Chapter 20

Cameron opened her eyes, finding that she wasn't where she expected herself to be. She expected to be lying in a bed in the aid station, after collapsing in front of John and bleeding badly, fearing for her baby's life. But she wasn't in the aid station, she was standing outside in the ruins of LA, holding a plasma rifle in her hands. She knew instantly she was dreaming, not just because she was standing outside and alone, but because she didn't feel any of the intense pain she felt in her belly, nor did she feel any blood flowing from her. Looking around, she couldn't tell where she was, or why she would be standing outside all alone. Priming her plasma rifle, Cameron began walking forwards, stepping over rubble and walked past burnt out cars, which contained the skeletal remains of their former drivers. Cameron felt sad and upset at seeing the skeletons in the cars and in particular, at seeing the remains of three children, one of them a baby, sitting in the back of their car, while their parents remains were in the two front seats. Cameron wondered where they were going that day when the bombs fell. Were they going for a family picnic, or to visit some family in another part of the city?. Cameron tried not to think on it, as it brought her more sadness to know that they didn't reach their destination. They all died, an entire family gone in an instant. Cameron moved on from the cars and left them behind her. As she walked, she heard the distant rumbling of HK tanks in the distance.

Looking up, she could see HK aerials, flying high above the city, not paying much attention to the ground below. A sound of movement ahead of her brought Cameron's gaze away from the aerials above her. It sounded like someone was dragging their feet along the ground, but Cameron couldn't see anyone ahead of her. Cameron then heard the sounds of a second pair of feet, dragging along the ground behind her. Turing in the spot, Cameron looked around widely but again could see anyone. "Hello?". Cameron barley spoke in more then a whisper. But as she did, the sound began to get louder as it came closer to her. Cameron raised her rifle and aimed at where the sound was coming from. Through the rubble ahead of her, a figure emerged from the darkness. Cameron lowered her rifle slightly to get a better look, but didn't let her guard down. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, making her body shake with fear. She didn't know why, but every instinct in her told her to be afraid of what was approaching her. The figure moved slowly in to the clearing and stopped, looking around. The figure was wearing what looked like an old black trench coat, and was using cloth to cover most of their face. Cameron could tell it was a young woman, as her blond hair hung down past her shoulders.

"Hello?". The woman turned to Cameron and took a quick step forward, making Cameron step back in fear. ""Who are you?, are you okay?". Cameron didn't really want to know, she wanted to get away from here and run as far as she could go. The woman took smaller steps forwards, moving her head from side to side as she took each step. Cameron looked down at the woman's feet and felt sick at the sight of them. She was barefooted and her skin looked like it had rotted. The bones were exposed in some places but it didn't seem to cause the woman any discomfort as she walked. "Don't you recognise me?". Cameron gasped loudly at hearing the woman's voice, it sounded old and it was as if she had something stuck in her throat. "No, who are you?". The woman took some more steps forwards, shaking her head. "That's a shame, because I recognise you, mom". Cameron's eyes widened in horror as the woman took another step forwards, close enough for Cameron to see her eyes. They were blue, Allison's blue eyes. "Allison?, what happened to you".

Cameron dropped her rifle and walked towards her, but Allison backed away quickly. "Allison, it's me, it's Cameron, I'm your mom, please". Allison seemed to consider her words carefully before stepping forwards again, her feet making strange sounds with every footstep. Cameron raised her trembling hands and began to peel the cloth away from her face, which seemed to be stuck to her skin. Cameron peeled away a large chunk of the cloth and Gasped in horror, dropping the cloth and clapping her hands over her mouth. "Allison, what happened to you?". Allison didn't look like she used to. Instead of the fourteen year old teenager, Cameron was looking at an Allison in her late twenties. All of her beauty was long gone, her skin having lost all its colour. Her skin was covered in scars and scabs, which were all infected. It was as if her face was rotting like her feet had rotted away. The only thing she recognised about her was her blue eyes. "You did this to me, to all of us, its your fault". Cameron took a step back in fear and horror. She had never expected to see Allison like this, it terrified her.

"What do you mean?, I would never hurt you, you my daughter, I love you". Allison moved forwards angrily, dragging her feet along the ground. "What chance did you think dad had without you. You died, you and the baby. He couldn't cope, with out you, he didn't see the point of living anymore, didn't see the point in anything. He let himself die, starved himself to death to be with you again. With out him, we lost the war, and everyone died. I've been alone for years, and its your fault. You started all of this. Cameron couldn't help but cry in hatred of herself, for she was the reason for what Allison had become. "I'm sorry, it wasn't my fault, I love you Allison.". Allison screamed and charged at Cameron, throwing her off her feet and on to the ground. "ALLISON, STOP, PLEASE STOP!". Allison began hitting her across the face, screaming at the top of her voice, "I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU!".

Cameron tried pushing Allison off her but in her anger, Allison was in a frenzy. "Its all your fault, I lost everything!, My dad died because of you, I HATE YOU!". Cameron threw her arms up and hit Allison in the face, forcing her off her. Cameron looked around and saw her plasma rifle and crawled towards it. "YOU BITCH, I'LL KILL YOU!". Allison jumped back on top of her, forcing Cameron's face in to the dirt. Allison grabbed Cameron's hair and pulled on it hard, causing Cameron to scream in pain. Cameron's head was pulled back exposing her neck. Allison suddenly pulled out a knife, and thrust it to her throat, stopping Cameron from struggling. "Allison stop, please stop, don't do it". Allison held the blade firmly in to Cameron's skin, cutting in to her flash and causing an angry indentation in her skin.. "It's you fault, I hate you". Cameron looked again at her plasma rifle, seeing it was just out of arm's length. "Allison, I love you, I'm never gonna stop loving you, you're my daughter". "I'M NOT YOUR DAUGHTER!, I HATE YOU!". Cameron raised her right hand and grabbed Allison's hair, and pulled hard on it.

With a hard yank, Cameron unintentionally pulled a clump of hair from Allison's head. Allison rolled off her screaming loudly. Cameron crawled forwards and grabbed her rifle, and turned herself and aimed at Allison. "Please stop, just calm down, please". Allison stopped rolling around and grabbed her knife again, and stood up to face Cameron. "Please stop, please!". Allison wasn't listening, she instead began swinging her knife through the air, in movements that would cut Cameron in places that would kill her. "What are you going to do, shoot me?, Go on then, There's no one left to stop you, kill me!, go on".". Cameron pressed her finger on the trigger, but she didn't fire. She watched as Allison made more movements with her knife. "No, I won't". Cameron moved her finger off the trigger and raising her rifle, she threw it towards Allison, and it landed at her feet . Allison stared at the rifle in awe and confusion before her gaze fell back on Cameron, her eyes alive with hate and rage. "I won't do it, I won't kill you. You're my daughter, you always will be, I love you no matter what, I can never hurt you".

Allison dropped her knife and picked up the plasma rifle and aimed it at Cameron, her fingers slowly working there way towards the trigger. Cameron stood up straight, and held out her arms to her side, offering her a clear shot. "If you hate me that much Allison, then do it. I won't stop you". Allison began taking steps forwards, dragging her feet across the ground. Allison didn't seem to be able to hold the weight of the rifle in her hands, which wasn't surprising as her hands were in such a bad state. With every step towards Cameron, the rifle's aim moved erratically. Eventually, Allison got close enough to press the rifle in to her chest. "Its all your fault, everyone died because of you". Allison fixed her finger on the trigger and pressed down on it, ready to fire it. Cameron looked one last time in to her blue eyes and saw nothing but hate and rage, before closing her own, and waited for her to kill her. But Allison didn't fire the rifle.

Cameron heard the sounds of the rifle being thrown away to her left and the sound of someone falling to the ground. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw Allison on her knees, holding her head in her hand and crying loudly in to the ground. Cameron, with her own tears falling down her cheeks, moved forwards and fell to her knees before her. Raising her trembling hands, she slowly placed them on Allison's back. Allison shuddered and slowly moved herself up, to face Cameron. "You died, you left me and dad alone. You didn't see him, he couldn't think of anything else, he couldn't look at anyone without seeing your face, he loved you too much and it killed him". Cameron heard every word clearly, even through all of Allison's sobs. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I love you Allison, I love you". Cameron, with her hands on Allison's shoulders, pulled her towards her and hugged her. Allison at first, tried to pull away but as he seconds went on, she resisted less and less, before giving up altogether. Cameron held on to her tight, not able to believe that it could have come to this. Suddenly, Allison's cries stopped completely and she slowly pulled away from her.

The older Allison had vanished and was replaced by the fourteen year old Allison that Cameron knew. She was once again young and beautiful, her skin fresh and full of colour again. She smiled widely at Cameron as dozens of machines appeared around them. Cameron reached for her rifle on instinct but Allison stopped her, grabbing her arm and shaking her head. Allison didn't seem to mind that they were surrounded. As Cameron looked around at the machines, she didn't recognise any of them, as they looked far more advanced and intimidating then what she was used to. Allison stood up and looked down on a confused Cameron. "You pass the test". The machines around them turned and walked away, disappearing as the world around them began to fade. Cameron stood up and watched as Allison backed away in to the emerging darkness. "What do you mean?, I passed what test?". Allison didn't respond and only gave another smile before also disappearing in to the darkness. Cameron closed her eyes as the darkness began to close in on her and she to was engulfed by it.

John sat by Cameron's bedside, not daring to close his eyes. For hours now, he watched as Cameron lay on the bed, in a deep induced sleep. Next to the bed, Cameron's heartbeat was shown on the heart monitor machine. Her heart beat was weak but steady and John could see the same of the second heartbeat, again both weak but steady. John found himself looking from the machine and back to Cameron's belly repeatedly over the hours, not quite believing what he had heard and what he was seeing. Both he and Cameron thought she couldn't get pregnant and before he had been able to digest the fact that the impossible had become possible and the dream of him and Cameron becoming parents was a reality, here he was with that slim hope being torn away from him and the overwhelming feeling of uselessness was almost to hard to bare. fought hard to keep his devastation at bay, he knew he needed to remain strong and focused for Cameron, for her and the baby. All he could do was grasp her hand and hold it tight, and wait and pray she would be alright and wake up soon.

Cameron open her eyes for a second time and looked around her surroundings. She was standing in the middle of what looked like a run down house, much like a house in a shanty town. The walls were made of a mixture of rotting wood and rocks, and the floor was covered in large leaves, acting as a carpet. Turing to see what was behind her, she saw what looked lie a bed, big enough for two people, made of wood and covered by a small blanket. Next to the bed, were two large backpacks, both black and both of them opened with clothes hanging out. Cameron recognised the bag closest to her as her own, the one she used to carry her belongings as she and John travelled south through Mexico and in to the Amazon Rainforest to hide from Skynet. Cameron released she was in her and John's house in the village they lived in for a time, the same village they got married in.

Bending down, she took her bag and pulled out its contents, finding most of her clothes that she had at the time. She found her old spare socks, underwear, t-shirts and jeans, a single pair of shorts and her two Glock 17 pistols, both of which were the only items in the bag she still had with her. Leaving her bag alone, she reached for John's bag and took out its contents, finding all of his spare clothes, as well as his own Glock 17 pistol, and a small box which contained what medical supplies they had left. Standing back up, Cameron looked down to see what she was wearing and gasped in delight as she was wearing her silk white wedding dress. Images flashed before her eyes of when she stepped in to the river and stood next to John and the look on his face when he saw her, Cameron felt herself get a little weak in the knees. Raising her hands, she ran her fingers through her hair, and saw flower petals fall through the air past her eyes, all white, red and blue. Looking towards the door, which was a simple large gap in the wall, she wondered if John was waiting for her in the river like before. Walking forwards, she stepped out in to the open air, a warm feeling coming over her as the heat from the sun hit her skin. Looking around her, she saw the village she and John once called home.

The layout was as Cameron remembered it, small huts in groups of three or four in circles, surrounding black marks on he ground of small camp fires burnt during the night to warm the camp. Through a gap in the trees, she could see the small farm that she used to work on sometimes. Though LA had always been her and John's home, this village was her home away from home, she felt safe and at peace here. Tearing her gaze away from the centre of the village, where the tribal chiefs hut stood, Cameron walked quickly towards the river, in the exact same direction she did the first time. As she walked passed the hut closest to the river, the bank of the river came in to view, but unlike the last time, there was nobody there waiting for her. Cameron slowly walked forwards in to the empty space, which was supposed to be full of people. Cameron quickly realised she didn't care in the slightest about the people being there, but she did care about John being there. Turning to look at the river, at the spot John was supposed to be, she saw an empty space, just the water flowing was there.

Cameron walked towards the spot and in to the river, ignoring the cold as the water flowed through her toes. Cameron turned and looked in all directions, thinking she would see John standing somewhere else, but she couldn't see him, she couldn't see him anywhere. Cameron felt betrayed and hurt, it felt like John had jilted her at the alter, and left her standing alone. But just as these thoughts of betrayal and hurt began to take hold, Cameron could hear a faint laugh in the distance, which steadily got louder as the seconds went by. Turning herself again, she looked towards the far bank of the river and saw a figure through the trees. Cameron fixed her eyes on the figure, curious on who he is, but as the figure stepped out from behind the trees and in to view, her gaze of curiosity changed to a gaze of hatred, as Derek Reese stood there. Derek just looked at her and continued to laugh.

"I was right!, I knew it!". Cameron had a strong urge to go over there and punch him hard but remembered she didn't have the strength she used to and probably wouldn't last long in a fight against Derek now that she was human. "Come on then, where is he?, where's John?". Cameron looked around at the village behind her and again, saw it was empty. "He's left you, left you all alone, he doesn't love you". Derek couldn't help but grin at the sight of Cameron standing alone in the river. "I knew it, I knew he'd come to his senses. You're a machine and you won't be anything more then that". Cameron shook her head as she hated Derek more and more. She didn't think it possible that she could hate someone as much as she hated Derek. But in that moment, Cameron thought of a way to get her own back. "Have you forgotten?, your dead, John killed you because you tried to kill me".

Derek's smile faded a little, but he was still amused by what he was seeing. "Yes, he did kill me, but just look around you. John, everyone who lived here, they don't care abut you, they never will care about you. They care for their own kind, for humans, you're just a machine". With that, Derek jumped down in to the river and marched towards Cameron. Reaching inside his coat, he pulled out a shotgun. "Go on, run!, I'm going to enjoy every second of this". Cameron didn't move, hating him more and more with every passing second. She was using all of her willpower to stop herself from lashing out. "Why don't' you get it in to your thick head. John loves me and I love him. You tried to break us up and it got you killed, so just give up and leave me alone". Derek's face changed from amusement to anger faster then Cameron could finish he final word.

"John Connor doesn't love you, if he did, he'd be here with you, ready to make to biggest mistake of his life". Cameron couldn't help but think that he was right, because the fact was, John wasn't there, he wasn't anywhere. "No, John wouldn't leave me, he loves me". Derek's smile returned with a vengeance, making Cameron feel a little sick. "If he loved you, then why did he write this?". Derek reached in to his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper and held it out to her. Cameron took it and held it up and she recognised John's handwriting.

Cameron

I can't do this, I just can't. It was a mistake asking you to marry me and I'm sorry for giving you false hope but you're a machine after all. It doesn't matter to me what you feel because I need to be with someone who is human, who I can have a family with. I wish my future self had destroyed you and never sent you back for what you did. Killing Allison Young to get to me is something I can't forgive or forget. All these years we had together, they were wrong and I wished they never happened. Don't try to find me, just stay away from me.

John

Cameron finished reading and dropped the paper in to the water below. Her eyes followed the paper as it was taken away with the flow of the water, disappearing down the river. Cameron knew it couldn't be true what she had just read but there was no mistaking John's handwriting. Derek noticed the look on Cameron's face and began to laugh, as if he enjoyed seeing her suffer. "Stop it, leave me alone". Derek's laughing only got louder. "STOP IT!". Derek moved his face right in front of hers, still laughing loudly. Something in Cameron snapped. Her anger and hatred taking over, she brought her fist up and hit Derek in the jaw. Derek was thrown backwards in surprise at her attack. He raised his shotgun to fire but Cameron dived at him, throwing him back in to the water. Both she and Derek were temporary submerged beneath the water, but Cameron managed to get out first.

Standing on her own two feet, She moved towards Derek just as he was trying to stand up. He tried again to raise his shotgun but another punch to the side of the head made him drop it. Derek tried to defend himself with his own punch but Cameron ducked again before punching him again herself. Derek fell back and tried to remain above the water, flapping his arms and legs around wildly. Cameron stood over him and grabbed the front of his jacket, holding him up. With her right hand, she punched him again and again. With every punch, the skin on Cameron's hand began to bleed badly, as did Derek's face. "LEAVE ME ALONE!", and with one final punch, she let go of Derek. He spat blood from his mouth, and groaned in pain as the river began to take him away. Cameron watched as he grabbed the side of the bank and climbed up on to it, burying his face in to the ground.

Cameron tried to control her breathing and not think about the pain in her right hand. She didn't know what had come over her, she had never felt so hurt and angry in her life. She wanted nothing more but to go over to the embankment and finish him off. But something in the back of her mind was telling to stop, to walk away. Walking forwards towards Derek, the thought of killing him made her feel good. Stepping out of the water and on to the bank next to him, she saw a pistol in the back of Derek's jeans and pulled it out and priming it. Pushing Derek over to see his face, she stood over him and saw he was still smiling. "Go on, kill me. I know you want to. Go on, prove what you are, nothing but a machine that kills humans like cattle!". Cameron raised it and aimed for his head, right between the eyes. Derek stared down the barrel of his own pistol and gave a grin, like he was happy he was about to die. Cameron was close to smiling back and was ready to kill him, she wanted nothing more then to pull the trigger and wipe the smile off his face.

Pressing her finger on the trigger, she readied herself to kill him. But something in her convinced her that she didn't want to kill him, that killing him was something she shouldn't do. Taking a deep breath, she raised the pistol and fired, hitting the ground above Derek's head. The smile on Derek's face disappeared in an instant. "What are you doing you bitch, kill me!, go on, kill me!". Cameron slowly shook her head, and she felt sorry for him, sorry that John was forced to kill him all those years ago to save her. "I'm not going to kill you, it's not who I am, its not what I am anymore". For the first time, Derek looked confused. "What the hell are you talking about?, you're a machine, its what you were built for". Cameron again shook hr head and lowered her gun. And as she did, she noticed the brown string on her finger. She slowly raised her hand so Derek could see. "Me and John did get married here, it was the happiest day of my life. My name is Cameron Connor, and it always will be. That makes you my uncle in law. I have an adopted daughter called Allison and I'm pregnant with John's baby. I have a family and you, whether you like it or not, are part of that family, dead or alive". Cameron raised the gun again and dropped in on to Derek's chest, who just stared at her with shock, anger and disappointment. Cameron turned and walked away. "Where are you going? ,KILL ME YOU METAL BITCH, KILL ME!".

Cameron heard Derek getting up and turned around, seeing he was aiming his pistol at her. Three shots were fired and Derek fell back, three bullet wounds in his chest . He fell to the ground with a grunt and his pistol fell in to the river. Cameron turned on the spot and saw Sarah standing in the centre of the village, aiming her own pistol at Derek. Cameron watched as Sarah lowered her gun and waked over to her, smiling the entire way. Cameron smiled back , grateful Sarah had saved her and generally happy to see her again. "You pass the test". Cameron tilted her head to the side as it was the second time she had been told that. "What test?". Sarah simply smiled and in the blink of an eye, she had disappeared, as had the entire village and all their surroundings.

John stood with his back against the wall, looking over to the bed Cameron was lying on. Both Lauren and Sidney were again checking her, trying to determine if her condition had improved at all. After numerous checks, Lauren sighed and walked over to John, shaking her head. "There's no change. Whatever she's dreaming, its keeping her asleep. I don't know when she'll wake up and for now, its best we keep her that way. There's still a chance she could miscarry". John sighed to himself, raising his hands to rub his eyes. "Do you know what caused this?". Lauren turned to look back at the table, watching for a few seconds as Sidney pressed her hands across Cameron's stomach before turning back to John. "I'm no expert on pregnancy but Sidney says that a lot of stress can cause a miscarriage. With keeping her being pregnant from you until after the battle and the whole battle itself would have been stressful enough, and….". Lauren stopped and looked to the floor. John knew she was about to say something that he wouldn't like. "And what Lauren?".

Lauren looked up again. "Cameron suffered a blunt trauma to her lower back. It's as if she was attacked from behind or she was thrown to the floor hard". John closed his eyes and shoo his head. Turning on the spot, he clenched his hand in to a fist and punched the wall. He felt his skin tare and blood began to flow. "It's my fault, I did this to her". "What do you mean?". John turned back to Lauren, not bothering to even cares his not bruised and bloody hand. "She was running, the drone came from behind her and fired its missiles at her. I pushed her down, out of the way. The missiles missed her". John felt a tear fall down his face. John felt a surge of hatred surge through him, a hatred not directed at anyone else, but to himself. The thought that he put Cameron here and he could have killed their baby, mad him feel sick. "John, it wasn't your fault. If you hadn't have done it, both she and the baby would have died. You'd have lost both of them". John shook his head at himself as the thought of loosing Cameron again became almost unbearable. "I need her to be okay, both her and the baby, please Lauren. I'll never forgive myself if something I did could have killed her". Lauren raised her hand and placed it on John's shoulder.

"Me and Sidney are doing all we can for her. You haven't slept in two days John, so go and get some". John again shook his head. "No, I'm not laving her, I need to be here". It was Lauren's turn to shake her head. "No, your going to do what I say. Your going to leave this room. Allison's going to arrive in about ten minutes with the convoy, so go and meet her. Your going to tell her everything's alright and your then going to get some sleep. I don't want to see either of you here until you do all that and in that order". John thought it strange he was being given an order from her but as she spoke, he knew she was right. "Is this the doctor's orders?". Lauren nodded her head, making John give a small smile, the first one he had since Cameron collapsed. "My mom hated doctors all her life and now I know why". Lauren gave a laugh before turning and going back to Sidney and Cameron. Against his desire to stay by Cameron's side. John turned and opened the door. With one look back at Cameron, he was sure he saw her eyes open for a split second but as he looked closer, he saw her eyes were still closed.

Cameron opened her eyes for third time and this time, instantly knew where she was. She was back in the camp, standing in the middle of the lab where Lauren and Allison operated on her to make her human. What Cameron first noticed was that the room looked like it hadn't been used in a long time. There was a thick layer of dust on very surface and every lab table, which should be have a dozen growth capsules with organs being grown in them, stood empty, as if they had never been used. Looking for the door proved to be a challenge in itself, as the walls were so covered in dirt, she couldn't see the door from the wall. Cameron moved towards the wall she knew the door was located and walked slowly along, knocking her hand softly against it. After hitting concrete over ten times, she finally hit steel. Raising her hands, she moved the cobwebs and thick layers of dust out of her way and reached for the handle, opening the door with a loud creak. Stepping in to the corridor, she was immediately confronted by two solders, who upon seeing her, primed their plasma rifles and aimed at her. "Stay back, Don't move!".

Cameron froze, her eyes fixed on the rifles in their hands. Cameron didn't dare say anything, as the solders both looked like they would shoot her if she moved an inch. Their hands were shaking in fear so mush, their rifles rattled in their hands. One of the solders eventually lowered their rifle and turned his head to the other. "Come on, lets get out of here, just leave her". The other solder didn't need telling twice and with another look of fear towards Cameron, he turned and ran, quickly followed by the other down the corridor and out of sight. Cameron shook her head in surprise, and wondered why the two solders acted the way they did. Why were they afraid of her?, she wasn't exactly a threat to them, one shot form their rifles would be enough to kill her. Looking down the corridor to where the solders had ran to, she began to walk in that direction, wondering that the reason they acted the way they did is because they found out she was, or used to be a machine. As Cameron walked, she headed towards her and John's home, hoping to find him and find out what was wrong.

Turing on to the long corridor in which her and John's room was located, Cameron again froze in her tracks, at seeing the corridor was full of people. At first, none of them noticed she was there, but as the first of them saw her, they fell silent. The silence spread like a plague from person to person, along the corridor until everyone had succumbed to it. As Cameron looked at those staring at her, she felt more out of place then she ever had done, even more so when she first went to school with John and tried and failed to fit in with ease. As the people blocked her way to her and John's home, she had no choice but to walk towards them. Taking her first steps, the people slowly moved themselves to the sides of the corridor, giving her a clear path to her home. As she moved past the people, Cameron turned her head to her left and to her right, looking at the people she past. Every one she looked at turned away from he in fear and disgust. Cameron was hurt that some of those that turned away from her were people she was friendly with and saved some of them from the machines in the past. The children in the corridor hide behind the legs of their parents or behind the closest person to them, turning away in fear. As she neared the door to her home, she saw Lauren leaning against the opened door, blocking Cameron's way. "Lauren, what's going on?". Lauren's eyes darted from the floor to Cameron and she looked disgusted by Cameron's very presence.

"Everyone knows now, what you really are. And that thing in there, how could you have done it, for nine months!". Lauren nodded her head in to the room and backed away, giving Cameron enough room to go inside. Cameron opened her mouth to speak but Lauren shot her an angry look. "Don't you dare talk to me!, just get out of my sight!". This was not how Cameron remembered Lauren. She had always been kind with her, and Cameron considered her to be a close friend , but this Lauren didn't even want to look at her, let alone be her friend. Cameron stepped in to the room and saw Allison standing outside of her and John's room. She looked equally as angry as Liz did. Before taking another step, Cameron could hear a faint crying sound coming from her and John's room, the crying sound of a baby. Cameron look a step towards the door, but was stopped by Allison. "You carried that thing for nine months, how could you have not known?".

Cameron tilted her head to the side. "Not known what Allison?". Allison shook her head in disgust. "Nine months you carried that thing, and your telling me you didn't know. I don't believe you". Cameron felt a little hurt and angry as Allison was calling her baby a thing. "Why are you saying that, that's your brother or sister in there". Allison looked up at her in fury before stepping aside and allowing Cameron to go in. "That thing will never be my family, never!, I'd rather be dead". Allison then walked passed Cameron and stood next to Lauren, both of them staring at her with anger. Cameron, with her trembling hand, reached out and opened the door. Pushing it open, she stepped inside. The first thing Cameron saw was a small bundle of blankets on the end of the bed. The blanket's moved slowly as her baby cried and waved its arms and legs. Cameron took a step towards the bed and heard the door behind her slam shut. Turning around, she finally saw John. "John, what's going on?". Cameron quickly realised that John was angry, more angry then she could remember. His face was red with rage and his body shook with fury. "Go on, look at what you've been carrying all this time, go on!". Cameron was now scared. The way everyone was acting, the way they spoke to her and the look on John's face, all pointed towards that what was in those blankets, wasn't supposed to be there. Cameron turned and walked over to the bed, nerves surging though her.

After what she had seen so far, a future version of Allison who wanted to kill her and seeing Derek again who wanted her to kill him, she didn't know if she wanted to see what was in the blankets. The sounds of the baby got louder as Cameron neared the bed, and with her trembling hands, she reached for the blanket that was covering the baby and moved it out of the way. What Cameron saw nearly gave her a heart attack, making her back away quickly with a scream and hitting the wall behind her. The baby wasn't a baby at all, or at least not a human one. It was a machine. Its shape was that of a baby, only a few days old, but everything about it was metal, its arms, legs, torso, everything. Even its eyes weren't human, they were a mechanical red, the same red glow most of the machines shared. John stepped forwards from the side of the room and stood over the baby, taking a pistol out form no where and holding it in both hands. "We're at war Cameron, and the machines are our enemy, every single one of them, including this one". Cameron could only see the swinging mechanical arms from behind John from where she was standing. John turned and held out the pistol to Cameron. "Here, take it". Cameron slowly reached out and took the pistol.

John then stepped out of the way giving Cameron a clear view of the bed and the baby. "Kill it!". Cameron turned her head to John, in complete shock. "What?". John shook his head, as if disappointed that Cameron hadn't done what he said to second he gave the order. "It's not hard Cameron. Everyone now knows about you, about your chip. They are willing to let you stay, to still be one of us, only if you kill this machine". Cameron didn't raise her hand or do anything else, she couldn't believe what John was asking her to do. If that machine on the bed was her baby, then she wasn't going to kill it, she couldn't. "John, you know I won't do it, why are you doing this?". John again shook his head, becoming more and more disappointed the longer Cameron didn't raise her pistol. "I'm asking you to do it because if you don't, you will be killed. I can't stop them from killing you because of your chip. You need to think of me and Allison, she'll loose her mother and I'll loose my wife".

Cameron knew this wasn't her John, it couldn't be. He was asking her to kill her and his baby, something she knew her John wouldn't do. "You can't ask me to do this, that's my baby, yours and mine". "NO!, that's no child of mine, kill it or I'll do it for you". Cameron again shook her head. "No, I can't". John's face went even redder. With out a word, John took the gun from Cameron's trembling hands and primed it, turning on the spot and aimed for the baby. Cameron threw herself in front of John, blocking his view of the baby. "John, stop!, I can't let you do this". "Why not, it's a machine, nothing more". Cameron shook her head and raised her hand, placing it on top of the gun in John's hand and pushing it down slightly. "That's what Derek said about me years ago. He said I was a machine, with out a soul, and I wouldn't be anything more then that. But you defended me, always looked out for me. We fell in love, we got married, we have a beautiful daughter. I don't care what my baby is, human or machine, its my baby and I'm not letting you or anybody hurt my baby".

For a second, Cameron felt a surge of fear as it looked like John was about to shoot her, but he slowly lowered his gun and the anger and rage completely disappeared from his face. "You pass the test". Before Cameron could even think about what John had said, a gust of wind surged through the room, causing Cameron to close her eyes. When she opened them again, John was gone and so was the room and the camp. She was somewhere else now, somewhere different.

It was a cold night, and the cold rain wasn't helping anyone keep warm. John stood by the entrance of the power plant, waiting for the convoy to arrive. His thoughts firmly on Cameron and their baby, he had to try hard to resist the urge to rub back to her. But every time he was close to turning around, he forced himself to remember that Allison was arriving on the convoy and she was just as important to him as Cameron was. As he waited, John took a moment to look at the others waiting for the convoy to arrive with him. Most were solders, wearing their normal clothes, and like John, were just waiting for their families to arrive. The others were solders also, but their were on guard duty, guarding the entrance. Four of the solders however, were guarding John. He didn't even ask for them when walking from the aide station to the entrance, they just turned up and took positions behind John, keeping a watch not just for machines, but also the people with John. Anyone and everyone was a threat to John Connor, and they were determined to keep him alive, no matter to cost.

Slowly, a rumbling sound could be heard as the convoy approached. In the distance, the lights of the convoy's many vehicles began to shine brighter as they got closer. The convoy which was made up of trucks with plasma machine guns on the backs and trucks which carried the people, were covered in plasma burns. The convoy had obviously been attacked on its way to the power plant. The moment the convoy stopped, people scrambled out from the back of the trucks, some holding up others who couldn't stand themselves. John took out his radio. "Medical teams to the entrance, the convoy's been hit!". Not bothering to listen to the reply, he put his radio back and moved forwards to help. He found Allison in the first truck, a large cut on her right cheek. She didn't seem to be bothered with the cut, but she was angry in general.

"A simple trip she says, We won't get attacked she says, what a load of bullshit!. We didn't get five minutes out of the camp before the machines ambushed us. I nearly got killed by this wired silver metal thing, it only managed to cut my face". John held out his hand and helped Allison down from the truck. "You alright?". Allison breathed in deeply and nodded her head, the cold air and rain seemly cooling her down. John brought her in to a hug and looked in to the truck, seeing that four bodies were still inside. "John!". John let go of Allison and turned to see Liz, who like Allison, had a cut on her face, but she was also caressing her right arm, which looked like it was broken. "It's looks worse then it is". John didn't believe her as she winched in pain at the slightest movement. "Come on, both of you, inside now". John moved to Liz's side and took her left arm, helping her inside. Allison followed them, looking around with fascination at the power plant as she had never seen one before. John found a free medic and stood by Liz's side as the medic checked her face and arm.

"We were only on the move five minutes. The machine's knew we were moving. They were acting strange, like they were looking for someone specific. They must have been trying to get Allison or something. They didn't know which truck she was in. We lost Seventeen dead, twenty two wounded". John looked around and saw Allison winching in pain as a medic stitched the cut on her face. John knew it would leave a small scar, but other then her hair, Allison never really cared about her appearance. The only thing she purposely covered was her Skynet work camp tattoo, which she covered with a wrist sweatband. John heard the medic mention that Liz needed to be taken to the aide station for her arm before leaving to help some of the other wounded. "I almost forgot, What's happening with Cameron, is she okay?, and the baby?". John's felt his face drop in to one of sadness. "Lauren says there's no change. We don't know what's going to happen yet". Liz gave a smile before nodding her head towards the inside of the plant.

"Go on, you and Allison go. Cameron needs both of you, now more then ever, especially with the baby. I'll get my brother to help me to the aide station, he should be around here somewhere, I haven't seen him in months anyways". John gave a smile of thanks before turning to Allison, who had finished getting her cut stitched up. "Is mom okay?, How can she be pregnant?, is the baby okay?". John didn't know the answer to any of her questions as they quickly walked in to the plant towards the aide station. Arriving minutes later, Allison immediately ran to Cameron's bedside and being one of two people who helped Cameron become human, began bombarding Sidney with questions about Cameron. Lauren turned and walked to John, shaking her head. "She's having one hell of a nightmare, it's putting her in a lot of stress. There's still a chance she could loose the baby, it depends if she wakes up soon or not".

John nodded, not liking a single word she said. He knew Cameron suffered like he did when she had nightmares. On more then one occasion, she had woken up, screaming at the top of her voice in fear before John had been able to calm her down again to get back to sleep. "Sidney's going to stay here for a while, watch over her, but I've got to go and see to the wounded. I heard the convoy was attacked on its way here. John nodded and Lauren quickly left to help the wounded. John took his seat next to the bed and again took Cameron's hand. He slowly stocked the side of her hand with his thumb. For the second time, he was sure he saw her eyes flicker open out of the corner of his eye, but once again, when he looked, her eyes remained closed.

Cameron knew she was still dreaming, she could feel it in her gut. She didn't even bother opening her eyes this time, and instead fell to her knees, not daring to move but waiting for the next ordeal. She could feel the breeze of a soft wind on her face and she could here the laughter of children nearby. Suddenly, the soft breeze of the wind ceased to blow on Cameron's face as someone stopped in front of her. "What are you sitting down there for?". Cameron's eyes shot open and she looked up, recognising the person's voice. Cameron blinked repeatedly at the amused face of Sarah. With a smile, Sarah held out her hand. "Come on, we need to talk". Cameron didn't move, barely believing that she was not going to be faced with another traumatic experience, she kept her hands firmly on her lap. "If this is another test or something else….". "Don't worry, its not!".

Cameron found it hard to believe her, as she knew she was still dreaming. "I'll prove it to you Cameron, I promise, I'll explain everything, just come with me". Slowly, she raised her hand and took Sarah's and was pulled to her feet. Looking more closely at Sarah ,Cameron realised how good she looked, healthy and full of life, a lot different from when Cameron last saw her, dying in front of her eyes. Cameron looked around and recognised where she was. She and Sarah were standing just outside the playground where Sarah brought a baby John years before. Cameron had also been here before, in another dream. "Why are we here?". Sarah shrugged her shoulders and began to walk slowly towards the play ground. "This is your dream, not mine, I'm here because you need me here, to explain things.". Cameron moved quickly to Sarah's side before continuing on. "Explain things?, do you mean those tests, what were they?". They turned through an opening in the fence around the play ground. "Those tests were your way of seeing if you were ready". Cameron looked at her with confusion, not knowing how all of what she had been through could have been to see if she was ready for anything. "Ready for what?". "Ready to be a mother". Sarah sat down on one of the park benches and sat back, enjoying the sun on her face. "I don't understand". Sarah raised her hand and indicated to Cameron to sit down. Cameron slowly did, and felt strangely at ease.

"I don't understand, To be a mother. I already am, I have Allison". Sarah gave a nod and smiled widely. "Yes, and your doing one hell of a job at it. Allison couldn't have anyone better then you and John to look after her. But ever since you first saw Allison asleep in her bed, You've had this little voice in the back of your head, telling you that you can't look after her and you could never be a good mother to her because of what you used to be, haven't you?. Cameron lowered her head, nodding softly. "I had the same thing with John. When I was pregnant with him I was terrified, I didn't know if I could do it. I never thought about having children before. I was just a waitress, working through the week so I could go out and party at the weekends. That was all I cared about. But then the machine came and so did Kyle. After that, I knew what John was going to do when he was older, who he was to become. I didn't know if I could do it, love him, raise him, train him. I didn't know what to do or how to do it. But I did it for him, I passed my own tests and you know the rest. You know how John turned out, you married him after all". Cameron expected Sarah to be angry and disappointed by her and John being married, but Sarah showed no anger, but she did look a little disappointed.

"I wish I could have been there, to see how beautiful you looked in your dress and how handsome John looked in a suit. I wish I could have seen you two together, saying your ' I do's' and the kiss afterwards. I'm sorry I wasn't there". Cameron quickly raised to hand to Sarah's shoulder. "Don't be sorry, We both miss you. John doesn't like to admit it, but he still cries sometimes". Sarah gave a small smile, taking Cameron's hand from her shoulder and holding it. "My tests were about me being unsure about being a good mom to John. Yours were about you yourself being a mom to your baby". Cameron sighed, still not really understanding. "Your first test. Allison was older, in the future and everyone was dead, you and John were gone, she was alone for years, she blamed you for everything that happened. You refused to kill her when she was going to kill you and you convinced her to forgive you. That was your first test, to make her forgive you despite her hatred of you". Sarah finished and took to watching her younger self play with a baby John. Cameron followed her gaze and smiled at seeing the baby John, running around in circles around his mother. "Your second test. Your saw Derek. He never accepted you, always put you down and tried to kill you more then once. You hated him more then anyone else but when you had the gun to his head, you didn't kill him. You wanted to but you didn't. You accepted that because you are married to John, it didn't matter how much you hated him, he was still your family, your uncle in law. Because you didn't kill him, you passed the second test".

Cameron watched as the baby John fell over, and had to stop herself from going over to help. Both she and Sarah watched as her younger self picked up baby John and held him as he cried. "What about the last test?". Sarah turned to look at Cameron, looking surprised. "I thought even you could figure out that one. You accepted your baby, despite it being a machine. You didn't care what the baby was because it was yours and you protected it". Sarah smiled again and stood up, and began walking out of the play ground. Cameron again followed. They walked in silence back towards the spot Sarah found her. Sarah kept looking back towards her younger self, smiling every time she did. Once they reached the spot, Sarah turned to face Cameron. "It's time for you to wake up". Cameron felt more relieved then ever by this point, she wanted nothing more then to see John and Allison again and to see if her baby was okay. "How do I wake up, I've wanted to wake up since all this started?". Sarah just smiled. "Waking up is just as easy as falling asleep. That voice in the back of your mind, you won't hear it anymore, you'll make a great mother, a better one then I ever was". Cameron felt herself becoming drowsy and she fell back. The world around her seemed to slow down as she fell. Landing softly on her back, Cameron felt something on her left hand, as if someone was holding it, but when she looked at it, nothing was there.

John had his head resting on the bed next to Cameron, his hand holding hers softly before his eyes. Despite trying, he couldn't sleep. He felt more useless then he ever did. He didn't have any idea on how to help Cameron wake up. The image of Cameron's face when she saw her own blood on her trousers, the look of horror and heartbreak on her face kept surging through his mind. He could feel his own heart on the verge of breaking, as the thought of loosing Cameron was hard to bare, but loosing her and their unborn baby would be enough to tip any man over the edge, even the strongest man. Something was also niggling John about what had happened to the convoy that Allison had travelled with. Thoughts of machines trying to kill or capture Allison kept eating away at him. The machines were looking for someone on that convoy and it wasn't him or Cameron.

The only people on that convoy of importance were Liz and Allison. But something Allison had said, something about a 'wired silver metal thing', seemed familiar somehow, yet he couldn't quite put his finger on it. She didn't say anything about a specific machine type, neither did Liz for that matter. John sighed to himself, to exhausted to concentrate and try to make any sense of anything. As John tried once again to put thoughts aside and tried to get some sleep, his eyes fell on his and Cameron's hands. As her stroked the side of her hand with his thumb and closed his eyes, he slowly realised that Cameron's thumb had begun to move in union with his.

Sitting up quickly, he gave a cry of relief as Cameron's eyes flickered open. Moving himself over her, he watched as Cameron eyes slowly gained focus, and as her gaze fell on John, the longer he stared at her with joy at her finally waking up, the more she smiled. "John, you can either stare at me, or you can kiss me, your choice". John didn't need to be told twice and so moved his head down and their lips met. Breaking the kiss, Cameron tried sitting up, but John pushed her back down. "Wait, don't move, not yet". John, stuck out his leg and gave Allison, who was asleep in the chair next to him, a firm kick. Allison moaned and groaned loudly. "Too early dad, five more minutes".

"Your moms awake". Allison got out of the chair quickly, not showily any sign of tiredness as she ran to the other side of the bed. "Cameron turned and raised her arms, bringing Allison in to a firm hug. John took out his radio, "Liz!, Liz, you still awake!". A few seconds past before she replied. "John, what's up?, its four in the morning". He could tell by the sound of her voice that she had been asleep. "Cameron's awake, get Lauren and her sister here now!". John dropped his radio on to the chair and watched as Cameron and Allison hugged. "Don't scare me like that mom, we thought you weren't going to wake up".

John could hear Cameron crying softly in Allison's arms. "I'm sorry, I love you so much, I promise, I'll never leave you again, I promise". Cameron was remembering her dream and had no intension of letting anything like that ever happen to her daughter. Letting go of Allison, Cameron let Allison stand up straight. Raising her hands slowly, she moved them to her belly, running her hands softly across her skin. "Is the baby okay?, please tell me its okay". John quickly looked to the heart monitor and was relieved to still see two heart beats. "I think its okay, just don't move until Lauren gets here". Before he even finished his next breath, the door burst open and Lauren ran in the room, dark marks beneath her eyes. Sidney came in behind her seconds later, in the same condition. John and Allison stepped back and allowed them to check her. "I'm glad your awake Cameron, but you could have done it when we were all awake!". John could see Cameron grin slightly from where he was standing. Eventually, Lauren stepped back, smiling widely.

"You are unbelievable, your going to be fine and I'm sure your baby's alright as well". Sidney gave a nod in agreement. "To be safe, you better stay in bed until I say so". Cameron and John both nodded at their words. Lauren and Sidney both moved to the nearby table, sorting through the medical equipment and discussing between themselves on what to do. John moved to Cameron's side again and once again, they grasped each others hand. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you John". "It doesn't matter anymore Cameron. I don't care that you didn't tell me. All I care about is that your okay. You and our baby". Forgetting about anything else, John and Cameron, with Allison at their side, could finally begin to come to terms with the fact that they were going to be parents, that the impossible had become possible. At that moment John felt something he hadn't felt in a long time, hope.