Chapter 18
Cameron lay wide awake, unable to sleep with what was planned for her tomorrow. In six hours, she would be having her first operation, the first of many. Though she had been told time and again that there was no guarantee that she could be successfully converted, be she was determined to see it through, no matter the cost. Just watching John sleep next to her, she could see in him every reason why she wanted to change herself. John was her entire life, for many years he was her only reason for existing, and she gradually fell in love with him. She lost him once, for six and a half years, she was with out him, and the entire time she was alone, she felt like she was dead, that there was no point to her life. But when John came for her, when she heard his voice in the dark, she felt like her whole world was full again, she was back with the man she loved.
Later, she found she had a daughter, something she had always wanted. Cameron was determined not to lose what she had. She wasn't going to lose John or Allison, she cared and loved them too much to see nature take them away from her. If those she loved were going to die a natural death, then she was going to do the same, whatever it took. Not even bothering to even try and sleep, she instead turned on to her side and watched John sleep. She knew he didn't like it when people watched him sleep, his mother having done it when he was young, but Cameron couldn't tear her chocolate coloured eyes away from him, as every day she spent with him, she fell further and deeper in love with him. She watched as John gradually began to move in his sleep as his dream became another nightmare. John had always had nightmares, but lately his nightmares have changed to ones of Cameron. John told her that in his nightmares, she was found out to be a machine. Those in the resistance, who trusted her and believed in her, turned on her and killed her.
It didn't matter what John did, or how much he pleaded, no one heeded what he said while they brutally murdered his wife for being what she was. He always woke after this, sweat on his face and his breathing heavy. Cameron, not wanting him to wake again like he did, moved herself closer to him, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tight. Raising her hand, she placed on the top of his head, and stroked his hair, the same way he did to her hair. Almost instantly, John reacted to her touch and his breathing gradually slowed back to normal. Smiling at her success, she tired moving herself back to her originally position, but John, raising his own hand, held her in place. He muttered something under his breath which Cameron couldn't understand before he turned to face her, still asleep in her arms. Cameron gave another smile, and continued to stroke his hair as he slept, keeping him from another nightmare.
At the other end of the camp, Allison was still awake, having only had a few hours sleep a day in over a week. Once again, she was going over the plans to make Cameron human. She checked and rechecked every calculation, and every possible theory that could go wrong and ways to counter them. She wanted everything to go a smoothly as possible for her mother, knowing how much it meant to her, and to John. Half way though checking the procedure of Cameron's first operation, Allison felt a breeze rush through the room as Lauren opened the door and stepped inside. Allison didn't need to see her face to know that she was rolling her eyes at her behind her back, as Lauren had did this every time Allison had stayed awake to check everything was ready. "Allison, if you don't sleep, you going to fall asleep in the middle of the operation, go and get a few hours rest!". "I will, just once I've checked everything's fine". Lauren appeared behind Allison, and looked towards the screen to see what was on it. Lauren then moved behind the computer screen and turned it away from Allison.
"I've checked this five times since, you've checked this five times every day for the past three weeks. It's going to work and your mom's going to be fine. But you need your sleep, you're fourteen years old and teenagers need their sleep". Allison once again became angry when her age was brought in to a conversation, she might be fourteen years old in body, but her mind was well beyond her years. "Stop saying that, I know how old I am and I know what I'm doing". "Really?, so you know what you going to be doing when you fall asleep with your mothers heart in your hands, we've been through this, once the operation starts, it has to be finished, we'll have to grow everything again, and she needs you to be able to stay awake and fresh. She'll be lying on this table in a few hours as a machine, in three days, she'll step of it as a human, but she can't do that if you can't stay awake for it, get some sleep, NOW!". Allison looked insulted that someone other then her mother and father was telling her to do something but knew she was speaking the truth. She let her head fall to her hands, and she stayed that way, blinking back her tears, she was exhausted. Lauren could sense she was fighting back the tears and held Allison tight.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to have a go, you just know the risks and what's at steak". Allison nodded, wiping a stray tear away in the process. She raised her head again and got up from the chair. Looking around the lab she was in, in stasis on the lab tables, was everything that Cameron was going to receive in the next few days. It Allison had ever seen a movie, she would have compared the scene before her to a horror film. Multiple organs were being kept alive, Kidneys, liver, stomach, heart, everything that a human had was ready to be put together to work as Cameron's new body. The only thing that wasn't going to be replaced in Cameron was her chip, that being her mind already, it couldn't be replaced. With a nod from Lauren towards the door, Allison turned on the spot and headed for the door and stepped outside. Heading down the corridor back towards her home, she had a gut feeling that something was going to go wrong today, that something terrible was going to happen. She had this feeling once before when they broke out of Century work camp, and something bad did happen, John was shot in the chest, twice, to save her life. She couldn't help but wonder if the operation on Cameron was going to work, that she was going to be able to live a long life with her and John without watching them die.
As she wondered, she didn't pay much attention to where she was going, she turned a corner and walked right in to someone. The person, being a lot bigger then her, stood their ground while Allison was thrown off her feet and on to the ground with a yelp. Shaking her head, she tried to sat up. Looking up, she saw a familiar smile and a hand reach out to her. Reaching out she took the hand and was pulled to her feet. "You got to watch where your going, Little Connor, you don't know who you might run in to, especially these days". Allison smiled at the teenage boy before her. "I wish you'd stop calling me that, Sean". Sean was the son of one of the solders guarding the camp.
He was, tall, dark and handsome, and Allison had always had a little thing for him since she first saw him. Though he was three years older then her, he had always acted like Allison was his girl, though Allison had never done anything to encourage Sean but she hadn't made any attempt to discourage him either. He gave her a nickname, Little Connor, and always called her it, refusing to use her real name as he though it was more cute to use the nickname. "You're my Little Connor, are you okay?, you don't look so good". Allison tried hard to hide her grin as he was showing concern for her, though she wasn't sure if he'd seen the grin or not. "I'm fine, just haven't slept that much lately". Yeah, Me neither, my dads taking me on patrol today, wants to make me a real solder". Allison was a little shocked at this. "On patrol?, I thought you were going to tell him you wanted to be a technician, here at the camp or something". Sean gave another grin, one that caused goose bumps to form on her skin at seeing.
"He gave me the whole lecture about serving the United States army and all that, I told him the Untied States didn't exist anymore and wouldn't be coming back and he went crazy, going on about loyalty and everything, I said I'd go on the patrol to shut him up, so that's that, I'm going on the patrol now". Sean's face dropped when he finished talking, not happy about the situation. Allison gave a smile before they both stepped back awkwardly as someone walked past them. Both trying unconvincingly to look like they weren't talking to each other. "He still thinks that he's going to run for Congress when the war is over, why doesn't he see that all that's gone now?". Sean shook his shoulders, giving another smile. "He's old school, can't move on from the past, can't see two feet I front of him, its just the way he is, speaking of which, I better go, got to get myself ready, big day today, see you when I get back, Little Connor".
Sean moved forwards and gave her a small kiss on the cheek, something which he hadn't done before, making her blush. Allison gave another smile as he walked past her quickly and around the corner. Allison peered around the corner, watching him walk away. Sean stopped suddenly and turned, spotting Allison watching him. Allison instantly hid behind the wall, hoping he didn't see. Slowly, she edged herself back around the corner, but now, Sean was gone". Disappointed he was gone but happy to have spoken to him again, Allison turned back down the corridor, towards the Connor home.
Stepping quietly through the door, she walked slowly towards John and Cameron's room, and peered inside. She saw Cameron was awake, but instead of going inside, she turned and headed for her own bedroom. Unknown to Allison, Cameron had spotted her and moved herself out of bed, careful not to wake John. Looking around the floor for her t shirt, she couldn't find in so instead pulled John's over her head. Walking in to Allison's room, she saw Allison pretending to have already fallen asleep. Cameron, with a smile on her face, walked over to the bed and sat next to Allison. Cameron stared at her, waiting for her to open her eyes, which she did. "Mom, I need some sleep!". She closed her eyes and turned over, much to Cameron's amusement. "What's his name?". Allison slowly turned back over to be face to face with Cameron, a look of horror on her face. "How do you know that?, are you following me?". Cameron immediate went on the defence, though made sure her voice was down. "No, of course not". Cameron pointed to the other end of the bed, indicating to Allison to move along the bed. Allison did so, leaving enough room for Cameron to lie next to her. Allison pulled the blanket over them both, getting herself comfortable.
"You know about me and dad, you know how I met him in the future and how I was sent back. Allison nodded her head, indicating that she was listening. "Before I was sent back, I didn't know what feelings or emotions were, Every time I looked at John, there was something in the back of my head, something in me that I didn't understand. Every time I looked at him, it got stronger and stronger and it scared me. When I was sent back, and I met John at school, I could still feel it, but it was a hundred times stronger and it kept getting stronger. John was tall, had dark, brown hair and he was mysterious. I could see two other girls in the class had their eyes on him. It took a while until I figured out that I was in love with him, I didn't think I could love, or feel anything, but I did. The more time I spend with John, with Sarah, with anyone, the more and more I grew and understood how to express my feelings, some bad, some good". Allison turned to Cameron at this point, giving her all her attention. "Dad told me you were jealous of someone, I'm guessing that's one of the bad ones". Cameron gave at small grin, despite being a little taken aback that Allison knew of her jealousy. "Me and your dad had a falling out and he met someone else. Her name was Riley. The moment I met her, I wanted to kill her, not just because she was a threat to him, it was because I wanted John for myself.
It was Sarah who noticed I was jealous of Riley and she helped me through it. When your dad chose me over Riley, I felt so happy, so alive. Allison gave a small grin as she listened, glad to hear that her dad chose Cameron, a machine, over Riley, a human. "I know what it's like to have to learn to control emotions and understand how to express them, its just like being a teenager, everyday, you learn something new". Allison's grin disappeared, knowing that Cameron was coming to the part about her and who she liked. "So come on, what's his name?". Allison took a few deep breaths, debating whether to tell Cameron or not. "Promise you won't laugh?". Cameron gave another small smile, before saying, "I promise". Allison turned her body so she was lying on her side, facing Cameron who was already lying on her side. "His name's Sean. He's always nice to me and he's got that smile, it make my skin get goose bumps every time I see it. He's even given me a nickname, Little Connor, which drives me insane!".
Cameron listened with interest, knowing that this was Allison's first crush. "He sounds nice, what does he do?". "He's trying to be a technician here at the camp or at another bunker but his dad wants him to be a soldier. He's going out on his first patrol today". Cameron gave a small nod. "Sounds good, you seem to like him, so just don't tell you dad about him, not yet anyways". Allison looked at Cameron with confusion in her face. "Why not?". "Because dads are over protective of their little girls. Your fourteen now, but that's not going to stop him shooting any boy in the knee's for looking at you in a way he doesn't like". Allison looked alarmingly towards the door, hoping John hadn't heard anything. "Don't worry, I'll talk to him , I'll not give anything away, I'll say that just in case you do meet anyone, for him to keep his distance, okay". Allison gave a small nod, just as Cameron moved herself out of the bed. "You better get some sleep". Allison nodded and with a smile, she turned herself over and closed her eyes.
Cameron walked back to her and John's room, finding that was still asleep. Cameron lay back down next to him, raising his wrist to see the time on his watch. It was almost eight, so Cameron reached out and shook John softly. John shuddered awake, opening his eyes slowly and smiling back at the smiling face of Cameron before him. "Seeing you smiling like that when I wake up, it's the best possible thing I could see in the morning". Smiling, he learnt forwards and kissed her. Cameron wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer to her. Breaking the kiss, they held their foreheads together. "We need to talk, about Allison, our little girl is growing up!".
John looked instantly to the door to Allison's room, anger and surprise surging through him, but his surprise was stronger then his anger. "She's got herself a boyfriend?". Cameron again had to fight not to laugh as John spoke through gritted teeth. "No, she hasn't, but she's got an eye on someone". John closed his eyes, wishing he wasn't hearing what Cameron was saying. "She's too young to have an eye on someone". Cameron's eyes widened in surprise and amusement. "She's fourteen years old now, she's a teenager, she's was always going to notice boys sooner or later, she wasn't going to be your little girl forever". John sighed loudly, unhappy about how fast Allison was growing up. "I was hoping she'd stay my little girl until she was, I don't know, about fifty". Cameron laughed, and tried very hard to not laugh too loud and wake Allison again in the next room.
"Me and Liz told her about the birds and the bees when she started puberty, she knows what does what and why, I just hope she doesn't do anything stupid". Cameron again gave a little laugh, before grabbing John's hands and holding them tight. "She's a Connor, she takes after you, she won't do anything until she's ready. And your not going to shoot any boys she gets close to, I know that's what your thinking". It was John's turn to laugh. "How do you know what I was thinking?". Cameron moved closer to John, until her lips were just brushing against his. "I married you, remember, I know how you think". Moving herself closer, she kissed him, running her lips across his. Just as they were getting comfortable together, the alarm on John's watch went off, signalling to them both that they had to get up. "If your watch interrupts us again, I'm going to crush it". grinning at each other, they forced themselves out of bed and got dressed. Cameron removed John's t shirt and handed it to him, much to his amusement.
Stepping in to the command room, neither of them had much to do but wait until Cameron was to go to the lab and begin the change from machine to human. The hours slowly ticked by, Cameron and John just sat and waited, both nervous about what was in store for Cameron later. Eventually, Allison walked in to the command room, dragging her feet and yawning loudly. "Mom, Dad, its time to do this". Following Allison, Cameron grasped John's hand tightly, the nerves getting to her once again. "Don't you dare let go of me when this is being done". John turned to her and pulled her closer to him, kissing her on the forehead as they walked. "I'm not going anywhere, Your not going to be alone this time, I'll be there with you, every step of the way". Despite John's words, Cameron found herself getting more and more scared as they got closer to the lab. Cameron would have to be in stand by mode while they did the operations, and she would be in standby mode for three full days. On learning this, Cameron nearly called the all the operations off as she didn't want to be in standby mode again after spending six and a half years in it. It wasn't until John told her he'd be in the room with her that she again agreed to go through with it.
Stepping in to the lab Cameron and John saw for the first time all of the organs and muscles that Cameron was to be given. Lauren gave Cameron and encouraging smile and handed Cameron a hospital gown and pointed to a side room for her to change. Cameron went in to the room to get changed, leaving John with Allison and Lauren. "Are you sure this will work, I mean, will all these work together inside of her". He pointed at the organs and bones around the room. Allison sat down next to John, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. Lauren was standing next to the operating table, pulling on latex gloves. "Yes, it will all work fine, she'll definitely feel like every muscle and bone is bruised when she wakes up, but that should go away in a few days". John nodded and turned to see Cameron step out of the side room, wearing the hospital gown. "Cameron, are you sure this is what you want". Cameron didn't reply and instead climbed on to the operating table and lay down, resting her head near where John was sitting. "I'm sure, just as sure that I love you". Allison rose her head, yawning loudly again and watched as Cameron and John grasped their hands together, John slowly and gently rubbing the side of her hand with his finger.
Lauren stepped over to the table, standing over Cameron. "This is your last chance to change your mind, once this is done, you can't go back". Cameron nodded her head, showing that she understood. "I'm sure". Lauren gave a smile, as did Allison who began pulling on latex gloves as well. "Okay, Cameron, just remember, once this is done, you won't be able to fight machines hand to hand anymore, you'll lose. You'll be as vulnerable as everybody else, you'll feel pain, you'll get sick, you'll get hungry, everything. You won't be able to go in to standby mode anymore, your body with think your brain dead and shut down. You'll still heal faster then us, but not as fast as you used to, and your sight and hearing will be like ours, do you understand?". Cameron nodded again. As John listened, he thought that Cameron was giving up so much in her quest to become more human. Her strength, sights, hearing, and quick healing would all vanish. "Are you sure you want this Cameron?, it's a lot your wanting to give up". Cameron turned to Lauren, away from John.
"Will I still have feelings and emotions and be able to grow old and die like a human?". Lauren nodded and Cameron looked back to John. "Then I'm sure, I already told you, I won't watch you die and be left without you again, I won't do it, I can't". John nodded his head, feeling guilty that Cameron was giving up so much for him but also feeling relived that she wouldn't have to watch as he died and she wouldn't be left alone again. "Cameron, go in to standby mode, when you wake up, you will no longer be a machine". Pulling John to her, Cameron kissed him deeply. As he pulled away, she muttered, "I love you", before her eyes closed and her body went completely still, her chest gradually stopped moving as her breathing slowed and eventually stopped and as John pressed his hand against her chest, her heartbeat had also stopped. John hated seeing Cameron like this again, the memory of her left alone in the basement came flooding back to John, making him feel ashamed that his destiny had kept him from her for so long. Looking at her, she appeared dead, but he knew she was still alive and would be back in his arms again soon.
Over the next three days, Cameron's metal endoskeleton was replaced by solid bone and her organs and muscles were placed in the places they needed to be. It was strange seeing Cameron's endoskeleton again after so many years. Allison had a hard time doing what was needed, she hadn't expected to take such a dislike to seeing blood. Eventually she overcame the urge to vomit and was able to carry on. As John sat in the command centre, he finished giving orders to Perry over the radio to destroy a Skynet base in Long Beach. Throwing the radio down, he held his head in his hands. The last three days had been like an eternity to John. Not hearing Cameron's voice or seeing her chocolate brown eyes everyday was driving him insane, reminding him of the loneliness he felt when he was without her. Staring at the wall, he didn't notice anyone walk in to the room. He felt someone's hand on his shoulder and on instinct, he drew his pistol and aimed it. Blinking, he lowered the gun when he saw Lauren standing there, terrified with the gun in her face. "I'm sorry, I haven't slept since, you know". Lauren gave a small nod, and watched as John lowered the gun. "You might want to leave the gun at home until you get a good nights sleep".
John gave a small nod in return, putting his gun back away. "Me and Allison haven't slept in days either, we need you now, we've finished the surgery, but we can't wake her up". John nodded and stood up, and followed her out of the room. "You know how to wake Cameron up?". John nodded again. "She won't wake unless she hears my voice". "So if I were to shoot you in the head?". "Then she wouldn't wake up, yeah". They stepped in to lab, and John saw Allison standing next to the operating table. Moving to stand next to her, he gazed down at Cameron, who looked like she had been in a fight and lost badly. Her skin was bruised and was covered in numerous angry looking cuts. Looking up, both Lauren and Allison saw he looked angry and quickly stepped away from him. "Dad, its temporary, the bruises and cuts will heal in a few days". John took a few deep breaths and looked down again. Beneath the swelling and incisions on her face, he could make out the woman he fell in love with. "When does she need to wake up?". Allison and Lauren moved to the other side of the table. "Right now!, its going to be painful though, it will be like her body is jump starting". Lauren and Allison raised their hands, and held Cameron down.
John thought that was going to be useless as she was stronger them all of them but quickly remembered that she wasn't anymore. "John lowered his head to Cameron's ear and whispered, "Diamonds are a girls best friend, Cameron Connor". Instantly, Cameron's body leapt in to life. Her eyes shot open and her chest rose from the table. Cameron gasped for air in the midst of screaming in pain. John helped Allison and Lauren hold Cameron down on the table, her body shaking as she cried out in a mixture of pain and shock. "Allison, give her the painkiller!". Allison let go of Cameron and ran across the lab to get the painkillers, leaving John and Lauren to fight with all their might to hold Cameron in place. Allison quickly came back with a needle in her hand. Lauren held Cameron's arm down and Allison quickly injected Cameron with the pain killer. Nothing happened at first and John thought that it hadn't worked but slowly, Cameron's scream's began to die and she slowly stopped shaking. Cameron began moving her right hand around, trying to take hold of something.
John guessed she was looking for his hand and was proved right when he moved his hand to hers and she grasped it tightly. "John ,I can't….. I can't see, …anything". John looked as Cameron's eyes moved from side to side, looking towards the ceiling. Lauren got a small torch and shined it in to Cameron's eyes. "It's alright, your eyes are fine, you'll be able to see in a couple of hours". John noticed that's Cameron's grasp on his hand was not as firm as she used to do it. Slowly, he stroked Cameron's hand with his fingers and stoked her hair. As he did, her breathing became less heavy and she breathed easy again. "Cameron, I'm here, I'm not going anywhere". Through the swelling on her face, John could make out a small smile appear on her face.
"I know you won't". Lauren stepped back to allow Allison to stand at Cameron's other side, taking her left hand in to her own. "Mom, how do you feel?". Cameron didn't respond at first, as she moved her head from side to side. "I don't know, it all feels different, everything's different". Lauren moved herself to where Cameron's head was resting. "Cameron, I'm going to check and make sure everything's doing what its supposed to be doing, I will only take a few minutes, don't worry, it won't hurt". Cameron gave a small nod and Lauren held her hands to the side of Cameron's head and pressed her fingers on to her skin. Lauren then checked her breathing, her chest and then her joint at her elbows and knees. Once she finished, she gave a satisfied look to Allison and John before removing her latex gloves. "Everything's fine, you have to stay here a few days, then you can go home. You might feel a little stiff and bruised for a while but you'll be alright". Cameron turned her head to John, blinking her eyes repeatedly at him. She let go of John's hand and raised it towards his head. Her hand hit nothing but air as she missed her target but slowly she managed to reach John's cheek, stroking it with her finger. "I can see you, just a dark shape, but its you".
Cameron then turned her head to her other side and repeated the process with Allison.. Lauren then took Cameron's arms and lay them down on her chest. "You need to sleep, let your body get used to being alive". Cameron gave a small nod but moved her hand back to her side, gasping John's hand once again. "John, you can stay here if you want, but Allison needs to go and get some sleep before she falls over". John looked to Allison and saw black rings beneath her eyes. John gave her a small grin and a nod and Allison nodded back at him. "Mom, I'm heading home, I'll be back tomorrow morning, alright, I promise". Before Lauren and Allison left, they gave Cameron something to help her sleep, as she was still feeling uncomfortable with her swelling and her numerous bruises and cuts. John didn't leave her side as she slept through the night, falling asleep himself with his hand holding hers.
As Allison walked back towards her home, she noticed that a group of soldiers had just returned from patrol. Stopping to watch as they walked past her, she looked out for Sean, hoping to see him before going to bed. Soldier after soldier walked by, but she didn't see Sean. When the last soldier walked by, Allison followed him and put her hand on his shoulder. "The patrol, where's Sean, Sean Williams?". The solder turned around, a little taken aback to be talking with Allison. "I'm sorry, but that patrol been missing for ten hours, we've just been looking for them, but we have to assume the worst". The soldier then turned and walked fast to catch up with the others. Allison stood open mouthed for about a minute until she noticed that two of the guards were staring at her. Moving quickly, she ran as fast as she could through the base, until she reached her room and her bed.
Falling on to the bed, she held back the tears for as long as she could, until she couldn't do it any longer and she let the tears flow. She didn't know why she was crying, she didn't love Sean, or at least she didn't think she did, she only ever considered him her friend, her best friend. As she cried, she hated that neither John or Cameron were there to comfort her when she needed them, and though she knew that it wasn't their fault, she wanted them there with her, now more then ever. Allison cried herself to sleep, a mixture of exhaustion and worry about Sean taking it's hold on her.
Allison woke the next morning, with a mixture of excitement and anger. She was excited to see Cameron again, to see if she's improved from the day before and she was angry as she had lost her friend. Getting up from the bed, she made for the door before deciding that she better change her clothes as she was covered in blood stains. She guessed this was the reason the guards were staring at her the previous night. She hit the shower making the water as hot as she could bare and let the tears fall as she thought of Sean. The putting her sadness to one side she dressed quickly and tried to keep her mind focussed on Cameron as she stepped out of the room and headed back to the lab. Allison didn't even bother checking what the time was but noticing the amount of activity from around the base, she guessed it was the afternoon. Allison turned on to the last corridor towards the lab and saw something she didn't expect. Turing a corner and leaving the corridor up ahead was Sean. Allison blinked, thinking she was seeing things but never the less, she broke in to a run to the corner. Once she got there, she knew she wasn't seeing things as Sean was there again, looking like he was a little lost. "Sean!". Allison broke in to another run and embraced him, wrapping her arms around him. It took longer then she anticipated until he replied and put an arm around her. "I thought you were dead, they told me your patrol went missing".
Sean replied slowly, his voice quiet but firm. "We were ambushed, everyone's gone but I got away but everyone else was killed". Allison pulled away and looked at his face, seeing that he was trying to be strong. "Your dad, I'm sorry Sean, I'm so sorry". Sean just shook his head. "It wasn't anybody's fault, I just happened, he didn't even see the machines, they killed him before he even raised his rifle". Allison gave a small nod, knowing how brutal and effective the machines were. "Where are you going anyway, you look a little lost". Sean looked around him, apparently only then realising where he was. "I don't know, I was going home, I guess I lost track". Allison took Sean's hand in to her own and turned on the spot. "Come on, I'll take you home". Sean moved himself to Allison's side, following her as she walked. Allison kept a firm hold on his hand, happy that he was alive, but concerned on how he was taking his father's death. Sean didn't say anything to her on the way, he just looked around at everything and at everyone as they walked. Allison guessed he was hoping to spot his father still alive somewhere. They stopped outside his home and Allison pointed to the door. "Here you are, I've got to go and see my mom, she's sick, I'll come see you later, I promise". Sean walked past her in to the room and looked around it. Allison again guessed that the room would be feeling empty without his father being there.
"Allison!". Allison turned to see Liz walking towards her. "Where have you been?, you dads been on the radio, he and your mom want to see you. They said you know where they are". Allison gave a small nod. "I do, thanks Liz". Liz gave a smile before turning on the spot and disappearing down the corridor. Allison looked in to the room and saw Sean staring at her. "I'll be back to see you later, okay!". Allison closed the door, but Sean's arm appeared and stopped her closing it all the way. "Yeah, I'll see you later Allison". Sean gave her a smile and let her close the door. Allison then left and headed back towards the lab. Stepping in to the lab, she instantly saw that Cameron wasn't on the operating table. "Mom!, Dad!". Allison heard footsteps from the far side of the lab and John came in to view. "Where have you been?, I sent Liz to look for you". Allison walked over to where John was standing.
"Sorry dad, I slept longer than I planned to and Sean's back, he's alright". "Who?". Allison's face dropped. She didn't want to talk to John about Sean and had always been careful before about mentioning him but now she'd let it slip out " No one dad, just forget about it". Allison felt a surge of relieve when John didn't press the issue and instead gave her a smile. Allison walked passed John and saw Cameron standing with her back to her. "Mom?". Cameron turned around and Allison gave a large gasp in surprise. The swelling on Cameron's face had gone down and had almost completely disappeared. Her cuts had already started to heal nicely and her burses didn't look as angry as they did the night before. Allison was more shocked that Cameron was able to stand, let alone do anything else.
"Mom, you look incredible, how the hell are you standing already?". John gave a small smile. "It wasn't easy, my legs are so stiff, it took me ten minutes to walk to here". Allison looked around at the distance between where Cameron was standing and the operating table, seeing that it would take her only ten steps to walk the distance there was. Cameron saw the smirk form on Allison's face. "Hey, your legs are fine, I haven't used mine with real bones and muscle instead of metal". John moved himself next to Cameron, so she could use him to balance herself. Allison looked to Cameron's hand and saw she was holding her left endoskeleton hand. "What are you going to do with it, with all of it?". With John's help, Cameron turned around again and put the hand back on the table, next to the rest of her old endoskeleton. "I don't now, burn it, keep it, I haven't decided, I need to sit down". Allison moved to Cameron's other side and she and John helped Cameron back to the bed. John lifted her on to it and she sighed with relieve at being off her feet. Allison knelt down to look at Cameron's feet, seeing that they were a deep red color". Allison stood up and walked to the other end of the room, opened the freezer there and took out some ice, dropping it in to a bucket. Returning to the bed, Allison handed John the bucket of ice. "Wrap the ice in some cloth and rub her feet with it, her feet are going to swell".
Allison then looked at Cameron. "You shouldn't have been on your feet, not yet anyway, show me your hands". Both Cameron and John were taken aback at being told what to do but did what she told them. Cameron showed Allison her hands and Allison began flexing her fingers, which cracked loudly and were stiff like her knees and elbows. Cameron gave a large gasp when John applied the ice to her feet, but quickly got used to the feeling. Lauren turned up ten minutes later, black rings under her eyes. "Sorry I'm late, I slept in". John looked up to Allison, giving a large smirk. "Don't worry, your not the only one". Allison gave John an angry look before continuing her work on Cameron's fingers. Lauren appeared next to John, looking at Cameron's feet. "You've been walking around already, you shouldn't have done that". Cameron smirked at herself and shrugged hers shoulders. "I just wanted to move around, being so stiff made me feel trapped". Lauren gave a small nod before a large smile appeared on her face. "Well if you found that annoying, then listen to this, both of you". John and Cameron both looked at her. "No sex for at least three weeks". John instantly dropped the ice he was holding while Cameron shouted, "WHAT!".
They both looked at each other in disbelief. Lauren found it hard not to laugh while Allison fell to the floor holding her stomach in pain, as she was laughing so hard. "You've got to be kidding me". Cameron was hoping Lauren would say she was joking but she shook her head. "Well technically, you're a virgin again, and you can't walk far with out your feet swelling in to melons so sex is off the cards until your body is ready, three weeks, no sex, end of argument". Cameron fell back on to the table, an angry and shocked look on her face. She muttered to herself, "Three weeks, no sex!, who does she think she is?".
John picked up the ice again and Cameron gasped again when he applied it to her feet. John was feeling just as Cameron was, three weeks without being able to touch her would drive him mad. John had to leave as Liz called him away when as Skynet launched another attack against general Perry in Long Beach. For the next two hours, Lauren and Allison made sure Cameron's muscles and joints were got enough exercise. By the end, Cameron was in a lot of discomfort, but she could now flex her fingers and toes without any problems and her knees and elbows weren't as stiff as before. Two days later, Cameron's swelling, cuts and burses had almost all disappeared. Lauren had told her that she could go home in few hours after she'd run some final tests to make sure she was alright. She also told Cameron to take it easy and once again informed her of her three week sex ban, much to Cameron's annoyance and disgust.
Allison was at home alone, waiting for John and Cameron to come back when she remembered she hadn't kept her promise to Sean to see him. She left her room and after five minutes of walking the corridors, Allison stopped outside of Sean's door and knocked. There was no reply so she knocked again, "Sean?". Again, there was no response so she pushed opened the door and stepped inside. Looking around the first room, it looked like nothing had been touched since before Sean left to go on the patrol. Allison checked the other two rooms and found they were in the same condition and found that Sean was no where in sight. Stepping out of Sean's home, Allison walked quickly to the command room, wondering where he could be. Her question was answered almost instantly when she turned a corner and walked right in to him, again being knocked to the floor. "Sean, I was looking for you". Allison looked at Sean's hands, seeing he had a plasma rifle in his hands. She slowly got up, her eyes on the rifle. "I thought you didn't want to be a soldier or a guard?".
Sean looked down at his rifle then back to Allison. "I didn't, but since my dad died, I want to do what he did, to fight the machines". Allison looked at him in shock. They had known each other for months and had spoken on how he would never become a soldier, no matter what, he would have avoided it at all cost. "I've got to go, I've got a job to do, see you later Allison". Sean then walked right past her, disappearing slowly along the corridor. Allison was hurt he had brushed her off so quickly and was treating her differently then before. But despite the fact that she understood that Sean was grieving, Allison knew instinctively there was something else wrong but she just couldn't put her finger on it. She quickly moved herself towards the command room, knowing Liz would be there. Stepping inside the command room, she found Liz and sat down next to her. Liz looked at her and knew something was wrong. "What's wrong?, is your mom alright?". Allison quickly nodded. "Mom's fine, she's better now".
Liz waited for Allison to tell her what was wrong but she didn't say anything. "Come on Allison, its me, your Auntie Liz, you can tell me anything". Allison gave a small laugh, remembering how she used t call her auntie Liz when she was little but then something shot through Allison like a lightning bolt. Sean had called her by her name instead of her nickname. He never called her Allison, not once, he always called her Little Connor. "Liz, bring up Sean Williams file". Liz looked confusingly at her. "What?, why?". "NOW LIZ!". Everyone in the command room stared at the two of them. "Alright, keep you hair on". Liz turned to the computer in front of her and began typing. Ten seconds later, she turned the screen to Allison, showing Sean's file. As Allison read through it, she saw nothing to indicate that Sean had become a full time soldier. The latest entry on his file was he survived a Skynet ambush and was being evaluated for metal instability due to his fathers death. "There's nothing here, he's not becoming a soldier". Liz looked at the screen herself, shaking her head. "Well of course not, he's just lost his dad". Allison remembered back to what she saw in the hall way. Sean's face was emotionless, he had a plasma rifle, and he was heading towards her home, to the Connor home.
"HE'S AFTER THEM, HE'S AFTER MY PARENTS!". Liz just looked at her, stunned at her outburst. "Who's after them?". Allison pointed to the screen, at Sean's picture. "He's gone mad, he blames them for his dad, he's after my mom and dad, HE'S GOING TO KILL THEM". Allison got up and ran to the nearest weapons locker, opening it and taking out a plasma rifle. She then sprinted out of the room, Liz right behind her. "ALLISON!, WAIT!". Allison didn't listen and kept running, she didn't stop until she reached her home, finding that the door had been smashed through. Allison moved inside the room and looked around, seeing that it was empty. At checking the other rooms, she also saw that they were empty, remembering that John and Cameron were still in the far lab. Liz turned up, out of breath and flanked by four soldiers. At seeing the broken door, Liz gave a large gasp. Allison took out a radio from her pocket and held it up, the realisation striking her as she spoke the words. "Command, Code Red, machine infiltration confirmed, protect the Connor's". The moment she finished, the alarms sounded and sounds of movement from around the base.
"My mom and dad are in the lab, we have to go now". Allison stepped out of the room and ran towards the labs, with Liz and the solders following her. Allison was running so fast, that Liz and the solders lost sight of her. Allison turned a corner and came saw Sean walking in the opposite direction. "SEAN!". Sean stopped and turned to see Allison aiming her rifle at him. "What? Allison , what are you doing?". Allison primed the rifle and aimed for his head. "Your not him, your not Sean!". Sean looked at her with surprise. "What?, yes I am, I'm Sean, I'm your Sean, it's me Allison, it's me, just calm down, please don't shoot, Allison". The more he spoke, the more Allison became convinced he was wasn't who he said he was. Liz and the soldiers caught up with Allison, the soldiers aiming past Allison and at Sean. Liz again held her radio up. "Security to lab corridor, now!". Sean took a step forwards to Allison, but stopped when the soldiers behind her all primed their weapons and stepped forwards to protect her. More soldiers quickly appeared from all sides, all aiming at Sean. "Your not Sean, you're a fucking machine!" "Allison, it's me, I swear its me, I'm not a machine, I'm not, it's me, please!". Sean's face turned to one of desperation and fear. Looking behind Sean, Allison saw John, Cameron and Lauren turn up, both Cameron and John being flanked by more soldiers. Cameron held her hand on John's shoulder, using him to help balance herself. Looking to the soldiers around her, it was clear that they were disbelieving that Sean was a machine, as his plea's and facial expressions showed nothing but human emotion. Though when she looked at John and Cameron, the look on their faces was all she needed to know that they believed her. Sean looked around him, trying to gain some support. "I'M NOT A MACHINE!, I'M NOT".
Sean then looked angrily at Allison. "Look at her eyes, she's tired she hasn't slept in days, she's just seeing things, I'm not a machine, Allison, I swear to you, I'm Sean, I'm your Sean". Allison could feel hot tears running down her cheeks as he spoke. She desperately to believe him or not, but she knew the one way she could find out. "If you are Sean, what's my nickname?". Sean looked utterly confused by what she asked "What, are you talking about? it's me Allison, its Sean, I'M NOT A FUCKING MACHINE YOU CRAZY BITCH!". John primed his own rifle and Cameron raised the pistol she was holding with her free hand. They moved so quickly that some of the soldiers gasped in shock. "It's a simple question Sean, the nickname you gave me, the one you always used instead of my real name, what is it?". Everyone remained silent as Sean didn't reply, he just stared at her. "You don't know because your not him, your not Sean, you killed him and took his appearance. You did that because he lived and worked here at the camp. This camp is where my mom and dad live, its them you want to kill". All the emotion from Sean's face disappeared. He looked at Allison with no emotion on his face.
"It was Little Connor, Sean called me Little Connor, he never called me Allison, never, he didn't tell you that so I would know you weren't who I thought you were, you're a machine". Allison, without warning, fired her rifle, hitting Sean in the head. Sean fell to the floor. Everyone looked in horror as they could see the metal endoskeleton beneath the skin. The machine twitched slightly, its chip still intact. John moved beside the machine and looked down on it. The machine tried to raise its arm but found it was unable to, its arm jammed at the elbow. Cameron moved past John and to Allison, embracing her as she fell to the floor in tears. John looked towards the soldier closest to him. "Knife, now!". The solder handed the knife to John and everyone there watched as John knelt down and cut in to the side of the head of the machine, the part which hadn't been hit by Allison's shot. After cutting away the flesh, John forced open the covering protecting the chip and pulled the chip out. The machine powered down and John stood up, holding the chip in his hand. Liz raised her radio again. "Stand down code red, the machine threat had been dealt with". The alarms instantly went silent. John looked towards Liz and threw the chip to her. She caught it and looked at it with fear.
"Take that to command, I'll read what's on it later, get someone to take the machine to the lab and get everyone back to their posts, now!". Liz looked a little shocked on how firm John was being but immediately understood when he moved next to Allison and knelt down. Allison let go of Cameron and embraced John tightly. "I'm sorry dad, I'm so sorry". John and Cameron held her tight as everyone moved away. Eventually, only the Connor's and two soldiers were left in the corridor. "Come one, we could all use an early night, we all need sleep". John reached under Allison and picked her up, holding her in his arms. John looked to Cameron, who was not standing with her hand against the wall. "Are you okay?". "I'll be fine, Allison's more important then me, lets get her home". Cameron placed her hand on John's shoulder to help balance herself and the Connor's walked home. They knew that what they had seen today meant Skynet was getting desperate in its war against the Resistance. They also knew that even though things were going to be much harder and much more dangerous, but they also knew that what happened today would make them stronger, make their family much stronger.