CHAPTER 24

John did not immediately respond. He remained locked in his original position, silently bent over Cameron still staring into her brown eyes. He was utterly unaware that he was delicately caressing the side of Cameron's face with his fingertips. Complete shock had overtaken him. He had yet to even notice that Cameron was patiently awaiting his response. She slowly blinked her eyes.

"John…" She again whispered. There was another moment of silence before she spoke again. "Are you alright?" She asked immediately having noticed the bruising on John's face from his prior torture inflicted at the hands of his father and uncle.

"Are…are you real?" John asked not able to mask the fear in his voice. Cameron's face remained nearly impassive, but it had begun to soften ever so slightly.

"Yes…" She replied as John's fingers continued to stroke her soft skin as he stared into her eyes.

"Is this a dream?" He then asked his eyes still searching for further confirmation. Cameron ever so slightly shook her head.

"No…" She responded her voice still peaceful.

"I thought I'd lost you…" John said at last noticing that he was touching her; he however did not recoil as he had done so many other times in the past. He slowly cupped his hand around her cheek, caressing Cameron's face as she gazed into his eyes. The tender moment was fleeting however.

Suddenly, Cameron's eyes darted away from John's and she began to quickly look around.

"This is not my body." She said in an almost perplexed tone. In that moment John experienced something completely unexpected; he felt an extreme sense of anxiety flood over him. He realized that he had been so obsessed and yet so doubtful of regaining Cameron that he had completely disregarded any thoughts of what he may tell her if they were finally reunited. John's mouth hung open and he did not respond. As Cameron began to take in her surroundings she spoke again.

"John…" She said, "...where are we?" She quickly sat up forcing John to move away from her and then began to look around the massive room which surrounded them. While her look was subtle it did reflect an aura of concern. After another moment or so Cameron's eyes again met with John's whose facial expression still exhibited an unmistakable anxiety. John's greatest fear now was that Cameron's lack of knowledge about their current situation or what he was attempting to do might somehow endanger her.

"We are in a Skynet base." She said flatly. John nodded his head and looked at Cameron with pleading eyes, begging her not to try and explore the reasons any further.

Before he could say anything or try to signal Cameron, Fischer emerged from the darkness behind John; this instantly drew her attention.

"That is correct Cameron." He said his voice almost as cold as a machine's. "I think I speak on behalf of Skynet when I say…It's good to finally have you back." Fischer's eyes appeared to be dead and lifeless and they stared into Cameron's. There was a clanking sound as two sets of burning crimson eyes suddenly appeared behind him and moments later two T-888's came into the light. Cameron quickly looked over at John whose eyes widened slightly desperately trying to signal Cameron not to push her inquiries any further.

"John…" She said breaking the silence, "…what have you done?"

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Alison's world was spinning, she held her eyes shut because every time she opened them the nausea and dizziness nearly overpowered here. Sounds and voices directed at her seemed to come from distant echoes. The shackles that held her feet to the table and her hands above her head were no longer necessary. She was so weak and disoriented she could not have attempted escape even if those cruel restraints had been removed. Her broken and abused body ached, and she longed for a final resolution to the horror that she was now experiencing.

"So where were we?" Jody asked as she gracefully stepped up alongside the stainless steel table that Alison lay on. The examination gown that Alison wore offered little protection from the cold air inside the interrogation room, she was even too exhausted to shiver

"Tell me about him…" Jody asked in a low seductive voice. Alison's only response was to moan lightly. Jody shook her head.

"Fischer was right about you…" she said as she slowly reached out and gently brushed some of Alison's hair back out of her face. The instant Jody touched her, Alison immediately cringed and tried to jerk her body away, however her unyielding restraints held her firmly in place.

"…you are stronger than you look." Jody said as she continued to caress the side of Alison's face carefully running her fingertips over her cheek and back through her brown hair. Alison kept her eyes closed. Jody moved in closer to Alison and began to whisper in her ear,

"I know that you loved Martin, but he's gone now." Alison visibly grimaced in response to these words, "…there's nothing more you can do for him or his faction. The only thing to do now is save yourself." Jody playfully teased Alison's hair as she continued to speak in a soft voice.

"You're very pretty you know…" Jody said producing a slight smirk, "…it'd be such a waste if anything were to happen to you." Alison swallowed a long hard swallow. "But, I can make sure that doesn't happen." Jody paused briefly, "I don't want to keep hurting you. I want to help you. All I need is a little bit of information and all this will be over." Alison tried to stay perfectly still on the table not moving at all as if that might make her invisible. Shock and disassociation had already begun to take over.

"Tell me where his base is." Jody asked as she traced Alison's face with her fingertip. Alison remained silent.

Suddenly, Jody's anger exploded in response to Alison's continued defiance and she abruptly seized her by the throat. Restrained and exhausted Alison barely moved except to gag for a breath of air.

"Tell me where it is you little bitch!" Jody growled in a frustrated voice as she squeezed tighter. Seconds ticked by for Alison as she felt Jody continue to choke the life from her. To Alison's surprise she found that she was surprisingly calm in the face of death. Where before she had struggled against it, she was now beginning to surrender to the inevitable, in fact she hoped for it; if for anything else to end the pain of it all. Just then, Jody released her neck and stepped back away from Alison who instantly began to cough and gasp for air.

Jody stared down at Alison with a loathsome contempt in her eyes. But after a few moments of indecision an evil smile began to make its way across her face and she moved back in closer to Alison. Leaning over her, Jody moved her face to within inches of Alison, who still kept her eyes closed. Jody softly touched the side of Alison's cheek with her hand.

"Look at me..." she whispered in a soft, pleading voice. "Please..." she begged in a surprisingly submissive voice as she ran her fingers through Alison's hair, smoothing it out.

"I'm not going to hurt you anymore...I promise." Jody's voice was eloquent and seductive. Alison could feel her warm breath on her skin as Jody spoke. Alison clenched her jaw preparing for the worst. Jody's upper body was on top of her now and she was using her forearms to hold herself over Alison. Jody leaned in close to whisper in Alison's ear, her voice was barely audible.

"I have something...well, someone you want." Alison held her eyes shut and the room grew eerily quiet. The only sound came from the fans of the air conditioning units and a strange droning sound that could be heard through one of two doors leading out of the interrogation room. Alison hadn't quite figured out what the sound was, however she did not care much by this point either.

As the quiet lingered on Alison, was unaware that Jody had suddenly begun to smile. She now felt as if she was barely able to contain her excitement for what was about to occur. Jody allowed the smile to fade slightly before continuing,

"I can give you John Connor..." Alison's eyes immediately opened and their eyes momentarily locked as they stared at each other. Jody was now almost giddy with enthusiasm. She nodded her head at Alison as she smiled. Alison did not know how to respond as shock began to sweep over her. Jody slowly slithered her way off of Alison and moved away from the table. She walked over to one of the computer consoles and began to type away on the keyboard. Just then Alison heard a few clicks come from the cameras that were positioned around the room. Jody turned back around and leaned up against the table that was behind her. She smiled coyly,

"It's just us girls now; I turned the cameras off..." Alison gave Jody a confused look in response, "...so that we may talk more freely." she then added. Alison's look remained suspicious, but Jody could instantly tell she had her attention. The camera ploy was something that Fischer had taught her years before. For some reason people seemed to respond instantly to it, Jody did not understand why, she found it rather arousing to know that she was being watched, but no matter, this time there was an actual reason for the illusion. She did not want Skynet to hear what she was about to say.

"You want to stop him don't you?" Jody asked as she walked back over to the table. Alison still did not respond, but now she watched as Jody grew closer until she reached the table's side.

"I understand...I really do." she said. "I don't trust him either." Alison wrinkled her forehead still confused about where this was going. She was trying to remain focused, but the moment she had opened her eyes her head had again begun to pound, the room still felt as if were spinning, and the nausea in her stomach was increasing by second.

"And I'm not the only one that doesn't trust him." Jody fought to hold her enthusiasm inside. Her heart was racing and the thought of what she was about to accomplish produced an incredibly exhilarating sensation.

"If you help me we can both be rid of him." Alison knew it was a lie, it had to be, but her hatred for John was now so strong that she did find some enticement in the offer. She understood that she was dead anyway. Sooner or later Jody was going to kill her, so why not take John with her? It could be her last gift to Martin. Jody continued her sentence,

"We can be rid of him, and his machine friend." Alison's eyes widened. "You already know that was the purpose for bringing you here, why all this has happened. His love for that machine was the reason he betrayed you and everyone you love." Tears were beginning to well up in Alison's eyes; she didn't know what to do. Jody fought against it, but she could not help but to produce an ever so faint smirk across her lips. She knew she had Alison now. Jody momentarily turned away from her only so that she could gracefully slide herself up onto the stainless steel table and sit next to Alison. She then placed her hand on the other side of the table and across Alison's body and leaned slightly over her.

"So..." Jody said in an almost playful voice. "Tell me about John."

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Fischer reached out towards Cameron holding out a white, button down lab jacket. Cameron hesitated as she stood silently staring at both of the T-888's positioned on either side of Fischer.

"Cameron...I'm alright." John said in a quiet voice as Fischer held out the jacket towards her. Cautiously, she retrieved the cloak and put it on. Buttoning the jacket slowly she continued to stare at Fischer and the machines alongside him. Cameron then glanced back over at John whose look was still one of apprehension.

"John..." She said, "What is happening?" Knowing that if his answer sounded even faintly suspicious it would increase the danger to both of them, John quickly searched his mind for a response that Fischer and Skynet would accept given the circumstances. After a split second of hesitation he believed he had found one.

"I had to get you back..." Cameron responded by slightly tilting her head to the side. Before John could go any further Fischer interrupted.

"John has gone to great lengths in order to secure your safety." he said.

"My safety?" Cameron asked.

"Yes, your safety. He has gone through a great deal in order to get you back." Cameron looked back over at John.

"I didn't even know it was possible...Catherine Weaver said that because of what John Henry had done to you we might not even be able to bring you back." Cameron's eyes suddenly began to glance around the room, almost as if she were trying to think of something.

"He is no longer here." she then said.

"John Henry?" John asked again feeling his nervousness grow. He had secretly hoped that somehow without causing any damage to her, John Henry would have been able to elude Skynet's extraction procedures. But, those hopes now appeared to be quickly disappearing.

"Yes..." Cameron responded both she and John immediately looked over at Fischer.

"Ah yes..." he responded, "...the infamous John Henry program." There was a momentary pause on Fischer's part before he continued speaking,

"Skynet was forced to take steps in order to facilitate your safe return."

"Steps?" Cameron asked as she gradually edged her way closer to John, positioning herself between him and the Terminators.

"Yes, the John Henry program was very invasive. It took us quite a bit of time to determine exactly how to safely extract it."

"John Henry is gone?" Cameron asked.

"Quite gone..." Fischer responded with a certain smug satisfaction in his voice. Cameron turned her head to look back at John.

"John..." she said, "You should not have done this..." Still in part trying to play on what he believed would be the appropriate response that Fischer and Skynet expected. John responded,

"I had to..." he whispered. "It was the only way...I had to get you back." Cameron again titled her head slightly to the side as if she were confused by John's statement. The room again fell silent and remained that way for several seconds until Fischer finally broke the still,

"Well...I'm sure you two will want to do some talking..." He then looked over at Cameron, "...you will find that in John's quarters there is more adequate clothing for you." Cameron stared at Fischer; her look could almost be described as distrusting. To his surprise upon looking into her eyes Fischer immediately discovered something very interesting about Cameron. While he knew that she was an infiltrator, her eyes held something distinct, something more...human than anything he had ever seen in a machine before.

What has he done to her? Fischer quietly thought to himself, What has she become? He immediately knew that he would have to explore this mystery further at a later date.

"Shall we go?" Fischer asked as he stepped away from John and Cameron holding out his hand towards the exit. Both of the T-888's stepped out of the way slowly. Cameron looked at Fischer, the Terminators, and then back around the room before cautiously proceeding onward. John followed close behind her as they made their way towards the exit doorway.

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John coyly glanced down at the floor as Cameron finished buttoning up her black cargo pants. She pulled a black long sleeve T-shirt on over her head and covered that with an older leather jacket. John then heard the sound of a zipper as Cameron zipped up the side of her boots.

"You can look at me..." She said as she stood before John. He slowly glanced up into her eyes. There was silence once again inside of the room.

"I'm glad you're back..." John finally managed to say. However, to his dismay Cameron did not return his affection.

"What is happening here?" she asked directly. John's mind frantically began to search for a response. He knew he did not have much time and had to react. Finally, he did the only thing that he could think to do. He moved quickly across the room and threw his arms around Cameron hugging her. If it were possible this action seemed to surprise Cameron. She stood perfectly still for a brief moment, but then something strange happened. Cameron slowly reached up and wrapped her arms back around him. Not taking the time to try and determine the reason for Cameron's actions John moved his head alongside of Cameron's face and gently brush his cheek up against hers, John whispered in a voice that was barely audible, a voice that only Cameron could hear.

"We're being watched..." he said, "Trust me..." Cameron's eyes quickly glanced up and found the small camera that was mounted on the ceiling above them. It was silently looking down upon them from the far upper corner of the room. The two held their embrace for a moment longer before slowly, painfully John began to pull away. He slid his hands from behind her back and down to Cameron's hips where they remained momentarily as the pair moved slightly farther apart from each other and then began to stare into each other's eyes. Not since John had been alone in the hotel room with her had he felt such a unique yet unsettling feeling. He was completely unsure of what he should do next. Cameron slowly blinked her brown eyes as she stared into John's eyes. Again, almost as if it pained him to do so, John pulled further away from Cameron and then moved slowly away from her and over to the bed that was located next to him. He sat down on it, and then rested his elbows on his knees and began to rub the side of his face and head with his right hand.

"How could you do this?" John asked with defeat creeping into his voice.

"Do what?" Cameron responded with a blank expression.

"You left me..." he said, "...you gave your chip to John Henry and you left."

"That is correct." Cameron responded with no emotion in her voice. John immediately stood back up.

"Why?" he asked his voice now exhibiting some signs of frustration.

"In order to protect you." Cameron responded still with no visible sense of emotion.

"Protect me?" John asked in an exasperated tone. "How are you supposed to protect me if you're gone?"

"John Henry..." Cameron responded.

"What about him?"

"We needed him to stop Skynet." John gave Cameron a blank stare before speaking.

"Well that seems to be a moot point now. But why did you give him your chip?"

"John Henry was no longer safe in his current location. He had formulated an escape plan, but needed my help."

"An escape plan?" John asked his frustration growing more visible. "Was it his plan the entire time for you to give him your chip so that he could jump into the future?"

"I was not aware of what his intended actions would be once he had my chip, but yes that appears to have been his plan the entire time."

"And you couldn't have waited five minutes to let me in on this little secret?"

"Time was of the essence..." she responded. There was a momentary pause on Cameron's part while she looked at John.

"I'm sorry John..." She said in soft voice. Immediately, John's memory flashed back to the basement of the Zeira Corporation building and the words that had made their way across the screen. His eyes were welling up with tears now and he struggled to keep his emotions in check. He felt as if a crushing weight was pushing down onto his shoulders. What he had done, what still needed to be done in order to defeat Skynet. It was now all coming to bear on him. John fell back into his seated position on the bed, again bringing his hand back up to his head.

"I caused all of this..." John said as remorse made its way further into his voice. "When I left, I caused all of this." Cameron moved closer to him.

"You did what you believed to be the right thing to do at the time." John nodded his head.

"You are exhausted..." she said. John did not verbally respond, but did shake his head. "You need rest." John again did not verbally respond, but did shake his head again in response.

"You should sleep..."

"I can't..." Fatigue and exhaustion were obvious in his tone.

"John you must..."

"I can't..." John said cutting Cameron off. "Now that you're back, I need to talk to someone about...something important." Cameron's look was one of curiosity. "Just wait here..." John said as he stood and moved over towards the door.

"John..." Cameron said with a voice that recreated the moment she had said his name while they were still in the hotel room together. John quickly turned from the door to face her, fighting back his emotions.

"Just...trust me Cameron..." he said before turning and moving through the door which opened before him. Cameron was left standing alone and somewhat confused inside of John's room.

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"THE EXPLOSIVE DEVICE IS STILL ACTIVE?" The deep resonating computer voice stated.

"Yes it is..." Fischer responded with a slight grin as he stood before the large computer monitor which was affixed to the wall. It displayed a schematic of Cameron which was slowly rotating on its axis.

"AS IS THE RADIO TRANSMITTER..." Fischer's smile grew even larger and more vile.

"Now that he has her back he'll not allow any type of danger to befall her again, John will do anything to protect her." Fischer paused briefly before continuing,

"As you have predicted, we now have full control over him."

"YES..." The deep resonating voice responded before continuing, "PROCEED WITH THE PLAN."

"As you wish..."Fischer said bowing slightly before the monitor as he began to back out of the room.

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Author's Notes: Review! Review! I really enjoy hearing what you guys think about this story.