Chapter 2

The days became long. The nights even longer. Since John had about a week ago chased Cameron, he wasn't really able to sleep anymore. His thoughts always strolled to his metal protector. And it wasn't the lack of security that preoccupied him… Even if it felt hard to admit: he missed Cameron.

And by day, he couldn't really focus on anything either. He had collected the hardware from Morris and had apologized for his impolite behavior in the gaming hall, but his attempts to extract any useful information from the chip failed dramatically. At the beginning John still had the impression to catch a few vague pictures, but for several hours he hadn't seen anything at all.

Suddenly John remembered that increasing the power tension had helped at the beginning to get going. Maybe it still wasn't sufficient? He was a little worried that the processor could be damaged, but decided nevertheless to still crank it up considerably.

When his modem suddenly started to make dial noises, John was quite astonished. He hadn't started an Internet connection after all? Then the screen turned red, and John caught sight of himself, filmed by his own webcam.

He still hadn't really grasped what was going on, when the door to his room bursted open and Cameron stormed inside.

"Cameron!", John shouted out happily.

"John! The laptop! Vick's primary functions!" Cameron threw herself at the laptop and started hastily to plug out the electricity and network connections. John hurried to the chip port and pulled the chip out.

"Was Vick able to go online?", John asked. Cameron shook her head pensively. "No, I think the connection wasn't established yet."

Then an embarrassing silence followed. After about ten seconds, Cameron interrupted the awkward moment. "I'm Sorry, John, I won't harass you any longer. I'm already gone." She made a few steps towards the door.

"No", John begged immediately.

Cameron turned around and cocked her head. "You didn't want to ever see me again?"

"That's not what I intended! I've overreacted emotionally. That sometimes happens with humans. Look, it's just that… Every single time Derek or Sarah had a go at you, I have always defended you without hesitation. Even when you've broken your promise about destroying Vick completely, I haven't questioned your good intentions for a single second."

"That's why I somehow hoped you'd value that", John continued. "And that in return, you'd also put your trust in me. Whatever it is that you think you cannot tell me yet… I would have wished for you to try me. And to have faith that I would deal with the truth in a considerate way."

Cameron seemed to think about John's speech for a moment. Then a smile appeared on her face, and she spoke the words that John appreciated so much: "Thank you for explaining."

Now it was John's turn to beam: "I was already scared to hell that I wouldn't ever hear this phrase again."

Cameron sat down on John's bed, and her expression became serious again. "Your arguments are logical. You are John Connor. Perhaps you have a right to learn the whole truth. But…"

"But?", John tried to dig deeper.

What now followed would put John into shock. He had expected any reaction. Avoidances. Promises. Conditions. But he wasn't prepared in any way to the reply he actually got.

"I'm scared", Cameron whispered.