Chapter 03; John Fucking Conner

'What the hell is all that noise!' John Conner ran down the stairs. He looked down into the main hall. It was the largest and most of the time people sat there to talk a bit. But now two people in the middle were yelling at each other. It was his son, Kyle, and a girl he had never seen before. Around them was a large circle of people. Quickly John checked if anyone was wearing guns. Yes, almost everyone was. But so far no one was willing to use it. He gestured to his commanders not to break up, yet. He leaned against the railing and looked, but above all: listened.
'O shut up!' Kyle yelled back.
'No, I will not shut up!' the girl said fierce, raising her arms, 'I mean: what have you ever done for me to tell me things? Just because your last name happens to be Conner, does not make you a king!'
'My father-' he tried, but Cameron was already on top of him. John was a bit dazzled by it. Normally no one was arguing about these things. Or was it just, not out loud?
'O, bla bla bla!' the girl said, 'What did your father ever do to be such a hero? O right, he did not do it yet, right? He will still do his heroic act which will safe us all, in the future, right? Question: why didn't he go back, again like his mother and father, and stop Skynet from ever happening?'
'Because…' Kyle did not know, he had never thought about it like that.
'Why not? Didn't that Terminator protect him, because he knew that John Conner would safe mankind? Why not go back and stop everything from happening? What did Conner ever really do, that other people did not also do, that gave him the right to be worshiped like some prince? Just because his name is John fucking Conner everybody think he's amazing! What the hell did he do? Fucking tell me! My team did almost all the same things! Many other people I know are fucking greater heroes than Conner!'
'That's enough, girl,' a man stepped forward and pointed his gun at her. The girl walked closer and even against the gun and looked the man straight in his eyes. John was amazed by her courage.
'Shoot me,' she said, loud and clear again, 'Shoot me! If you think your Conner is worth killing humans for, go ahead. But it just proves what I just say.'
'This is enough,' Lieutenant Barnes said and walked down the stairs, 'Alright people, show's over.'
'Don't,' Will said, when he saw Cameron wanted to step forward again. Kyle just looked at her.
'What's your name, girl?' after two days, he still did not know it.
'Cameron,' she said.
'And your last name?' he asked.
'Left, together with my father when he left me after my mother had died giving birth to me,' she said, turned around and walked away. Kyle gasped at the girl. Abounded by her father. Her mother died. Perhaps that was the reason for her hate against John Conner? He did not know. Kyle looked up and saw his father. Following the girl without a last name with his eyes. He got served, he knew. Kyle also knew that he would be hearing it the upcoming weeks. He shrugged, she was good. John gestured Barnes to come up. Within five steps the dark Lieutenant was above the stairs in within another five steps he stood before his best friend and leader.
'Who was that?' he asked, 'Where does she come from?'
'Came with Reese,' Barnes said, looking at the girl with John, 'Shot by seven bullets, already walking.'
'God,' John sighed.
'Jumped before her teammate Will Green, to protect him,' Barnes said, 'And also hates you to the bone.'
'Noticed that,' John said and smiled, 'I want to talk to her.'

'It's open,' Tim yelled when someone knocked at their door. Just to be sure, the guys had brought Cameron to their room. Some people could get really pissed if you offended one of the Conner but a little bit. Since Cameron had crossed the line by miles and miles, they thought it would be safest, for everyone, to calm down a bit. In the doorway several people stood, but only one entered. It was the same man Cameron had bumped up against lately.
'We're looking for Cameron?' he said, raising an eyebrow, since he saw only men.
'Yes?' he heard her voice and she slit the ladder of her bed and walked up to him. It was the same girl. Even though she looked a lot smaller. She was not scared. She was not intimidated. She just walked up to him and looked at him.
'Are you Cameron?' John asked, just to be sure.
'Yes, and who are you?' she said, still looking him straight in the eyes.
'John fucking Conner,' he said. Did he see this girl before, she looked to familiar? He reached his hand and she shook it. There was no sing of her feeling sorry, of feeling shame in her eyes.
'I'd like to have a word with you,' he said, when she again just looked at him with her big brown eyes. Now she quickly looked over her shoulder.
'Go ahead, we have no secrets,' she said. Damn, those used to be my words!, he thought.
'Alone,' he said. She raised her eyebrows, shrugged and nodded.
'Alright,' she said. John nodded at the men behind her. A small nod was their answer and he turned around.
'I don't think we have ever met before, right?' John said as he scratched his small beard and sat down on the opposite side of the table. Three other men also sat around the table, one of them was Derek, he looked worried. Behind Cameron stood a woman, just in case.

'Not that I can remember,' Cameron said, choosing her words carefully. She did not know if he was there when she was born or not. She could get so angry at the thought of him playing a hero here and just leaving her! No one knew she was his daughter. And no one would ever know.
'Do you have a last name, Cameron?' John asked.
'No, I do not,' Cameron said, raising her voice a bit and than coughed slightly. To make it look like she did not do it on purpose.
'How come?' John asked, even though he could see the look of Derek. He warned him: do not do it! But why did he warn him? Did he know something? Was he hiding something? Suddenly a thought slowly came up in John's mind: what if this girl was Derek's daughter? Could it be? He had been speaking of a woman. No, it could not have been! Derek would have told him, right?
'Because,' Cameron said and sighed, 'I don't know the last name of my mother.'
'And your father,' John asked and he could see Derek closing his eyes. When he looked back at Cameron he could see there was a fire in her eyes.
'Left me and my mother,' she said, 'My mother died when she gave birth to me and father just never wanted me.'
'How do you know this all?' he was curious about this. Most of the time when you knew that story, you also knew the people who were in it by name.
'The people who looked after me told me,' she said. She acutally already wanted to tell him 'Don't you know?' for three times.
'What were their names?' John asked, he could see she was getting annoyed by all his questions.
'Amy and Jethro,' she said, 'the parents of my mother Katherine.'
'Katherine?' John eyes said and he swallowed. Kate's parents were also named Amy and Jethro, 'and what is their last name?'
'I don't know, alright!' she snapped, 'If I knew, I'd told you!'
'Calm down!' the woman behind her said and laid a hand on her shoulder. Cameron looked a moment at John, than sat back in her chair and tried to relax her body a bit.
'Anything else?' she asked. John looked at the people around the table.
'Don't make so much noise anymore,' one of them said.
'True, if you have a problem, just tell it to one of the commanding officers,' John said.
'Will do,' she said, looking at Derek.
'Good,' Derek said and nodded.
'If I may, Reese,' she said, looking at him, 'When are we leaving?'
'Not for the time being,' John said, 'It's not safe.'
'Reese?' she said, ignoring John completely.
'When it's safe,' Derek assured her, looking at John in one blink.
'Fine,' Cameron said and stood up. She looked at all the men, saluted slightly and walked away.

'And?' Alex asked.
'Fuck, him,' Cameron said pronouncing the words short and clear.
'Why do you even hate him so much?'
'You don't understand,' she sighed.
'I would if you'd tell me,' he tried.
'Alright: you cannot understand,' she said looking him in the eyes.
'You can try,' he said and smiled.
'No,' she said and shook her head, 'I can't.'
'Why not, Cam?' he asked and sat down beside her on her bed.
'Cause…' she tried to think of a reason.
'Don't lie, alright?' he said, 'Every time either the subject family or Conner comes up, you either stop talking or you freak out.'
'I'm sorry,' she said and smiled, 'I'll try to calm down.'
'Good, cause I'd almost think those two were related!' Cameron tried not to look busted.
'As long as Conner just stays out of my way,' she said and laid down.
'Yeah, that's going to be difficult,' Alec sighed, 'since he's the leader here and all, you know?'
'Fuck that,' she said and smiled.
'You, miss, should watch your language!' Alec said and tickled her.
'No! Stop, stop!' Cameron shrieked and tried to escape.
'No bad words for you, young miss!' Alec said again and kept on tickling her.
'Stop! Stop!' Cameron said and jumped up, landing with her face right in front of him. They both stopped and looked at each other. Cameron could feel his breath and was afraid he could hear her heartbeat. He leaned forward and kissed her.
'Sorry,' he said and backed off.
'Don't be,' she smiled.
'Question,' Josh suddenly came into the room, immediately Alec and Cameron backed off, 'what do you get, if you combine-'
'We don't know!' Cameron already gave up.
'Gee, am I sneaking up to something?' Josh said and smiled.
'No,' Cameron immediately denied.
'Of course nor,' Josh said, moving his eyebrows up and down.
'You're a dead man if you tell,' Alec threatened.
'Like how? Will my name suddenly be Josh fucking McCoy?' he teased.
'Sure as hell will be!' Cameron said and threw a pillow.