Chapter Nineteen:

My Turn

John took in Cromartie's form with stunned eyes. When he'd first arrived at camp, his classmate Jessica Duncan had told him about a man who had come to school looking for him right after he'd left for the Canada trip. And right on the way home from that trip, they'd been attacked by a Terminator. He should have known it wasn't a coincidence. From the way she described the man who was searching for him, John had no doubt that it was Cromartie.

He'd believed her. He'd tried to convince his mother that Cromartie was still alive, but she hadn't believed him. Derek hadn't believed him.

But John Connor had known the truth. He had a feeling Cromartie would eventually find him.

And yet, it was completely different to actually see Cromartie standing right in front of him, holding Cameron's chip in one hand and a gun in the other.

Riley was still at his side, her eyes wide with equal shock. "He's…that guy who came to your door looking for Cameron."

"He's one of them," John said, swallowing hard. "Cromartie."

The machine met John's gaze, recognizing him instantly. Cromartie raised the gun and John quickly dove for cover behind the boxes in the warehouse, hearing the bullets hit the wooden crates. All the while, his heart was racing, thumping furiously. This was insane, completely insane. He suddenly felt stupid for not going for a weapon first.

His eyes darted to Jesse's unconscious body, spotting her gun lying on the ground. Riley followed his gaze, as if reading his thoughts, and suddenly lunged out from behind the cover. "Riley, no!" John hissed.

His warning saved her life. Cromartie's head snapped towards the sound of his target's voice, giving Riley the opportunity to snatch Jesse's gun and dive behind another crate.

John ducked and Riley tossed the gun over, proceeding to throw some items from a toolbox at Cromartie's head. Vastly ineffective, but it appeared to be providing at least some distraction for the cyborg. John stood up and took aim, his eyes locking on Cameron's chip.

If that ever happens, destroy my chip. John, promise me.

I can't. I promised to always bring you back.

Please, John.

John's fingers tightened. He could hit it. Easily. Just like a bullseye in the shooting range. If that happened, Cromartie would never know what was on that chip, never know the Connor family secrets. If that happened, Cameron would be gone forever.

He pressed his lips tightly together, the gun wavering.

He may as well have been holding a gun to her head.

But he wouldn't be the one to pull the trigger.

The door banged open and suddenly Derek and Sarah darted in, guns at the ready. His mother's eyes widened in shock as she took in the sight of Cromartie. Derek recovered first, his eyes flashing from Jesse to Cameron to Cromartie to the chip in his hand, deducing the situation instantly. John saw his uncle's face harden with resolve and he raised his gun, taking aim at the chip.

"No!" John yelled, reacting instinctively. He brought up his own gun and shot at Derek, knocking the gun from his uncle's hand before Derek could fire. Derek's face exploded into shock and he turned to see where the attack had come from. At seeing John's frenzied face, his mouth dropped open in betrayal and he scrambled for his gun again.

"Don't!" John shouted, charging forward and knocking his uncle to the ground. "Don't you dare!" He pressed the gun to Derek's head, eyes burning. "I'll shoot, I swear I'll shoot!"

"John!" Sarah cried. John looked up to see his mother drop her grenade launcher, rushing over to his side, with Riley at her heels. John desperately looked up, searching the warehouse. Cromartie had obviously not wanted to mess around with Sarah and her heavily artillery. He was gone, escaped. Not that it mattered. Either way, Cromartie would win. He had Cameron's chip.

Despair set in and John dropped the gun, sliding to the floor with a moan. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't let her die like this. Derek's eyes were blazing as he rose to his feet and started yelling at both John and Sarah, no doubt ticked off that John had shot at him.

John tuned him out, eyes trailing to Cameron's still form that lay on the warehouse floor. Without that chip, she was dead. He put his face in his hands.

But there was still a chance.

Cromartie wouldn't destroy the chip until he had a chance to get the data from it. They still had time. Time that was slowly ticking away.

"We have to go after him," he demanded.

"John, we can't," Sarah said calmly. "It's too dangerous."

"He's got her chip," John breathed, his throat constricting as tears threatened to fall. "He's got her."

"I know."

John's lip curled. "No, you don't! I know you don't care about her personally, but do you know what that chip contains? She knows everything! She's seen the list, the targets; she knows our safehouses, who we are, how we run. I told her everything!"

"I know…"

"I have to save her," he insisted vehemently.

Sarah shook her head. "We can't."

Derek still seemed angry, but even his uncle's resolve seemed to be fading. "Your mother's right, John. It's too dangerous. I've got some thermite in the truck. We'll just burn the body…"

John's eyes widened in rage. "Don't you touch her!" he snapped. He spun back to his mother. "Are you happy now? By doing this, you've just killed at least three people."

Sarah pressed her lips together. "Three?"

"Cameron. Me. And Kyle."

Hearing the name stunned her, he could see it. "What?" she choked.

"She knows he's my father," John insisted. "Soon Cromartie will too. He'll find him and kill him. Don't you see? By killing her, you kill Kyle. You kill me."

Sarah looked away, seemingly fighting tears.

John shifted his gaze over to Riley, who seemed to be struggling with emotions of intense guilt and sorrow. She looked up and met his eyes.

"I'm sorry, John," she said.

John glared at her. "You should be. This was all your fault."

He saw a tear run down Riley's hurt face but he didn't care. Everyone was upset about something. But no one was hurting as much as John Connor.

He turned and walked over to where Cameron's body still lay. His worst nightmare had come true. He was going to lose her. He felt the tears start running down his face. I'm sorry, Cameron. I'm so sorry.

He reached down and stroked her face, her hair. Maybe this was a dream… another nightmare. This can't be happening to me.

He felt helpless, hopeless. He heard the retreating footsteps of his mother and Derek, both still arguing softly about what to do now. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Riley approach him hesitantly but he deliberately ignored her. Riley was the reason why Cameron was gone, dead in a sense. If he were relating it to humans, he'd say she was in a coma and the only medicine that could cure her was halfway around the world in a dangerous jungle. No one else was willing to sacrifice their lives to find it.

So would he?

The list of those who had died in his name, had died for him, was long. Martin Bedell, Allison Young, Kyle Reese…He wasn't going to let her name be added to that growing list. He wasn't going to let her die for him too.

She'd been willing, willing to sacrifice herself for him. She'd been there for him ever since the beginning. She'd been there for him even when he'd pushed her away, sought company he thought was better. She'd been there for the good and bad, never leaving, never wavering. Always ready and willing to die for him at a moment's notice. She'd saved his life. She always saved his life. She was his best friend, his only true friend.

And he loved her.

He bent down closer, tears flowing down his face as he stroked her hair softly. "You've always taken care of me, Cameron," he whispered. "Now it's my turn."

He stood up abruptly, meeting Riley's eyes. "I'm going to get that chip back."

"I'll go with you," Riley offered softly.

John scowled as he brushed past her and grabbed his jacket and gun. "No. You've done enough damage."

Riley's face fell. "John, please…I…I'm so sorry. I should never have gone along with Jesse's plan. I see that now."

"Little late for that," John retorted darkly. "You may has well have killed her. You and your friend Jesse."

Riley looked away. "She's not my friend. She's made that perfectly clear."

John glanced up, some of his anger dissolving. "She's the one who hit you, not your foster dad." Riley didn't answer, and that was confirmation enough for John. He gritted his teeth. He understood being a hardcore soldier, someone who had their whole life ripped apart, but he couldn't understand how this rogue fighter could condone physically abusing Riley in order to demand cooperation. Not just any warrior, a resistance fighter, one of his soldiers.

Maybe I'm not as good a leader as they think I am.

"John," Riley pleaded. "Please let me help you. Let me help Cameron. Let me make it up to you both."

"I don't know if you can."

"Let me try, please, John," Riley begged. John stared at her, seeing the genuine emotion on her face. She wasn't lying. She truly felt horrible about the situation. She'd been manipulated by this Jesse person, and now she honestly wanted forgiveness, redemption. A second chance.

"I know where he is," Riley spoke up.

"What?"

"Cromartie," she replied. "You're John Connor, his target, his whole purpose in life is to hunt and kill you. He knows you're here at the camp. He won't leave while you're right under his fingertips."

John put his head in his hands. "He's laid a trap." Of course he would. It was just like Cromartie to do that.

"He knows you'll come for Cameron's chip. It doesn't take a genius to decipher what's between you too. He may not be human, but he's programmed to understand that much. Jesse and I found a small building hidden in the woods. It had a bunch of computers and transmitting equipment inside. I think it's his temporary base."

"Did you destroy it?"

"No. We thought it might be yours."

John bit his lip. No, it definitely wasn't anything his mother or Derek had set up. "That's where he is. That's where Cameron is."

"You're walking into a trap."

John clenched his jaw. "I'm going anyway."

"I'm not trying to stop you. But would Cameron want you to risk your life to save her?"

John didn't want to think about the answer to that. He knew exactly what it was. He also knew he couldn't abide by it. Everything hinged on getting back her chip. Everything hinged on both of them surviving the upcoming confrontation with Cromartie. They were connected in that way. If he were killed and she saved, he knew exactly what would happen. She'd get Derek or Sarah to destroy her. Or she'd find a way to self-terminate, despite her programming.

Just like he would if Cromartie crushed her chip before he could get it back.

Guess we really are like Romeo and Juliet. I just hope we have a happier ending.

**********

Derek Reese sat motionless in the middle of the warehouse, a dozen conflicting thoughts running through his head. None of them seemed to make any sense.

Sarah was right: going after Cromartie right now was a suicide mission. He'd be waiting for them, no doubt with an ambush. And without Cameron, they had no protection, no upper hand.

But... John was right also. If Cromartie got the information from Cameron's chip... if he sent that to Skynet, they'd all be compromised. Skynet would know everything. They'd know about Kyle. I can't let my brother die again.

And...was Jesse right? Right to take matters into her own hands like this? Right to force Riley into it, risking the life of a young innocent girl? Did she have the right to go against John Connor, even if he was making questionable decisions in the future? And were they really questionable? Was Cameron really corrupting him? Or was this whole situation just horribly misunderstood?

Back in the forest, Cameron had saved his life… because it was sacred. Worth saving. She could have easily let him die and no one would have blamed her. John would have accepted anything, and Cameron could simply have said she couldn't leave John's side. Even Sarah wouldn't have doubted that. But she had left John's side. She'd come to his rescue. Not because John had ordered her to, but because she felt it was the right thing to do. It wasn't how she was supposed to act. It wasn't how a machine was supposed to act. It had proved to him that John was right: Cameron was different. Different… but still one of them. So why did it feel like a betrayal to leave her to die at Cromartie's hands if he could help save her? Like she helped save him?

He stood up quickly, almost involuntarily. No. She wasn't going out like this. He'd make sure of it. John still needed her, they all still needed her. And besides, he needed to help John.

He knew his nephew well enough to know he'd be gone within the hour, effortlessly searching for her, despite his mother's order. When John Connor believed in something enough to defy his mother and risk his own life, it was important.

So Derek Reese believed in it too.

********

John ducked around the corner outside Cromartie's hidden base camp, careful not to crunch any twigs. Riley was right behind him, having led him here. And he had no doubt Cromartie was inside. Maybe he was trying to access Cameron's chip right now.

As soon as he turned the corner, he nearly ran directly into Derek and his mother, who were both heavily armed. His mouth dropped open in shock. "Derek! Mom!" he hissed. "What are you doing here?" Had they really come to help Cameron? Had he gotten through to them?

Sarah was still guarded in her response. "I'm here to keep you from getting yourself killed."

He had suspected as much. They weren't here to help Cameron; they were here to protect him. Always to protect. He blew out a breath, frustrated both with them and himself. They still couldn't accept his decisions; he still couldn't convince them.

As Sarah slipped into the building to take her position, John felt Derek lay a hand on his shoulder. It was strong, yet caring at the same time. John looked up, surprised to see absolute determination in his uncle's eyes.

"We're going to get her back, John. I promise."

He didn't say anything else, merely walked in to join Sarah, but John stared after him with wonderment. Derek had meant it that time. In those few words, he had relayed so much. John didn't know if it had something to do with Cameron saving Derek's life earlier, but his uncle seemed adamant on completing this mission.

Maybe Derek was ready to trust again.

Maybe Derek was ready to fight.

*************

John hid behind a stack of computer boxes, trying to see Cromartie, feeling a bizarre sense of dejavu. It had been like this is his nightmare. Him hiding in the shadows while Cromartie held Cameron's chip.

"John Connor," Cromartie stated in his familiar monotone. "I've been waiting for you."

John had a sudden urge to leap out and start shooting, but he reined it in. If he was going to get Cameron's chip back, he needed to be smart. He also needed to trust. Everyone one else was in position, at the ready. Riley was at his side and he could feel her quivering both with fear and determination. Derek and Sarah were across from him, trying to work their way behind Cromartie, guns ready, waiting for his order.

But it was Cromartie who moved first. The Terminator set Cameron's chip down on a table and backed away a few meters, as if daring John to come out and retrieve it.

"John Connor!" Cromartie called. "If you don't come out, I'll destroy her." The Triple 8 pulled out a gun and aimed it at Cameron's chip.

John's fingers tightened on the edge of the box he was hiding behind and he almost couldn't breathe. It was exactly what had happened in his horrible nightmare. He couldn't move, couldn't decide. If he showed himself, Cromartie would shoot him. If he didn't, Cromartie would shoot Cameron.

He'd die either way.

He inadvertently locked eyes with his mother and saw horror form on her face. She could read in his expression what he was thinking, what he'd already unconsciously decided. John moved for the chip, darting out from behind his cover. He heard some shots ring out from Derek and Sarah on the other side, catching Cromartie's attention as the heavy slugs from Derek's sniper rifle ripped into the machine's face. The Terminator turned to face the threat, firing in their direction.

John grabbed the chip and spun to run back under cover. At that point, Cromartie whirled around with his pistol and John heard the shot ring out.

Time seemed to slow down and John knew instantly he was dead… Cromartie's shot would fly true…

Suddenly Riley was in front of him, the bullet meant for him ripping into her shoulder. His eyes widened in horror.

"Riley!"

She cried out and he caught her as she fell, dragging her backwards behind the cover of the crates. John desperately pressed his hand to the wound, trying to slow the bleeding.

Across the room, Sarah cursed their misfortunate and spun her head to regard Derek. "Tell me you brought them this time."

Despite the situation, Derek grinned and pulled a few grenades out of his bag. He hurled one at Cromartie's feet, the explosion blowing the Terminator backwards and sending him crashing into the wall.

Sarah continued to lay down the covering fire, shouting at John. "Go get Cameron!"

John's anxious eyes flashed from his mother to Riley, who was clutching her shoulder, hissing through her teeth from the pain. He felt so helpless.

"Go, John," Riley groaned. "Go get her."

John hesitated. How could he leave her like this? Injured, maybe dying…all because of him? Riley grasped his arm tightly, eyes burning with grave intensity.

"Go get her… or we're all dead…"

John stood up, sending one last frightened look at his mother.

"Run, John!" she screamed.

And John Connor ran. Out the door of Cromartie's base and into the woods, tearing through the forest back towards camp at a breakneck pace. And all the while, he was positively terrified. Still terrified from being so close to losing Cameron, terrified that Riley would die from the shot meant for him, one more person to add to his mental tally of those who were killed in his name.

He clutched Cameron's chip tightly. He may have gotten it back, but they weren't out of this yet.

He ran faster than he ever had before.