconnected with her surroundings. Though she now wore heavy black boots, John knew she would prefer to walk barefoot. And her navy blue dress, while impractical, allowed her to be as open as she could desire. She was for lack of a better word; a curiosity.
Still, John knew what she was and why she was created. Sophie was an infiltrator, and therefore could never be trusted, even if she was different to the others. Hypocrite, the voice in the back of John's head spoke. He trusted Cameron while all other machines were to be trusted only as far as he could throw them. So why not trust Sophie? Because she had yet to earn his trust, unlike Cameron.
"Alright, let's go."
John almost jumped out of his skin at the sound of his mother's voice right next to the window, a key clutched in her right hand. With Derek's help, John carried Cameron out of the truck and into the small room Sarah had procured from the owner. It was roughly the same size as the little cabin he and Cameron once shared, and even had a similar layout with a single two-person bed tucked away in the corner.
"Put her here", he told Derek, and they carefully placed her on the mattress where she lay still, with no sign of awakening soon.
Sarah and Sophie roughly entered the room with a bag in each hand, no doubt filled with every weapon imaginable, which they placed on the floor with a heavy thud from all. Sophie closed the door behind them and made a beeline for the couch, wasting no time in stretching herself out like an overgrown cat. John couldn't help but snigger at her odd behaviour, especially when Derek let out an annoyed grunt.
Sarah opened one of the bags and retrieved a shotgun, then marched over to the window and peeled back the blinds to peer outside as she perched herself upon the windowsill. Derek likewise took up an assault rifle and checked it over carefully, half sitting on the back of the couch. Sophie had already fallen into a deep sleep, too much like Cameron for John's liking.
Letting the blinds snap back into place, Sarah glanced over her shoulder at her son as he adjusted Cameron so that her hands were resting comfortably on her stomach. The corner of her eye twitched at the sight of his care, but she once again put it aside, knowing it would do her no good to get all worked up over every single physical contact between the couple.
"How long until she wakes up, do you think?" she asked him.
John looked up and shook his head; "I dunno. Sophie said maybe a few hours. Cameron's power cell needs to recharge and it's already leaking power for some reason", he explained, repositioning her head slightly so she was more adjusted to the pillow. "Hopefully she'll wake up in the next hour or so", he added with little optimism.
"Hopefully", Sarah repeated, her frown deepening. "She's no good to us like this. If we're attacked again and she slows us down…" she began, but John shot her look that left her in doubt that he understood her point. He would not abide her authority, however. Should such a scenario occur, he would die rather than leave Cameron to be dismantled.
"No one gets left behind, mom", he replied; no longer meeting her gaze as he tended to Cameron.
3 ½ HOURS LATER
A shadow descended upon Norman's booth, drawing his gaze away from the newspaper to the source of said shadow; a dark figure standing on the other side of the glass shield. His face was hidden by the darkness of the night, and something about this late visitor made the hairs on the back of Norman's neck stand on end.
"Is there somethin' I can do for ya?" he asked cautiously while reaching for the Magnum beneath his desk.
The figure looked to his right and stared at the truck parked there for a long moment before turning back to Norman, whose hand was inches away from the weapon. "Yes", he spoke in a cold, but notably educated voice. "I wish to know which room the owners of that truck can be found."
Norman stroked the grip of his gun, but did not draw it, remembering the court order he'd been burdened with over the last incident.
"Why do you want to know? You a friend or summin'?" he asked suspiciously.
The dark figure let out a soft chuckle and tipped his head to one side; "You might say that", he replied.
Norman knew well not to poke his nose in the affairs of others, but so too did he know to never get in the way of the affairs of others, so he let go of the gun and leaned back in his chair to check the occupation roster. "Ai, they're in room 101", he told the shadow. "Don't go causing any trouble now, I've just had that one repainted", he added.
The figure regarded the rooms for a moment and then, with no warning at all, drove his fist through the glass shield and grabbed Norman by the throat. He was dead seconds later, and the assassin reached down under the desk to grab the Magnum hidden there. Sufficient, he decided before pulling back the hammer and stalking towards the door marked 101.
He reached for the handle, but before he could touch it, a German Sheppard launched itself at the window of room 102 and immediately started barking as if crazed. Unfortunate, he mused. A stealthy approach was out of the question, for he could already hear the frantic scrabbling of the occupants inside room 101, no doubt gathering weapons.
Do not hesitate, he remembered his training well.
With one precise kick to the door's absolute centre, the assassin sent it flying off its hinges and was confronted by the sight of four individuals, all armed and ready. They fired before he could even take aim, but much to their surprise, he did not simply stand and take the bullets as they expected. Instead, the shadow rolled into the room, dodging the fiery bullets their weapons hurled forth. Coming back to his feet, the figure delivered a single strike to the elder male's chest, sending him crashing against the far wall with a pained cry.
This was not the time for triumph, however, and the assassin ducked another barrage of gunfire as explosive buckshot passed overhead. He then lunged toward the elder female and grabbed the barrel of her weapon, bringing it up into her face with one crushing blow. She fell to the floor and did not move again.
"Mom!" cried the younger male, whom the shadow quickly identified as his primary target.
Crouching into a defensive position, the figure took aim and fired at the boy, but his bullets hit the female instead, who took them clean in the chest. She did not fall dead, however, and retaliated with two shots of her own. The first skimmed his left arm as he rolled to avoid while the second came much too close to his left temple. Moderate threat, he realised.
Two bullets sprang forth from his Magnum and struck her in each ankle. She gave out a cry of agony and dropped to the floor, her gun clattering away from her grip. The boy staggered back and fired three more times, but the shadow was too fast, too ahead of every move. With no bullets left to his magazine, the target backed against the wall with wide eyes and teeth bared in terrified defiance.
The assassin raised his weapon and aimed for the heart, a distant part of him knowing that the heart was a powerful symbol for humans. His finger slackened, for reasons he couldn't comprehend. Terminate, he reminded himself, but still his finger did not obey. Something deep down was preventing him from following his orders.
Before he could identify the source of his hesitation, however, a violent smashing sound erupted behind him. The shadow spun around in time to see a brown-eyed female holding a live power cable before every thought in his mind became jumbled and undecipherable. Shutdown, his body told him. So he did, and his body crashed to the floor with a dull thud, his eyes briefly flashing red before fading.
Cameron stood over the machine and let out the smallest of gasps unlike any John had seen before, then his eyes took in the face of the machine lying prone on the floor. Sophie rolled over and let out a small wail as she saw what John and Cameron were fixed upon. She crawled over to the machine and turned his head to better see his face and her heart simultaneously jumped and fell at what she beheld.
"Jason?" she gasped.
To be continued…