A million thanks to those who read and a billion to those who reviewed!!!
TSCC FAN: Thanks and I'm glad you enjoyed it! The thing about Cameron is explained in part 2 (about the middle which is about 10 chapters in). Just to warn you about the long wait. I'm trying to update a little quicker but I'm losing my motivation to write some portions of the story. (I'm having a small writer's block…) Anyway, thanks so much for this review!
mshig11: I was hoping the Jameron's and cat's scene would appeal to you! And thanks! Thanks again for the criticism; I'll take note of that! I always get the bullets and slug stuff mixed up! (Not a weapon person!)
Darkvampirewitch: Thanks! And don't worry, more Jameron to come!
T.R. Samuels: Thanks so much! I'm glad it has improved! I went back to read my first story and realizes how bad the writing is compared to this! I'm so glad you're getting the part that making John a father will change him! Thank you so much for this review!
Nomad79: Thank you so much! And yes, I wouldn't mind telling you, the actions starts next chapter and would be a tornado before it settles!
Mitchellsunf: Thank you! I hope I don't disappoint but the next chapter (after this) would be chalked full of non stop action!
zahnfan23: Thanks! And more changes will come for John later on!
kaotic2: Thanks! I was kind of lost at first at how to get rid of it. I wanted John to be able to kill it but couldn't think of anything that would deem possible other than Cameron coming to the rescue (which is old, to me.)
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Thank you so much for all the reviews! Those really help in the making of this chapter and I hope you won't be disappointed but I promise the next chapter would be awesome with the action in it!
Plus, sorry this took so long. I am already working on the part 2! It turned out quite good. So here's chapter 23 with less action but leap for the characters.
Enjoy!
Chapter 23: Progress?
The next day, Aiden called again to tell them the investigation is still on and the police told him to seal off Kaliba due to the lost of important documents. They had not decided when it would be back. It was all over the news.
It worried Cameron that the police are onto this, taking this case so seriously but John kicked back and relax. He had already had a back-up plan if the police are on this at full force. He hacked into the LAPD network, observing every single clue they obtained.
Two dead bodies, a broken lock of the drawer and bullets from a common pistol that almost everyone in LA have. It pleased John that they managed to pull off a mission so cleanly.
John hacked into the LAPD today again. The last time he did was a day ago. He gained access to the file under Aiden's house robbery case and found that there wasn't any much clue. They however speculate that the robber had not entered through the front but through the back.
I didn't know they have a back…John mused. He sighed, leaning back in the couch and placing his injured ankle on the table. He looked around curiously, "Cameron?" He called but there wasn't a reply. He left the place at the couch and limped to the kitchen where she went to last to make him a fruit juice.
He found her back to him, standing at the table in the middle of the kitchen, "Cam, what's wrong?" He rounded her and saw what she was looking at. It was the news today and their scoop was all over the headlines:
TWO MARTIN BEDELL FOUND DEAD.
John titled his neck and read the first few lines. The Martin they tried to save was killed in cold blood in his destroyed house and the second Martin Bedell which they intended to save was killed in his apartment.
That son of a bitch went back to his house! John thought angrily. He sighed, running his fingers through his hair, propping his head up on the table by his hand supporting his forehead.
He looked up at Cameron, noticing her disturbed look. She looked just as angry as he was.
"Cameron." He reached out, touching her clenched fist gently, "We tried." He mumbled, trying to comfort her when he wasn't doing so good himself. John felt enraged and that all their efforts went down the drain.
"We failed." Cameron spoke monotonously, "I failed you."
"We failed." John nodded softly. He leaned in, propped up on his elbows, "This is war. There are always success and failure. Then there is victory and losses."
"No." Cameron shook her head with a small smile, "You'll always win in the end. I know that."
John couldn't help but offer a silly grin, "I know. I'm John Connor." His statement went along with a little pride. He doesn't hate himself anymore. The faith he had from Cameron brought him to his feet. He is a man who achieve great things but things aren't achieve without sacrifices.
In the past, he had been naïve. He always thought people are important and he wasn't wrong but to win a chess match, you must always be bold, calculative and most importantly, willing to sacrifice.
(0)
"So we grab him, throw him in a hole, babysit?" John asked, leaning back into the seat. He is still uncomfortable with the bloody seat Cameron is sitting on. The driver seat was coated in dried blood and it was a risk driving this stolen SUV out so quickly but she didn't want to wait for John to make a plate or even clean the car first.
"Yes. I'll grab him and throw him into a hole. You'll babysit him," Cameron replied monotonously as she gripped the steering wheel tighter, eyes always on the road.
"Great, I'm looking forward to it." John played along sarcastically, hand testing the pistol in his hand.
Just this morning, they checked the information they could obtain on Palto and found out that the soldiers are permitted to return home at the end of the month on Sunday. Today is the last Sunday of the month, so as the papers wrote, they're going to his house.
"Figure the Triple eight gets there before we do?" John asked with a frown.
"We kick his ass." Cameron stated blankly.
"I like that plan." John smirked.
Cameron didn't reply him and instead changed the subject, "Get the shotguns, we're almost there." John nodded, reaching in the back seat for them. He was a little sour at her seriousness when it came to a mission. It was great that she is, but a little humor wouldn't kill, would it?
The drive was shorter this time and they arrived in 3 minutes. Cameron slowed the SUV to a stop cautiously as she stared shell shocked at the house. John was no better: his mouth was hung open, stunned by the state of the poor house.
The once beautiful white house was now in pieces. The front yard is fine but the fences are totally destroyed. There was a huge hole in the white door, leaving it hanging limply by the hinges. The windows are completely shattered.
"Wow," John gaped, "What happened here? Armageddon?"
Cameron turned to him, frowning, "Armageddon?"
John faced her, raising his eyebrow, "You don't know what Armageddon means?"
"Yes. It means the end of the world." Cameron replied. John nodded before turning back to stare at the house, "but it only happens approximately four years later if there isn't a change to the timeline when we destroyed the Turk." She frowned monotonously, thoroughly confused.
John spun around, a little annoyed but he replied her well-temperedly, "We'll talk about the end of the world when we get back okay?" He smiled, "Come on. Let's go."
John jumped out of the SUV, tucking the pistol under his jacket, deciding to leave the shotgun. Cameron got off at the other side of the car, stowing her pistol away in her holster. She was a little out of shape with the posture. Although her wounds healed quickly but her rib sustained a little unhealed damage from the bullet and it hurts her when she stretched. Her thigh was fully healed by the time she woke from last night.
John was doing quite okay considering the massage she got from Cameron this morning on his ankle.
They marched up to the house, joining the small group of teenagers standing by the messed up house, gossiping. John merged into them.
"What happened here?" He asked with a curious smile.
"Don't know man." A boy replied, "Heard some dude came to the place. Some chick came; little fire fight went on then heard she took off in a car or something."
John froze, "What'd she look like?"
"I don't know. Didn't really see her,"
John nodded, stepping away from the teenager. He stood beside Cameron, leaning to his side and mumbled, "Triple eight was here." He stated.
"Definitely." Cameron nodded, ignoring John's objection, and marched into the destroyed house. He followed her, trying to ignore the mumbles from the crowd. Cameron was oblivious to it as she bent over and picked at a grass with her finger. He looked over her shoulder and saw a spot of blood on her hand, "Some one got hurt,"
"Figure its Bedell?"
"Triple Eight."
"Guess or genetics?" John mumbled as they walked into the house.
"Guess." Cameron moved the door a little so they could slip in. The house looked worst on the inside than out. The television screen was cracked, obviously caused by a stray bullet. The remains of a fish tank stood by the television. The walls were decorated with bullets and the furniture was destroyed by them.
John and Cameron split up. They want to gather they're clues and scram as soon as possible, before the FBI show up. John looked around the one storey house, examining every single clue he could find. Occasionally, he shot glances to Cameron. She was always looking around the house meticulously.
John concentrated on his own investigation, not having a clue what they're looking for. Then he saw something. He bent over at the waist by the wall beside the door and reached out, touching the bullet embedded in the cushion of the wall. He withdrew his hand, finding powdery substance on it.
"Cameron!" John called out, dusting the substance off his finger. Cameron walked over on his call, "Search is over. I know who's been here."
"Bedell?"
"No, not our show anymore. Let's go home." John smiled, taking her hand. She looked puzzled but decided not to pursue the answer now. She'll ask him later. She squeezed his hand and followed John as he walked through the open backyard glass sliding door and slipped to their SUV without the crowd's noticing.
(0)
"Sarah?" Cameron asked doubtfully, looking as John walked into the kitchen, pouring himself some juice.
"Mom now," John smirked at her, leaning against the counter by the fridge.
"John, I'm serious."
"So am I!" He gave her a half smile, gulping down the juice.
"So you're saying Mom faced the triple eight, kicked his ass, took Bedell and went back to the house until the storm's over?"
"Yes but not the kicking ass part."
"How'd you know?" Cameron followed him closely as he deposited the empty glass into the sink and head out into the living room, settling down in front of the laptop.
"Thermite. In the bullet embedded in the wall." John replied simply, "Who else but Sarah Connor would have destroyed the poor kid's house like that?"
Cameron smiled, sitting down beside him when he reached up and held her hand, guiding her into his arms, "and who else but John Connor would've done the exact same thing with the first poor kid?" She commented.
John grinned, pulling Cameron into his embrace. She rested her cheek on his chest for a moment before pulling away.
"You're very happy," Cameron stated with a small smile.
"Yes."
"You're happy Sarah's still working towards her promise to you."
"Yeah," John nodded, grinning from ear to ear, "She said she'll stop it and she's still working towards it."
"So are you."
John smiled at her, stroking her hair gently, "Let's not make this about my mom," He whispered into her ear before turning and planting a small but seductive kiss on the sensitive portion just in front of her ear.
"John," Cameron smiled, shying away.
"I didn't have my way last night." John scowled playfully.
"And you wouldn't now." Cameron grinned, leaving the couch. She walked to the kitchen, feeling a slight throb in her ribs as she stood.
"Where are you going?" John asked.
"Didn't you say you wanted to clean the car?" Cameron replied from the kitchen.
"Oh right, the car. Ours now." John mumbled to himself before picking himself up. They spent the rest of the time forging to car number plate out, thanks to Cameron's expertise with tools.
John bend over, scrubbing the leather with a cotton cloth gently, careful not to spoil the leather while he got the blood off the seat. Cameron was cleaning the car's roof. They had decided to make the best out of the job since they are cleaning the car.
No one spoke, each caught up in their own job. John had a lot of consider now. He didn't have a good feeling about having to bring Cameron along to save Bedell but she insisted and he had no choice but he knew it is dangerous for her to do this.
There is a change in this game now. His mother is definitely in it like she used to be but he also had to be careful to avoid her. Now that Cameron's pregnant and they're married, John could not guess how Sarah would react. She might freak out and put a bullet into Cameron or freak out and calm after a while but John would rather not take that chance.
This screwed with his head. He started to wonder if he should step back and re-plan their life from now on. He was almost certain when the little one step into their life, it was impossible for them to work at Kaliba for sure or who would take care of the baby? He didn't trust anyone to take care of him/her other than Cameron and himself.
Maybe he should take them away from here and forget this till the baby is due? For one, they would be safe and for another, their kid would grow up in a safer environment than when they stayed in LA. John completed the seats and proceeded to the car plate while Cameron worked on the rest of the car.
John glanced up and smiled as he spot the prominent mold under her tight fitting shirt. He noticed she absolutely loathe bending over now with the little bulge giving her slight abdomen cramps once in a while.
*
The next day, they went to Kaliba when Aiden send out a mass email to tell them it was okay to report to work. John felt uncomfortable for the fact that Kaliba is crawling with LAPD officers at almost every department. They went to the third level and had a small meeting with the rest of the AI teams and were given a bunch of blueprints to work on.
John was asked to go to the structure department to help out for the moment, since that's his area of expertise. He was reluctant to leave Cameron's side and it didn't take long before their team members know about Cameron's pregnancy.
John was exasperated when he found out by lunchtime, almost the whole corporation know about it, judging by the amount of congratulations he received by just walking to the cafeteria.
Later, John and Cameron was called to Aiden's office to have a small talk and found out Aiden intended to split them up into different departments along with the decision to make them permanent staffs. He said John was to be transferred to structure department and Cameron was to remain in the AI department with her wide knowledge of AI technology.
John had immediate objections but was simmered down by Aiden's statement about the fact that both departments would be working really closely from now on. He was not satisfied with this arrangement but Cameron immediately interrupted before he blew their cover, and told Aiden that it was alright.
"Cameron," John growled the moment they stepped out of Aiden's office.
"You heard him, the two departments would be working very closely anyway." Cameron waved his worries off although her mind is drowning it them for him. She watched as John glanced at her unconvinced. She finally said, knowing he'll agree to this, "Besides, you get to gain access to the stock supplies of coltan. You love coltan." She said slyly.
John stood there, getting her small hint and followed her, still a little angry at Cameron's disregard to her own safety.
They entered their working room at level three, finding it empty but it wasn't surprising. Their team members are always going to other teams to exchange ideas and so on.
"I would not be able to protect you when we are in different departments," Cameron spoke.
John looked angry and shocked, "Oh who cares about my safety?!"
"You should."
"I should care about yours." He snapped quickly, careful not to be too harsh on her.
"Listen, you keep your personal belongings with you," Cameron mumbled, wrapping her arm around his waist and feeling the Glock on the holster at the back of his jeans, "Anything's up, you know how to contact me," She smiled before releasing him. John nodded reluctantly, turning to collect his files.
Cameron sat down at the desk and beginning on her idea of the AI. She gave him a small smile when he pecked her on the top of her head before leaving the room.
John felt nervous to be away from her especially when they are in the enemy's territory. Either way, this isn't working out well at all for them. He entered the elevator and went to the 2nd storey to the main office of the structure department.
He knocked on the door and was invited in. He recognized the man behind the desk. He was the same guy who came to their office the other day and got into quite a heated argument with Noah for the fact he refuses to extend the deadline to a particular project.
"You're Mr Gale?" He asked.
"Yes, sir." John nodded.
"Your work would be simple. Machines go haywire, you fix them. Machines don't, you help out in shifting the coltan." He said.
"And my job parameters are?"
That man narrowed his eyes at John, "you have none, according to Mr Frye. He said you are a talented boy."
"Not a boy." John corrected him.
"Talented person." He sneered at John before turning and walking away.
"Hey!" John called after him, "What am I supposed to do? Now?"
"Walk around. Be comfortable while you last."
For the rest of the day, John spent his time familiarizing with the environment while he serviced the machines in the small coltan producing factory. He walked down the hallway when no one was in sight and stopped at the door that wrote: Records.
John dug into his pocket and got to work.
*15 minutes later
"Gale!"
John looked up nervously, stowing the notepad into the pocket of his jacket.
"I'm here!" John replied to the call, stepping out behind the desk.
It was the man who showed him to his working area, which is pretty much the entire factory.
"What are you doing in the record room?" He demanded, taking a step closer to John. He put his arm behind his back, fingering his Glock and thanking it for being there.
"I…I was familiarizing with the records of our stock supply." John replied firmly, "Being comfortable, like you said."
He stared at John, grinding his teeth in frustration before bursting into a smirk. He took John by the shoulder and guided him out of the room, "You know, Gale. There is a time when this little employee I had. He walked into Mr Frye's office and 'have a look around'."
"So?" John frowned as they came to stop outside the door. That man turned and shut the door, placing his key into the lock and turning it counter clockwise; a click was heard and the door was locked; secured.
"He was fired on immediately actions." He whipped around and looked John into the eye, "So, I'm telling you there are places you are not to go to or it could come to terrible consequences."
"I've been into more terrible ones," John smiled, "But I'll take note of that. Thanks."
"For your own sake."
"For my own sake." John smirked, "Excuse me sir, but may I know your name or at least how I should address you?"
"Walsh."
"Alright then, Mr Walsh. I'll head to places I should be, assuming it is the control room." John nodded and walked away.
Mr Walsh frowned after him in realization, "Hey Gale!" John turned in response, face calm and stoic, "How'd you get into the record room anyway? Last I remembered, it was locked."
John feigned an innocent expression, replying with a shrug, "Is it?" Mr Walsh stared at him for a moment. John didn't receive any reply as Mr Walsh frowned to himself.
John turned and walked away, hand flying up to push the pin into the pocket just before it slips out deposit earlier.
To be continued…
Next chapter: Cameron's worst nightmare haunted her as things made a turn for the worst for them when Kaliba decided to make necessary actions against them.
ANNOUNCEMENT: Please take note that this story will be put into two parts as it adds up to about 60 to 70 chapters. So technically, this whole story line from 'double metal' would be about 5 whole 'season'. Tentatively, the part 2 of 'I'll Always Come For you' (This is 31 chapters) would be titled 'Nothing We Can Do' (Number of chapters undecided). I'll make another announcement later on! Thank you for reading the story and making all this possible!