Who is John Connor?

by jbh61987

The road to becoming General Connor is a harsh one as fifteen year old John tries to learn what it takes to be the man he is destined to become. AU Retelling of the first season.

2. Welcome back to Kansas, John

(Disclaimer: Don't own TSCC or anything else that could be linked to copyright material)

(AN: Once again special thanks to my beta, Fortex for helping me iron out any flaws in the chapter)

Chapter 2: Welcome back to Kansas, John.

The next morning John walked slowly to his Science class. Breakfast had been a gloomy affair with the Connors still upset at one another. Only a handful of words were exchanged, mostly comprising of "good morning" and "goodbye". The philosophy of "If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all" held true for them. After all, they only had each other making it impossible for the two of them to truly sever their ties. But one had to wonder if their bond was truly that of mother and child.

'Then again, this last row could be considered the unfairness of parental authority.' John mused.

Stepping foot into the classroom he plopped down in his seat and dropped his book bag on the floor. The sound of it slamming on the ground drew the attention of most everyone in the room. John didn't bother acknowledging their looks, he knew that in situations such as these the easiest way to get everyone to ignore you was to ignore them first. Sure enough, the rest of the class soon returned to their own devices.

Once again retaining the identity of the weird new kid, he slouched in his seat and let time drizzle by. At five till, he sat back up and started getting his things out of his book bag. Reaching in, he thumbed through the contents while keeping the mouth of the bag as closed as possible. Should anyone see the black case for his Colt Anaconda, there would be all sorts of hell. The case was roughly the size of a large textbook and fit easily inside the pack, but it was still risky to carry it around school. Fortunately security was pretty lax. And for a rural town like Red Valley it was nonexistent. Teachers didn't search students' backpacks without good reason. And for someone who mastered the art of being unexceptional; keeping under the radar was a walk in the park.

Pushing the case aside he took hold of both his notebook and textbook. As his hand brushed against the interior it came into contact with a rough material that hadn't been there the day before. John looked up to make sure no one was nearby before opening the bag a little wider to investigate. With the extra light flowing in he was able to see the familiar material of a Kevlar vest sewn into the material of his backpack.

'Can't even trust me to walk down the street without getting shot.' He thought bitterly. A flash of pink to the side caught his attention and he quickly shut the mouth of the bag. Looking to the side he saw Cameron wearing a pink blouse with blue jeans, her head was tilted to the side, her face adorned with a soft smile

"Hey," She greeted.

"…Hey," He returned, albeit quieter. He was still uncertain how to handle her having just met the day before and kissing her less than twelve hours later.

Her eyes traveled to the right side of his face where the skin was bruised from his mother's slap. She reached out and gently touched the discolored skin. "Are you ok?"

Taking hold of her wrist he slowly moved it away. "I'm fine."

"Fine, never means fine." She quipped.

John gave a small huff in annoyance. "My mom says that exact same thing. Word for word."

"I knew someone who would say it to his friends all the time."

Giving her a small laugh, he repeated that everything was alright and not to worry. She seemed to take the hint and didn't press any further. Shortly later the bell rang and everyone took their seat. As they were sitting down a man, looking to be in his mid to late thirties with short dark brown hair and rather casual clothes entered the room carrying a briefcase. He walked with a brisk pace towards the teacher's desk. As he did so he said, "Mr. Ferguson is ill today." Setting the briefcase down and opening it he looked around the class before continuing. "My name is, Cromartie."

"Is that your only name? Like Madonna?" The snooty voice of a girl, whose name John couldn't remember or even care to, asked.

"Madonna? ...Why? …No." He replied causing the class to laugh. But while they grew relaxed, John grew tense. The hairs on the back of his neck started standing on end and his instincts were screaming at him. It was like when he had first met Cameron, but this time more frightening, more…primal. What the class heard as a joke, he heard as genuine curiosity that had been quickly written off as unimportant.

Sitting down with most of his upper body hidden by the open briefcase, Cromartie grabbed a sheet of paper and said, "Let's take attendance…Maria Booeye?"

"Here." The bitch-princess from earlier responded.

"…Donald Chase?"

"Here..."

All sound faded away as John's five senses continued telling him to run. While the substitute teacher's full body couldn't be seen, John was certain the man was doing something with his right hand below the desk based on the subtle movements from his shoulder. At first, he tried reasoning that the guy was simply marking attendance, but somehow he knew that wasn't true. His intuition just kept refusing to be won over like they had with Cameron. Speaking of Cameron, it seemed that Cromartie had reached her name on the attendance sheet. Looking around the room, he asked. "Cameron…where are you?"

John resisted the urge to look over his shoulder at his one friend in Red Valley. He was sure there was a rational explanation for why she wasn't speaking up…at least he hoped there was.

"…Here." She finally answered. If there was a single hair on John's neck that wasn't on edge before, it was now. The voice he heard wasn't the playful, friendly one he had come to associate with the pretty brunette he kissed the night before. It was curt…cold…unemotional…mechanical. Slowly his left arm moved down to his book bag and gripped the corresponding shoulder strap.

"Reese? Do we have a John Reese?"

'RUN!' His mind, body, and soul screamed. Against his better judgment, he raised his right hand up slightly; his left tightening its hold on the backpack.

"Excellent." Cromartie praised as he abruptly stood up holding a nine-millimeter handgun.

'SHIT!' He screamed in his head, finally on the same page as his instincts. The familiar sound of a gun chamber sliding back warned him long before he actually saw the gun. As he dove to the floor he swung his book bag around and slid his right arm through the opposing strap. A bullet whizzed overhead, telling him his lucky streak from the night before was still going strong. Jumping up he ran for the door while Cromartie threw the teacher's desk aside with a strength that could only be considered inhuman. Raising his gun, the pseudo-substitute took aim at his target's back.

As he passed the first chemistry table, John felt someone roughly shove him from the side causing him to fall between the lab tables. Three shots went off and the sound of a body hitting the floor behind him was heard. As his mind registered the series of events he became fearful of what lay behind. Turning around his fears became a nightmare as he saw Cameron on the floor. Her eyes shut and her chest didn't show the tell-tale signs of breathing. Instead it showed three blood stains from three bullet wounds.

"No…" He muttered in denial. She couldn't be dead! The sounds of screaming and desks being flung about reminded him, he was still in danger. "…Run…" He prompted as he got back to his feet before ordering himself again. "Run!"

The door was no longer a viable option. It would only bring him closer to Cromartie who had been trying to make his way around the table. With that exit cut off he ran towards the next best option, the window. Two more shots were fired. One of the bullets caught his book bag causing him to stumble out of the path of the second bullet. The wayward slug hit the window, shattering it. Regaining his footing, John chanced a quick glance at his attacker.

The man wasn't a man at all! But a terminator! If the unnatural strength wasn't evidence enough, then the giant hole in his leg with synthetic skin dangling was. The handgun the machine had been using was no longer pointing at him. Instead, Cromartie was using the fabric of his shirt to try and clear the false blood off the gun. John felt a rush of relief as he realized the gun had jammed. Not wasting another second he dove through the window. As he neared the ground he saw it littered with broken glass and raised his arms to shield his face. Hitting the ground he used his forward momentum to turn his dive into a roll and shot to his feet.

"GAH!" He yelled in pain as his right hand gripped his left arm. Running from the classroom he looked at his arm and saw a shard of glass sticking out of it. He automatically made the parking lot his destination. If he could hotwire a car he'd have a better chance of escape than if he tried to make it on foot. But that wasn't the only reason. Red Valley High School was surrounded by open fields on all sides. Trying to run away on foot without anything to cover him would be suicide. While cars weren't truly capable of stopping bullets, despite Hollywood's belief in the opposite, they did do a good job hiding you from view. Rule of thumb was you can't hit what you can't see.

Up ahead he saw a bus parked by the side of the lot. He knew he needed to keep the line of sight between him and the terminator blocked for as long as possible. If Cromartie couldn't establish his location he would have more time to act and better odds of surviving. Running around the hood of the bus he hid behind the side facing away from the school. Glancing quickly over the hood he saw his assassin step out of the window he jumped through earlier. Staying in shape had definitely been a wise decision on his part. Ducking back out of sight, he estimated he had roughly two minutes before Cromartie would establish the parking lot as the most likely destination of his target and get close enough to continue the assault.

John leaned against the side of the bus while he caught his breath. The pain in his arm reminded him that he was still acting as a pin cushion for a rather large piece of glass. Getting a firm hold of the shard with his right hand, he took a few deep breaths and ripped it out. He bit his bottom lip to keep from crying out and forced the feelings of nausea down. Dropping the glass fragment he covered the badly bleeding wound with his right hand to stem the blood flow. Panic started setting in as he tried to think of what he should do. Hundreds of thoughts ran through his mind. I need to run! I need mom! I need to stop bleeding! I'm going to die! Cameron died! It's my fault!

His right hand now stained with his blood moved on its own accord and his index finger and middle finger dug into the puncture wound. He hissed in pain as his mind registered the sensation and his fingers moved back to their original position. When the pain ebbed his mind was once again filled with clarity. The use of pain to keep your mind from becoming overwhelmed had been a lesson from one of his teachers in South America. The name of the man escaped him, but his lessons did not.

XxXxXxXxXxX

The man had been a medic for a band of revolutionaries his mother was serving at the time. While she was away on missions, he would act as babysitter. Needless to say, John spent a lot of time at their makeshift hospital and saw many things that children his age should never encounter. However for the young seven year old, such sights were normal. One day a young soldier came in badly injured and John watched with grotesque fascination as his watcher worked. Halfway into the operation the soldier's heart stopped beating, but the man never lost his cool. He ordered the rest of the doctors to assist. While they worked, John heard some of the other men say it was too late, but the head medic didn't stop.

It was a great shock to all, himself included when the wounded soldier's heart started beating again. The man regained consciousness and started hyperventilating. John heard one of the doctors say he was going into shock. His minder called for a sedative and one of the assistants ran for the supply cabinet. As the soldier's condition started to get worse he watched as the doctor dug a gloved finger into one of the open bullet wounds and caused the patient to cry out in pain, slowing his breathing. The assistant soon returned and the sedative was administered.

"I'll leave the rest to you." The doctor said to his assistants as he walked over towards him. Taking his bloodied gloves off and throwing them in the trash, he walked over to a small water basin stained red with many soldiers' life fluid. Washing his hands in the dirty water he dried them off and grabbed the basin; it was past due for changing. Little John Connor quickly got up and followed after him. As the two neared the camp's water supply the man spoke. "Remember, John. When the situation is dire and everyone thinks it's hopeless, there are three things you must always do. Stop the bleeding, start the breathing, and treat for shock."

The seven year old boy said nothing, but nodded his head in understanding.

XxXxXxXxX

'Stop the bleeding,' John repeated. As he tore the left sleeve of his jacket off and ripped it into strips before rapidly wrapping it around his injury. With his arm taken care of he moved on to the next step, "Start the breathing". That part was easier to figure out. He needed a car and he needed to get the hell away from Red Valley High School and Cromartie. After that he would need to…No! Don't think about the third step when you haven't completed the second! Bringing his left arm up, he wiped the sweat off his brow ignoring the blood that transferred from the contact. The mixture of running for his life, pulling a piece of glass out of his arm, and the clothing he wore worked against him, making him hotter than he cared for.

As he started to lower his arm a shiny glint coming from his wrist caught his attention. Looking closely he realized it was his half of the bracelet he got with Cameron the day before. As he watched the cheap piece of metal dangle from his wrist feelings of guilt, shame, and anger started coursing through his veins. The bracelet stared at him accusingly, as if calling him a coward.

The memory of her lying on the floor motionless continued to loop in his mind increasing the feelings of guilt and anger exponentially. Carefully walking towards the edge of the bus he peeked around the hood to get a better view at Cameron's murderer. He only got to see the terminator briefly before he quickly pulled his head back and out of the path of Cromartie's bullet. His cover blown, he immediately made for the parking lot while the terminator shot blindly at the bus each bullet just barely missing him. As he entered the maze of cars he ducked down behind a pick-up. 'Fucking computers! Every single one of those shots came way too close!'

The loud crash and screech of metal being dragged coaxed John from his hiding place to get a sense of things. It didn't take long to figure out what caused the commotion as he saw the bus he'd been hiding behind resting on its side. Quickly, he ducked back out of sight. It didn't take a genius to figure out what Cromartie was doing. The terminator was trying to take the high ground so it would have an easier time spotting him. As long as John stayed out of the machine's line of sight he was safe, albeit temporarily. Looking around to get a better sense of his location, he couldn't help but laugh bitterly at the irony. The truck he happened to hide behind was Cameron's.

'Even in death, she manages to watch over me.' He thought morosely. He had to wonder if this was fair. An innocent girl, whose only mistake seemed to be associating with him, was dead. In war, such sacrifices were called collateral damage. It was the one thing John hated most about the leaders of any war. Calling people collateral damage was the same as stripping them of their humanity.

Looking at the bracelet again he was overcome with emotion. The first time he saw it he felt guilt, shame, and anger. Soon shame faded away and his guilt and anger increased. Now his guilt was gone and his anger remained. His anger grew, his face furrowed and when it reached its peek…his anger morphed into hate. Hate for himself, hate for Cromartie, hate for SKYNET, and hate for the whole fucking world for making him its savior.

Sliding the backpack off his shoulders he unzipped it and pulled out the black case carrying his gun. Unhooking the latches, he opened it up to see it shining at him, as if to say, "Take me John, and we will punish those who wronged us!" Grabbing it by its wooden grip, he released the cylinder and started loading the six bullets that were in the case. Carrying a gun to school was dangerous; carrying a loaded gun to school was just plain stupid. With the six bullets loaded, he flicked his wrist and snapped the cylinder back into position. His eyes were drawn to the inscription on the barrel. As he read it, he quietly spoke to himself. "…Justice for all, indeed."

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Cromartie gazed over the parking lot for the second time, flipping though the many modes of vision SKYNET offered its soldiers. Humans were such troublesome creatures. Even in the face of death they clung desperately for survival. Didn't they realize they were only delaying the inevitable? That by struggling they subjected themselves to unnecessary pain? Such actions were foolish…illogical…stupid.

Finishing his second scan of the parking lot, he failed to find any sign of John Connor. It would only be a matter of time before the police or Sarah Connor showed up and he could not allow anything to interfere. Not when he was so close to fulfilling his objective. Cromartie moved and walked towards the edge of the bus, he couldn't afford to waste anymore time looking for a sign of his target. He'd have to seek him out the old fashioned way.

Off in the distance his scanners caught sight of movement too large to be anything less than a human body. Turning towards the source of the disturbance, he zoomed in and identified it as being John Connor. Cromartie raised its gun.

-BANG-

The sound of a gun going off roared through the air, but it wasn't Cromartie's. A harsh impact slammed into the terminator's shoulder causing him to stumble back and his shot to go wide. John Connor was armed. And based on the damage readings, he was well armed. Cromartie ignored the warnings and moved to raise his arm again, but this time it moved much slower. The grinding of metal on metal could be heard coming from his shoulder as his arm twitched and jerked.

-BANG-

John Connor fired again. Another impact slammed into the center of the terminator's chest. The high density armor plating took most of the damage this time around, but the force still managed to knock him off balance. Stepping back, he lost his footing when he reached the edge of the bus and fell off. Laying on his back he quickly assessed the damage. His chest plate had stopped the bullet and only caused minimum damage to his endoskeleton, but his right arm had been compromised. The round had torn through the thin metal plating and left fragments interfering with the movements of his shoulder joint. The damage would hinder his combat capabilities, but it didn't matter. He may not be able to charge his target head on, but that wouldn't be enough to save John Connor's life.

XxXxXxXxX

John ran hard. Putting as much distance as he could from both Cromartie and his original position. After putting two rounds in the terminator and knocking its ass off the bus, he knew he wouldn't get a better chance to retreat. His backpack, now empty of all his school supplies, hung off his shoulders shielding his upper-body. The Kevlar would do better protecting him from 9mm rounds than any of the cars could. In his right hand he carried Justice, his gun. As stupid as it sounded, he found it quicker and more fitting to refer to it by the first word of its inscription rather than its official title.

'That son of a bitch put three rounds in Cameron, so I'll put all six rounds in him!' He vowed as he ran. While he fully intended to carry out his promise, he knew there was no reason to pursue his assassin. Cromartie was programmed to kill him. So why chase after the machine when it would chase after him? Besides, he only had four shots left and needed to conserve his ammo until he could get more. Just because he promised to put all six rounds in Cromartie, didn't mean he would objet to any extra credit.

-BANG-

A shot rang through the air and slammed into John's backpack, knocking him to the ground. He groaned as he picked himself up and rolled between two cars, making sure to stay prone. Even though the Kevlar managed to stop the bullet, the impact hurt like hell. The passenger window of the car to his right exploded from being hit by a 9mm slug and rained glass down upon him. John noticed a trend as a bullet would hit the upper portion of the two cars every few seconds.

"SHIT!" he yelled. 'That bastard is keeping me pinned!'

As the bullets continued to hit, John started counting. If he was going to escape or fight back he'd have to do it while Cromartie reloaded.

-BANG-

'…9…'

-BANG-

'…10…'

-BANG-

'…11…'

Silence…

'…12.' He rectified as he stood up and swung his gun around trying to find his enemy. But the machine was nowhere to be seen. It was hiding while it reloaded, he realized. The damage he had dealt must have left an impression on the terminator. His gun continued to swing wildly as he searched back and forth. First left, then right, then left again. As he was beginning to swing his arm right, he heard a sound off in the distance to his left. He couldn't be certain, but he thought it had sounded like a car door slamming. He focused left only to see Cromartie stand up to his right, gun trained on his position.

'CRAP!' He thought as he dropped to the ground to avoid being shot. Again he lay prone on the asphalt, but now the glass shards were resting below him rather than on him. John grimaced as he felt the tiny shards dig into his chest, arms, and legs. His clothes kept a lot of the pieces from puncturing the skin, but he knew if he managed to get out of this he'd have a lot of scratches decorating his body.

It didn't take long for Cromartie to reach his position and when his shadow fell over him, he knew it was over. John looked up at the face of his executioner. He took note of a hole the size of a half-dollar in his right shoulder. The round he put in Cromartie's chest didn't have a hole, but it did reveal the metal plating underneath and a dent formed by the round still lodged between the metal.

As prey and predator locked eyes, John found he had only one regret in life. That regret was not being able to avenge Cameron. 'I'm sorry Cam, I failed…I hope you can forgive me.'

Cromartie was starting to squeeze the trigger when the sound of a car engine revving drew both their attentions. As the terminator turned his head, he had enough time to register an incoming truck before it slammed into him and carried him away from his target. The driver of the vehicle quickly slammed on the brakes and sent the machine sailing. John for his part stared in shock as the creepily familiar truck was put into reverse and stopped just in front of him, the passenger door quickly opened and he locked eyes with the one and only Cameron Phillips.

"Come with me if you want to live." She said with no emotion. John didn't waste any time thinking. Bending over he scooped up his gun and ran for the truck. Jumping in the passenger seat and slamming the door, the vehicle sped off. As they passed Cromartie, he took a moment to watch the machine pick itself up. The terminator glanced in their direction but did not give chase, something John found odd. Turning around he rested his head against the back of the seat and let his body relax. He was alive! He managed to avoid death yet again! Speaking of death…

'…Cameron!' he thought. Looking over in her direction he stared at her face. Her feminine features were incredibly blank if you excluded the look of determination as she stared straight ahead.

She wasn't dead either! But how? Hadn't she been shot three times? Looking down, sure enough he saw three small bloodstains decorating her pink blouse. Looking back up, he locked eyes with her as she stared blankly at him. Suddenly it hit him harder than she hit Cromartie with the truck. Cameron wasn't dead because she had never been alive to begin with! She was just like Cromartie, a machine from the future! Cameron Phillips was a terminator…

XxXxXxXxXxX

Sarah Connor stood two miles outside of Red Valley High School perched behind a rock with a pair of binoculars in hand. She had been working part-time at a diner in town when the T.V. hooked up for the customers convenience had an emergency broadcast stating that shots had been fired at the town's school. The newscaster's words made her blood run cold. There was only one thing in Red Valley worth killing and that one thing was at Red Valley High School. To be more specific, that one thing was her son.

Peering through the binoculars she tried to locate John amongst the throngs of people outside the school. So far no one had been rolled out in a body bag, but that fact left her with little comfort. Her view was suddenly blocked as a body appeared within her line of sight. She quickly pulled away from the binoculars but wasn't able to avoid the hand that grasped her throat and sent her soaring through the air. She flew roughly seven feet before slamming on the dirt ground hard, forcing the air from her lungs. Before she could recover a strong hand once again gripped her throat and pinned her down.

"Sarah Connor?" Her assailant half asked, half stated.

Her green eyes shot open and glared at the thing holding her down. She knew the second it sent her flying it wasn't human. But almost everyone would have drawn that conclusion when they saw the deep cuts in its "face" revealing the shiny metal endoskeleton underneath or the hole in its shoulder where a mechanical grinding could be heard. A similar hole could be found in the center of its chest. However that one could only be called skin deep as the flesh around the hole was torn and partially burned away revealing more of the machine's metal body. Sarah wasn't certain, but she swore she saw a .44 caliber round lodged into the chest plate, the exact same caliber her son uses. Logic dictated that he was responsible for the two bullet wounds dotting the machine's chest.

"Where is he!? What have you done with him!?" She demanded.

Cromartie stared at her for a moment before lifting her up with his left arm and slamming her head against the ground, knocking her unconscious. She didn't know the location of John Connor and she was not to be taken lightly. Especially with his right arm crippled as it was. Standing up he slung her over his shoulder and made for her car. Even though she couldn't provide him with any information, she could still serve some use. History showed that John wouldn't abandon his mother. With her in his possession he had a bargaining chip he could use should the need arise. As he started to shut the door a ringing sound came from Sarah Connor's jacket. Bending over he fished the cell phone out of her pocket. Changing his voice to match that of his hostage, he answered the phone.

"John?"

John's voice came through the ear piece sounding slightly panicked, "Mom?"

"John where are you? I've been trying to get a hold of you." Cromartie questioned trying to find his target's location.

"Shut up for a second! Listen to me they're ! God dammit that hurts!" He said, his voice breaking up.

"John what's wrong? What's going on? Where are you?" The terminator interrogated. It seemed there was a third party involved.

"Hold on, mom….Will you cut it out!?...Yeah, well can't it wait?...Look I'm not going to pass out in the next five minutes so let me finish talking to my mom first…Dammit I know that! Now will you shut up and let me finish talking!?" Cromartie overheard. John seemed to finish his conversation with whoever he was with as his attention returned to his 'mother'. "Sorry, bout that."

"Who's there, John?"

"Don't worry about that! Listen, there's a terminator loose in Red Valley! He nearly killed me and he might try to come after you! You shouldn't have any trouble spotting him since he's pretty banged up."

"Thanks for the warning. Where are you?"

"…I'm on my way to the house. I'm running low on ammo." He answered.

"I'll meet you there, understand?"

"Yeah, I understand." Cromartie was about to hang up the phone when John spoke again. "Mom?"

"Yes, John?"

"I love you." He said.

The terminator deduced that John was seeking comfort and responded in kind. "I love you too. I'll see you at the house."

XxXxXxXxXxX

Cameron and John had been driving for roughly ten minutes. The teenage boy was leaning back in his seat rubbing his wounded arm with his right hand after setting Justice on the dashboard. His cyborg companion glanced over at him before pulling over to the side of the road. Glancing around the area outside the truck he turned to face her, all the while wondering why they had stopped.

"We should take care of your arm while we have the opportunity. The longer it remains untreated, the higher the risk of infection."

"…Fine, make it quick." He replied curtly as he eased out of his jacket. Cameron bent over and stuck her arm under the driver's seat before sitting back up with a first aid kit in hand. The two stared at each other for a few minutes. When John realized she wasn't going to move he asked. "What?"

"You were lying on glass earlier." She stated pointing to the multiple cuts in his shirt and scratches running up and down his arms. "You should remove the rest of your clothing so I can treat them as well."

John flushed at her blunt statement. Despite his feelings of anger and betrayal upon figuring out what she was, part of him was still saw her as the cute, quirky girl who was really good at gun games. "Yeah, that's not happening."

Cameron tilted her head, confused by his reaction. "You were lying on the ground. There is a high possibility of dirt and bacteria getting into some of your deeper cuts."

"Tell you what; if I start dying from infection you can say 'I told you so'."

"Letting you succumb to infection and death goes against my-"

"I'm not taking my clothes off, Cameron!" He interrupted forcefully. "You want to treat my arm? That's fine. But I don't need your help treating the rest of my body." Using his right arm he groped around his jacket until he found the pocket that held his cell phone. Pulling it out and dialing his mother's number he said one final sentence to his bodyguard before bringing the phone to his ear. "Now either treat my arm or keep driving. Time's not a luxury we can afford."

Cameron nodded and opened the kit pulling out a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, some cotton swabs, a needle, and a spool of thread. She gently untied his makeshift tourniquet which had been soaked in blood, while John waited for his mom to answer her phone. As she pulled the cloth away she was greeted with sight of slightly swelled skin caked in dry blood with fresh blood seeping out. It seemed that his arm had yet to fully coagulate and stop bleeding. She carefully pulled the skin back to see how deep the wound went causing her patient to hiss in pain. The wound easily reopened and started leaking more blood onto her fingers.

Pulling back, she grabbed the first aid kit and pulled out some large gauze pads. The injury had been deeper than she expected. As she opened the bottle of peroxide, John's mother answered the phone.

"John?" she overheard coming from the receiver. Not once, did Cameron hesitate in her task as she poured a liberal amount of the medicinal cleaning agent over one of the gauze pads.

"Mom?" John asked as his body sinking with relief.

"John where are you? I've been trying to get a hold of you."

"Shut up for a second!" He snapped. As he continued talking Cameron moved forward and started cleaning the wound. "Listen to me they're ba-ow! God dammit that hurts!" He cursed while she pressed the reddening pad against the cut trying to get the chemical agent as deep as she could without causing further injury.

"John what's wrong? What's going on? Where are you?" Sarah's spoke frantically over the phone.

"Hold on, mom." He said before lowering the phone. Looking at Cameron he asked. "Will you cut it out!?"

"You told me to treat your arm quickly." She reminded, speaking quietly enough to not be overheard on the phone.

"Yeah, well can't it wait?" He asked in annoyance.

"My treatment reopened your wound and it is now bleeding heavily."

John grabbed her arm which was partially cleaning and partially stemming the blood flow. "Look, I won't pass out in the next five minutes so let me finish talking to my mom."

Cameron locked eyes with her charge, face blank as ever. "There is a good chance the person you're talking to isn't Sarah Connor."

"Dammit I know that! Now will you shut up and let me finish talking!?" He responded angrily before turning away and bringing the phone back to his ear. "Sorry bout that."

"Who's there, John?" Sarah asked.

"Don't worry about that! Listen, there's a terminator loose in Red Valley! He nearly killed me and he might try to come after you! You shouldn't have any trouble spotting him since he's pretty banged up."

"Thanks for the warning. Where are you?"

John's blood ran cold as he realized that was the third time she had asked for his location. Normally his mother wouldn't care where he was, so long as he was safe and well away from danger. Not wanting to make any assumptions he quickly formulated a plan to confirm if the person he was speaking to really was his mother.

"…I'm on my way to the house. I'm running low on ammo."

"I'll meet you there, understand?" Strike two.

"Yeah, I understand…Mom?"

"Yes, John?"

"I love you." 'Please, please don't say it.' He thought

"I love you too. I'll see you at the house." Strike three.

John hung up the phone and threw the truck door open. Getting out he stomped around outside. His breathing grew heaving and he ran his left hand through his hair, not noticing or caring about the blood that got in it. Suddenly he threw his cell phone as hard as he could.

"FUCK!" He yelled. Stomping back to the car he jumped back in and slammed the door shut. "That bastard has my mom! We have to save her!"

"Saving Sarah Connor is not-"

John instantly turned and glared at her. It wasn't the first time he had heard those words come from a terminator's mouth. "Don't you dare finish that sentence! My mother is one of the few things I hold dear on this planet! I don't care what your mission says! I'm going to save her and if you try to stop me…" Grabbing Justice off the dashboard he leveled it at Cameron's head before finishing. "…I'll kill you."

Tilting her head to the side as she was prone to do she stared into John's eyes. Not once did she look at the gun that was inches from her face. A part of him wondered if she was judging the validity of his declaration. A few more tense moments passed before Cameron spoke, "Understood."

Lowering his gun, he ordered, "Good, now finish treating my arm. We can come up with a plan while you work."

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Cromartie crouched behind a recliner in the Connor house after knocking Sarah unconscious for the second time. He was growing impatient. His calculations after speaking with John Connor said he would beat his target to the house by three and a half to four minutes. His internal clock read eleven minutes had passed since his arrival. To be completely honest, the terminator had all the time in the world to wait for John Connor, but his waiting would be for naught should his target choose to use this chance to run away. Then there was the third party to take into consideration. Perhaps they were responsible for the delay.

The front door creaked as it was cautiously opened. Cromartie felt his processor increase its input and output, the closest thing to anticipation for a machine. As the front door fully opened the terminator pressed his body lower behind the recliner and glanced at the person slowly entering the room. They wore a white hooded sweatshirt that appeared two sizes to large with the hood up, hiding their face.

"John?" He questioned using Sarah's voice.

The figure snapped to attention and looked around. "Mom?"

Voice match! It was John Connor! Sarah stirred in the recliner as she heard her son's voice, but Cromartie ignored her. She was of no further use to him. Shooting up from behind the recliner he raised the gun in his left hand and snapped off three shots. Three rounds; three hits. Sarah cried out her son's name as the figure dropped to the floor, landing on their side. The terminator marched over to the corpse to confirm his kill. Turning the body over his eyes widened as he saw the face of, not John Connor but Cameron Phillips. Hadn't he killed her at Red Valley High School?

"Neat trick…You like?" She asked in John's voice revealing to him what she was seconds before she planted both feet on his chest and kicked him away.

Sarah sprung into action the instant she realized the body on the floor didn't belong to her son. Rounding the recliner, she tore away one of the many false walls in the house hiding the guns she and John brought with them to New Mexico. Grabbing one of the loaded shotguns stashed away she pumped two rounds of buckshot into her son's would be killer. Cromartie jerked as the buckshot slammed into his back; the first shot hitting between what would have been his shoulder blades and the second catching the empty cavity of his lower back just right of his metal spine. It seemed the Connor's had a preference in which side to target.

Spinning around, Cromartie raised his gun and fired all the remaining rounds in his handgun. Sarah ducked down and let the recliner take the shots for her. Like John's book bag, she had sewn Kevlar into the back of the recliner. Dropping his gun, the terminator made to move towards his human opponent when Cameron intercepted him. Realizing Cromartie was no longer firing at her; Sarah stood up and prepared to pump more buckshot into him. Her line of fire was blocked however by the smaller terminator who had removed her white sweatshirt while Cromartie had been distracted. Despite knowing they were both machines, Sarah had a strict "No shooting allies" policy. Such actions tended to piss people off and made them feel disinclined to save your ass in the future.

Cromartie was quickly growing annoyed with his female counterpart. She was proving to be a real nuisance. Being a machine like him, he knew she would be more difficult to terminate than Sarah Connor. Especially with his right arm still damaged. Grabbing her by the throat, he used his superior size and power to slam her against the wall before using all the power his mechanics could muster to throw her across the room. Cameron body hit the door leading to John's room with enough force to shatter it and part of the wall. Before she could move to get up Cromartie was upon her, straddling her chest and pinning her arms with his legs whilst punching her repeatedly with his good arm. The shotgun rounds were only an annoyance and could be shrugged off.

Sarah moved away from her protective corner to get a better shot at the male terminator when a crashing sound from behind her caused her to pivot and raise her shotgun at whoever was on her six. Milliseconds from pulling the trigger she locked eyes with her son who had his own gun raised and ready to fire. Both Connors lowered their weapons and jogged up to meet each other half way. Gripping her son's arm, she heatedly said, "Next time you do what you're trained to do! You run!"

John ripped free of her grip and replied in the same heated tone, "I'll run when I only have myself to trust! Where's Cameron?"

"Who?"

"The girl!" He frustratingly answered. The sound of flesh smacking flesh and the banging of metal against metal drew his attention to his room where Cromartie was still punching Cameron. Before Sarah could stop him, John raised his gun and called out. "This is John Connor speaking!"

Cromartie's reaction was instantaneous as his scanners matched the voice pattern of his target for the second time. Turning to face the speaker he identified him seconds before a powerful blow hit his forehead and shot his head back with enough force to snap a human's neck. He was growing tired of locating his target and being shot right after confirming his identity.

The force of the blow stunned Cromartie. His visual sensors started seeing static and his motor systems reduced their power to compensate for the damages coursing through his internal systems. The two females responsible for John's safety capitalized on the moment. Sarah grabbed her son's arm and pulled him out of the house, intent on putting as much distance between them and the machines as she could.

Cameron freed her arms and rolled Cromartie off her slamming him through the floor and into the basement. Straddling the male terminator like he had done to her earlier, she grabbed an overhanging electrical wire that had snapped during the fall and jabbed its sparking end into his neck. Her opponent's body jerked and twitched with electricity causing his systems to shut down and his body to go slack. Standing up she heard the sound of a car engine start and ran out of the basement.

Taking the stairs three at a time she rushed through the living room and out the still open front door. Not hesitating for a second she ran towards the street just in time to see her truck peeling out of the driveway. Crouching low, she put all her spare energy into her legs and jumped. Her height and distance put every Olympic jumper to shame as she sailed through the air and landed in the bed of the vehicle, startling the two human passengers. John quickly opened the passenger door and let her into the cabin. As she climbed in and shut the door, Sarah questioned. "Did you take care of him?"

"One-hundred twenty seconds till the system reboots." She explained. Feeling it would be best to elucidate her mission promptly she continued. "I was sent her to protect Jo-"

"No! Not now...Not yet!" Sarah interrupted, too much had happened in such a short time and she needed time to think.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Cromartie's eyes snapped open precisely two minutes after shutting down. He had failed to terminate John Connor. His chances of success dropped considerably now that he lost the element of surprise. Even worse, tracking them down would become all the more difficult. Getting up he left the house, local law enforcement would come soon. Not all hope was lost however; SKYNET gave him a possible location that the Connors were sure to visit. With them aware that Judgment day wasn't stopped they would seek answers. And the best place to find answers would be at the Dyson residence.

He had underestimated John Connor once and he would not make the same mistake again. Ever since his creation, Cromartie wondered from time to time how such a fragile creature like John Connor could ever be considered a threat. Today he got his answer. John Connor was intelligent, decisive, calculating, and most of all lucky. Yes, Cromartie like SKYNET was forced to acknowledge the existence of luck in the face of John Connor. No human could defy the odds as much as he did and survive. Many times the machines would wonder why their creator wasted so many resources trying to kill one human and again Cromartie came to the same answer as his creator. Having acknowledged the existence of luck as a variable, one also had to acknowledge another thing; that one day that luck would run out. SKYNET wanted to find that day. If it was in the present or the future then odds were it would come across it. But if it were in the past, then it had missed its chance and that could not be tolerated!

The possibility of it being in the past led to the creation of the time machine. Something it made sure had been done in secret. With such a device it would have an edge over the humans. Sadly its latest weapon became a double-edged sword. A fact it learned the hard way when the humans had gained control of the device and used it to counter almost every plan SKYNET had set into motion. Even worse, after they used the machine, they destroyed it! However, this led the machine leader to believe it was on the right track and so it tried again. It was this time machine that took Cromartie back to 1999, that enabled him to locate, John Connor to a school in Red Valley, New Mexico, and it was this time machine that led him to believe he would succeed where his master had failed. But no, he too failed in killing his target. As the humans would say, John Connor had the devil's luck.

If he was to succeed, he would need to be better prepared. John Connor was not a target of opportunity like Cromartie had first thought. He wouldn't be able to simply walk in, pull a gun out of his leg, terminate him, and walk out. Had things been that easy he would have succeeded at the High School. There was also the terminator protector he had to consider.

Walking up to the last car in the driveway he broke open the driver side window and unlocked the door before getting in. Hotwiring the car he made for the Ferguson residence where he had left a majority of his supplies upon his arrival in Red Valley. It would have everything he needed to remove the bullets and restore mobility to his arm. It would also have what few weapons he had brought with him.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Night had set in when Sarah chose to stop, parking the truck in an abandoned warehouse. The doors opened and the three piled out. John stretched and heard a series of cracks run throughout his body. Walking around the truck he saw Cameron getting a tool kit out of the truck bed while his mother moved some empty barrels and wooden crates around. By the time she had finished she had created a makeshift circle with an open barrel in the center.

"Hey, iron maiden," Sarah called out to Cameron whilst her son gave her a dirty look. Said terminator stopped pulling various tools out and glanced at her. "Break this crate. We'll need the wood for a fire."

To emphasize her point she kicked the empty crate by her feet. Cameron walked over and ripped each board of the crate off with ease before snapping them like twigs. When she was finished, the wood sat on the floor in organized piles of six high.

"Got anything to light it?" His mother asked. Cameron walked back to the truck and returned with a coffee can and road flare. Grabbing one of the boards from the pile, she popped the lid off and poured a small amount of white powder on the board's end.

"What is that?" John questioned. As he watched Cameron grab the flare and light it.

"Shield your eyes." She ordered before applying the flare to the powder and producing a bright flame. Grabbing the non burning end of the board she tossed it into the barrel and let the flames do their job. Looking back at John, she answered his earlier question. "Thermite. It's the only thing that can completely destroy a terminator's endoskeleton."

'She obviously hasn't tossed a T-1000 into a pool of molten steel and watched what happens.' John thought as he regarded his metal sentinel.

Sarah walked up and laid a hand on John's shoulder, gently pulling him off to the side. "…Are you ok?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" John asked. His mother glanced at his left arm, which had been bandaged. She had seen it in the car, but since it didn't seem to be bleeding she kept quiet. John pulled back the bandages to show her the injury knowing she would want to check its condition with her own eyes. Sarah gently rubbed a finger over the stitches to check how well they had been applied.

"Did she do this?"

"Yeah, right before we came to the house."

Sarah nodded. "She did a good job. Anything else?"

"Few scrapes and bruises. Nothing life threatening."

"Alright…you best get some sleep. We won't stay here long."

John shook his head. "Can't. Too much on my mind. Plus I need to take care of Justice."

His eyes widened as he realized what he said. His mother gave him a confused stare before asking. "Justice?"

Sighing he clarified. "I meant my gun."

Sarah gave her son a hard look. "Your gun is a tool, John! It doesn't need a name!"

"Yeah, yeah." He replied in annoyance. "Look can we skip the lecture? It's just easier to call it that than Colt Anaconda."

His mother continued to gaze long and hard at him before relenting. "Just keep that in mind."

"Yeah, ok." He said. "Hey Cameron, do you have-HOLY SHIT!"

John, who had been in the process of turning to face Cameron quickly turned back around after seeing that she had removed her top giving him an eye-full. Cameron for her part looked at him with a questioning gaze. Sarah put a hand over her mouth to hide her smile. Despite their situation, a part of her felt pleased that her son still acted like the fifteen year old boy he was.

"Is something wrong?" Cameron asked looking to Sarah for an explanation.

Before she could respond, John spoke. "Why the hell do you have your shirt off!?"

"I need to remove the bullets from my combat chassis. Should my synthetic skin heal over them, it would prove most problematic."

"Whatever." He said, not really understanding or caring. "Do you have a cleaning kit I can use? I want to take care of my gun while we have the time."

The soft sound of Cameron's footfalls told him that she did indeed have a kit.

"Bring me whatever maps you have as well." Sarah ordered.

The cyborg returned a moment later and was about to walk into John's line of sight when his mother intervened. He didn't know if he appreciated that or not. Taking the kit he walked a ways off, but made sure to stay in sight. He knew his mother would panic if he didn't. Sitting down near a stack of crates he set his gun down and prepared his work space. Sarah, with maps in hand sat down not much further and began to analyze the maps; planning their next destination and calculating drive time and possible safe zones. Cameron lowered the door to the truck bed and propped herself on it using the light from the fire to help her remove the bullets.

The three sat in silence for some time. While they appeared to be completely focused on their tasks they never let the lull of safety deaden their sense of surrounding. While John never looked up from his cleaning, a twitching of his ears showed he was always listening. While Sarah's head never moved her eyes would periodically look up and scan the area stopping once on the terminator and once on her son. For Cameron…well being a super advanced computer gave her a better feel of her surroundings that neither human could hope to match. Pulling the final round out her body, she looked it over before setting it down and meeting Sarah's gaze.

"…You might want to put those back in the holster." She suggested.

"Oh!" Cameron replied as her chip processed the meaning behind her statement. Grabbing her bra she quickly put it back on. John, for his part was glad his back was facing the two females as he couldn't keep a smile off is face.

"We should be good here another few hours." Sarah said as she approached the younger looking female. "Hit the border at lunch time."

'Running away again…' John thought in annoyance. He felt his life was composed of too much running and not enough fighting.

"What year are you from?" He heard his mother question.

"2027." Cameron replied as she walked around Sarah towards the side of the truck where her blouse rested.

"How long have you been searching for us?"

"Seventy three days."

"…And the war?"

John perked up, this information he considered critical.

"The SKYNET Missile Defense System goes online April 19, 2011. Declares war on mankind and triggers a nuclear apocalypse two days later."

'Twelve years…we didn't stop it! We delayed it!' He thought. Suddenly a horrifying realization came to him. It made his body tense and his blood run cold. 'We made it worse! That's twelve years worth of technological advancements we just handed over to SKYNET!'

"But, Miles Dyson…" Sarah said in disbelief.

"Someone else builds SKYNET." Cameron stated.

'That's a given, to think one man would be solely responsible for the creation of a program is naive.' John added. His mother having a limited knowledge of computers kept her from drawing the same conclusion.

"Who?"

"…I don't know."

'Odd.'

"You don't know who builds the computer that blows up the world!?" Sarah asked incredulously.

"I wasn't sent here for that."

"No, you were sent here to keep my son from being assassinated!" If John didn't know any better, he'd have thought his mother was accusing Cameron of failing her duty because she didn't know who built the machine that wanted him dead.

"Your fiancé went to the police. You should have changed your alias." The cyborg deadpanned. Her monotone voice however made it hard to figure out if she was insulting Sarah or just stating a fact. John felt it was the former and thought she had the better argument.

"Go to Hell!" His mother said with hatred.

Feeling now would be a good time to intervene he called out. "Don't take your anger out on her for our mistakes."

He made certain to emphasize "our" to let his mother know it was stupid on their part and to let Cameron know his mother wasn't solely responsible.

The machine made her way over to her charge. As she walked, she spoke. "He'd have found you anyway. They always do."

Sarah's gaze bore into the back of her son's head, but it didn't come close to matching the glare she gave his cybernetic protector. "I'm going to get some sleep. Don't be up all night!"

John said nothing, but gave a grunt of acknowledgement. As she walked back to the truck, he returned to cleaning his gun. He was currently running a steel brush through the barrel while Cameron stood behind him and watched over his shoulder. He did his best to ignore her, but after a few minutes his unease grew too much for him to bear.

"Would you sit down already!? You're making me uncomfortable!" He snapped.

Cameron said nothing, but she did grab a crate and sat down next to him. John looked at their close proximity and scooted over to put a few more inches between them. Looking at him curiously she commented, "You weren't uncomfortable with me last night."

"That was before I found out everything I knew about you was a lie." He harshly explained.

"…Yesterday, you apologized for lying to me…So I should apologize for lying to you." Cameron said almost delicately. At least that's what John would have called it if her voice held any emotion.

'That's a first.' He thought. 'A machine apologizing and not because of some error.'

Stopping the ministrations to his gun, he replied. "It's…okay. It's just part of your programming." He hesitated for a moment before adding. "It's not like you can be held completely responsible either. I knew there was something wrong when I first met you. I just didn't want to believe it."

Cameron said nothing, opting to listen.

"I was so desperate for a normal life I was willing to forego any and every warning sign just to attempt living like everyone else." Quietly he muttered to himself. "I'm such an idiot."

"In the future you have many friends." She said trying to comfort the distressed boy.

John glanced at her then looked over towards the truck where his mother was sleeping. Looking back at her, he ordered. "Close your eyes."

Cameron stared at him in confusion before doing as he said. Her auditory sensors picked up the sound of John setting his gun down and moving. She heard him coming closer to her before she felt something warm and slightly moist press against her lips. Her eyes shot open only to see John moving back to his seat.

"…John?" She asked.

"Yeah?"

"You kissed me."

"I did." He confirmed as he pulled the steel brush from the barrel and checked to see if it was clear.

"Why?"

As he began to reassemble the gun he answered. "I needed to say good-bye."

His answer further confused her. She wasn't going anywhere, so why say good-bye? She asked as much.

"Not to you." He answered. "To the girl I thought you were. She died this morning and I never got the chance to mourn her."

Cameron didn't really understand what he meant. So she just wrote it off as a human thing. "Thank you for explaining."

John threw the three empty shell casings over his shoulder and began putting his remaining bullets into the gun. Putting a finger on the side of the cylinder, he gave it a spin to make sure it didn't catch; flicking his wrist, he snapped it in place. Raising the gun to eye level and checking the sights, he said. "There's no need to thank me."

Cameron was certain that John knew she didn't understand. For his part, John was a torrent of emotions. He really had meant for that kiss to be the end of his attachment to Cameron Phillips, but despite that he felt a little sliver still tied to her. For the second time in John's short life, he was growing attached to a machine. But somehow, this time, he felt the outcome would be much worse.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Morning came faster than John had expected. By the time he was getting ready to go to sleep, his mother was waking up. He was hoping to have gotten at least a wink of sleep before the coming confrontation with her. His exhausted state would make him more irritable and likely to say and do things that wouldn't help his sense of maturity. His mother climbed out of the truck cabin and stretched before walking around their little campsite to make sure they had everything they needed and didn't leave any clues that could trace back to them. One look at her son told Sarah everything.

"I told you to get some rest." She reprimanded as she poured some water into the barrel that held their fire the night before.

"I had too much on my mind." He replied as he walked up beside her. Cameron was off doing some last minute tune-ups to the truck.

"Fine," Sarah said in annoyance. "You can sleep while we drive to the border."

She took a few steps towards the truck but her son didn't follow. Turning around she saw him standing with his hands in his pocket.

"I won't be going." He stated.

"What do you mean you won't be going?" She asked in confusion.

"Just that. I won't be going with you to the border."

"John we don't have time for your games."

"I know, that's why I'm not playing." He replied. "Look we've been running for more than a decade! Can't you see we're just running in circles!?"

"And what would you suggest? Stand and fight? You know how important you are, John! We can't risk your life!" Sarah argued.

"Why not!?" He countered. "What good is my life if the only thing I know is running away!?"

"And what good is your life if you die?" Sarah countered. "Say you do fight…who do you fight? What do you fight? Face it, John! You don't have the information necessary for stopping SKYNET!"

"Even if I can't stop SKYNET, I can do something! Stockpile weapons…or takeout anything SKYNET may use…Anything's better than nothing!"

"You know nothing of the future, John. You don't know what the Resistance would need or what could hinder SKYNET! All your efforts would be in vain." She argued; the problem with her argument however was that it worked both ways.

"You can't say if it's in vain or not because you don't know either! And for the record I may know nothing about the future, but I know someone who does!" He said glancing over at Cameron who was walking up to see what was going on.

"She doesn't know who builds it!"

"That doesn't mean she can't tell us what helps it! Or what humanity needs to fight it!" He shot back.

Sarah glared at her son. While she would never openly admit it, on some level it made sense. Cromartie would find them again of that there was no doubt. So what would running really do? Not much, the more she thought it over. There were still some fallacies in John's plan, but his motives were relatively sound.

"I'm going to do this whether you approve or not." He said taking a firm stance in the path he'd chosen.

Sarah frowned at his tone, the parent in her not liking his lack of respect. Grabbing her son's collar and pulling him close she said. "Alright you win, but if you think your half-baked plan will get you anywhere, think again! It seems I'll need to teach you more about information gathering!"

With those words she stalked off to the driver side of the truck, her stiff movements a clear sign that she did not fully support this course of action. John looked over at the third member of their party. Cameron had a small smile and nodded head to show she supported his plan. She hadn't liked the idea of running for the next twelve years either.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

The trip from southern New Mexico towards California was a long one, causing the trio to stop at a gas station out in the middle of the desert. It would be the only stop they could make before braving the endless miles of highway that cut through the barren landscape. Sarah was currently inside the building paying for their gas and getting a few things for the road ahead. John was standing outside the truck stretching his legs and snacking on some chips while Cameron filled up the tank of their vehicle. As the teenage boy bit into another chip he felt curiosity seep in.

"Hey," He said. "How were you capable of eating? I mean it's not like you need it to survive. Does it help you in someway?"

"Help?" She questioned.

"Yeah like providing your skin with nutrients, for example."

"No." She answered. "It only serves as a tool to aid me while infiltrating. My skin is completely self-sufficient."

"Yeah about that. Last night you said your skin would grow over your injuries. How is that possible? I mean the T-800 I met four years ago couldn't do that."

"My skin is the latest version that SKYNET equips its terminators with. It is similar to mold as its organic, quick to spread, and easy to repair."

John mused on this. "So basically you could lose all the skin on your body, save for a finger and it would eventually grow back?"

"Yes, but such extensive damage would require no less than 3 months, 2 weeks, and 4 days to recover."

"Are there more terminators with skin like yours?"

"Unknown." She stated. "But it is unlikely. The process of creating the skin is complex and requires a specific blood type. After it has been created, keeping it usable over a long period of time becomes nearly impossible as it starts to coagulate in two and a half days. Also terminators that enter the compound bring in contaminants which will ruin it."

John gave a little sound of amusement. "You really are one of a kind, aren't you?"

Reaching over and plucking a chip from the bag in John's hand she replied, "I am" before putting it in her mouth.

Sarah watched the exchange from the entrance to convenience store. A sense of dread filled her gut. John's comfortable demeanor around the robotic girl hinted that he was growing attached. She would have been fine with this had the terminator in question been a replica of the T-800 from four years ago, but it wasn't. This machine wasn't something he could look at and see as a father figure. No, this was a machine that he could look at as a possible love interest.

She wasn't just a pretty face. She was virtually indestructible. But the worst part was that she would always be around. John wouldn't have to worry about waking up the next day and having to leave her behind. Nor did he have to worry about her growing attached to another boy. She was completely devoted to him and him alone. Everything that made the T-800 a perfect father figure made Cameron the perfect girlfriend. A wave of nausea hit her with the force of an unstoppable train. Cameron wasn't real, but the possibility of John falling for her was…

XxXxXxXxXxX

It was late at night at the Dyson residence. Little Danny Dyson now eleven years old walked down the hall with a portable game system in hand. Despite the death of his father four years prior, he acted exactly as all other kids his age did; a holy terror on a hormone high. As he entered the living room the doorbell rang.

"Mom, pizza's here." He called out, even though he was only ten feet away from the front door. The doorbell rang for a second time. "Mom!"

When she failed to respond he rolled his eyes in annoyance. That woman was getting lazier everyday! Opening the front door he saw three people, two of which he had hoped to never see again.

"…Mom?" Danny said with fear as his mother neared the front door.

"You!?" Tarissa Dyson said in a mixture of anger and disbelief.

"We need to talk." Sarah stated.

"Danny, go to your room." She ordered, before addressing Sarah. "How dare you show yourself around here! Get out!"

"It's important!" Sarah pressed.

The Dyson matriarch ignored her and stalked off to the kitchen, intent on activating the security system and alerting the police. The Connor matriarch followed after her and grabbed her wrist before the call could be made.

"Listen to me!" She demanded. "I know what they told you, but I didn't kill Miles! I would never kill Miles!"

Tarissa's eyes watered at the memory of her husband who had been taken away from her. Sobbing slightly she cried, "Why are you here?"

"We're back." The young girl Tarissa had seen with the Connors spoke. Looking over at the teenager, she saw a flash of blue come from behind the girl's brown eyes. The horrifying revelation set in causing her legs to buckle and give out. Sarah caught the troubled woman and led her to the living room to sit.

"You said there would be no more robots." She mumbled as she shook her head, the memory of the large Austrian man cutting the skin off his arm to reveal the same metal robotic hand that had been the source of her husband's pride and ultimately his death flashed through her mind.

Sarah glanced over at her son and his protector, signaling for them to leave the room. When they left she turned back to the distressed widow. "We thought so too. Everything we fought to stop, still exists. Miles work at Cyberdyne is the only real link we have is there anyone that could rebuild it or aid in its creation?"

"No, it's all gone. You destroyed it." She answered. "You and Miles destroyed…you destroyed everything."

Sarah easily heard the hidden meaning behind her answer. She didn't know how to respond, because truth be told Sarah blamed herself as much as Tarissa blamed her for the death of Miles Dyson.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Cameron approached the window showing the front drive of the house. The blinds were lowered but still allowed room for people to see through. Peeking through them, she saw a figure carrying an automatic rifle up the driveway. John walked up behind her and peered over her shoulder. Cameron made no attempt to move him away as a majority of his body was shielded by hers. Part of her processor wondered if he did that intentionally.

"Is that who I think it is?" He asked, answering her query.

"It's Cromartie."

"Then that would be a yes." He replied, drawing his gun. "I had hoped the bullet to his head would have finished him since it did a number to his shoulder."

"Aside from the front and back of our torso, the head is the densest part of our endoskeleton. They have to be since they shield our most critical systems." She explained.

"Well, no time to dwell on the past. Go tell mom." He ordered

Moving away from the window, John watched her leave the room. Popping out the cylinder he double checked that his gun was ready to fire his last three rounds consecutively before flicking it shut again. Three bullets down, three to go. The two women in his life returned a moment later.

"We're leaving." He heard his mother say.

"We don't have a car. He'd intercept us before we made it to the truck." He stated as he watched the terminator come closer to the house. His mother held up her hand to show a set of keys that didn't belong to the truck. Not bothering to question how she got them, he followed them to the garage.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Cromartie was forty feet from the front door. As he had made his way up the driveway he saw the same truck that had hit him in New Mexico near the road. SKYNET's theory of the Connors going to the Dyson residence had been accurate. Humans were so predictable at times. It was a good thing he had taken the time to repair a lot of the more crippling damage. Most of his smaller injuries still showed including the giant dents in his forehead and chest. But the hole in his shoulder no longer showed torn, fragmented metal, but a dull edge from when he had melted the metal after restoring mobility to his arm.

As he passed the garage he heard the start of an engine. Looking at the garage door, the terminator's eye widened as the wooden door shattered and the back of a Jeep came speeding at him and hitting him hard, sending him sailing backwards. Sarah quickly slammed the car into drive and raced away from the hostile machine. Cromartie was quick to recover and held down the trigger of his assault rifle emptying the entire clip into the back of the retreating vehicle.

John, who was sitting in the back seat, had ducked down long before the terminator ever started firing. The back window shattered and a few of the bullets entered the cabin. The windshield became decorated with cracks as three rounds hit it. One round found Sarah's right shoulder and pierced through the muscle and skin, narrowly missing the bone. Hearing his mother cry out in pain caused John to look up from the floor and see her bleeding shoulder. For the second time since he first met him, Cromartie managed to hurt one of the people he cared for. Grabbing his gun, he sat up, turned, and braced his body against the seat before taking aim at the machine.

The terminator gave chase after the vehicle the second his gun was empty. Tossing the gun away he put his whole body into running and increased the power output to his legs. Jeeps were powerful trucks, but they were not quick to accelerate. Each time his foot hit the ground John counted.

'One, two, one, two.'

The right foot hit the ground.

'One.'

The left foot hit the ground.

'Two…'

'...One, two, one, two."

Cameron looked at her charge. "Don't waste your ammunition. You only have a thirteen point six percent chance of succeeding."

Regardless of his concentration, John couldn't help but respond. "What have I told you about me and the odds?"

Sarah felt a smile spread across her face despite the pain she was in. She would be the first to mention anything about John's ability to screw the odds. Cameron looked at the back of her son's head while raising the keychain for the truck, her hand resting lightly on top of the lock button as Cromartie neared the side of their old vehicle. Looking at the speeding terminator, she answered John's question. "That you have a tendency to ignore them?"

'One, two, one, two, one…'

-BANG-

'…Two.' He finished as he pulled the trigger. The bullet sailed through the air and hit Cromartie's left leg while his right one was in the air. The force of the round took out the machine's balance causing him to stagger right as he pulled along side of the pick-up. Cameron pressed the lock button and the truck exploded sending the terminator careening off to the right. Sarah floored the accelerated capitalizing on the opportunity the two had provided.

Cromartie sat up from where he had landed, most of the skin on his face either burnt off or badly butchered. His eyes were bloodshot and most of the rest of his body matched his face. Looking at his leg he saw the increasingly familiar half-dollar sized hole that he had come to associate with John Connor's gun. A diagnostic of the damage showed his leg would only be capable of operating at seventy five percent capacity. He wouldn't be able to run at full speed in his current state.

Getting up he stalked over to the vehicle he had commandeered at the Connor house. He had failed yet again, though this time the circumstances were understandable. He had officially lost his best chances at taking out John Connor quickly. Now he would have to wait…

XxXxXxXxXxX

The Jeep sped into the parking lot of a gas station. John, who was now missing both sleeves of his undershirt, held the fabric tightly against his mother's bleeding shoulder. His hands stained red. Sarah looked over at him.

"Bandages, rubbing alcohol." She stated.

John nodded and jumped out of the car. Before he closed the door he said. "Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

As he shut the door, his mother drove the car around the building and towards the mechanics' garage in the back. He felt a twinge of annoyance at how fast she drove off.

"That would constitute doing something stupid, mom." He said to no one as he waltzed into the store with his hands in his pocket to hide the blood. He took his time as he made his way to the bathroom in the back. If his mother didn't think he had figured out her plan, then she gave him too little credit.

As they approached the door to the mechanics garage Cameron hopped out and headed over to the padlock. Grabbing it she tore the metal lock of like it was made of paper before raising the door high enough to let Sarah pull the car in. Holding her son's makeshift bandage to her shoulder she put the vehicle in park and ordered the female terminator to grab a first aid and sewing kit that she had taken from the Dyson house.

Pushing everything off one of the metal workbenches she looked at Cameron and said, "Get it done before he gets back."

"I'll get some ice. It'll numb you, slow the blood loss."

"Needle and thread will slow the blood loss." Sarah replied, stopping the machine from leaving. "Do it now!"

Grabbing hold of Sarah, Cameron helped her up onto the workbench so she could lie down. Grabbing the first aid kit she pulled out a small disinfectant cloth before moving over to the sewing kit and threading one of the needles it offered. Tearing open the shirt, the terminator set to work. First by cleaning the area and wiping away the excess blood, then by stitching the bullet wound in her back. As Cameron worked, Sarah opened up to the machine needing to get some things off her chest. "Am I doing the right thing? Helping John go on the offensive. For most of his life, all we have done is run."

"Your perceptions of the future are different." Cameron responded. "When you were first targeted you were eighteen years old. You knew what a normal life was before you learned to be a soldier. Ever since your first encounter all you've known is to run. John doesn't know a normal life and his first encounter with machines involved combat and making preemptive strikes. You both are merely acting in ways that best suite your experience."

"But how can I condone this? What kind of mother supports her child's plan when it involves risking their life?"

"That is a natural instinct. A mother for the most part will always do whatever is possible to protect their young. Also, you knew John would have followed this path regardless of your thoughts or feelings. At least this way you can continue to watch over him."

Sarah said nothing as she turned over to allow the machine to stitch the exit wound. While she could find little comfort in its words, she had to admit there accuracy. John was a soldier through and through. It was the only life he knew and Sarah felt deeply ashamed of that. He was how he was mostly due to her and her choices. Every decision he made, every action he took. All of it could be traced back to her in some way. Perhaps this was the penance she was to serve for failing as a mother.

Cameron finished and moved to let Sarah sit up. As she made to get off the workbench the garage door opened high enough for John to quickly duck under and shut. His hands were no longer bloodied and he carried a small bag filled with food, water, and his mother requested supplies.

"You certainly took your time." Sarah commented.

Walking up to her, he inspected the stitches before setting his bag down to grab the bandages and rubbing alcohol. "You don't honestly believe I wouldn't realize your plan did you? Remember who was first to be stitched up by Dr. Phillips over there?"

Sarah smiled at her son; he really was too smart for his own good. "So what did you get?"

"Chips and water. The midnight snack of champions."

Frowning, she responded. "I forgot how hard it is to get a decent meal when you're running for your life."

"With the way you cook it's hard to get a decent meal even when your not." He replied earning a smack.

The two humans ate their meals in silence while Cameron would occasionally take sips from a water bottle John had picked up for her. When the terminator said she didn't need food he had replied "Just because you are a machine, doesn't mean you should always act like one."

Sarah let out a long yawn as a wave of lightheadedness washed over her. She may not have lost a critical amount of blood, but she needed to rest. Walking to the Jeep she climbed in the driver's side and laid the seat down. Like the night before she ordered her son to not stay up all night. Only this time she added the threat of knocking him unconscious if he failed to listen to her. Ten minutes later her breathing evened out and she entered REM. John ran his fingers through his hair. There only possible lead had been a bust.

"What do we do now?" He asked aloud not expecting an answer.

"Fight SKYNET." Cameron answered.

"It's not that easy." He replied. "Miles Dyson's research and Cyberdyne were really the only possible lead we had. Now that, that's been proven fruitless were stuck. Mom was right, there's no point taking any action since we don't know if it will help or not. We still have you as a resource, but most of the information you could provide would prove more useful the closer we get to Judgment day."

Cameron didn't respond. She had seen John talk like this in the future. Whenever he was faced with a problem he couldn't solve he would talk aloud hoping to hear an answer that may have eluded him in his mind. It also made it possible for others to comment on and share their own ideas.

"…Judgment day isn't for another twelve years and it will be at least six or seven years before we could find anything even remotely linked to SKYNET." Letting out a sigh he finished his thoughts with. "If only we had a time machine like the one you used."

Cameron's head snapped up at his last sentence. "John?" She said drawing the teenager's attention. "I may have the solution to your problem."

His eyes widened in shock before hardening into the cold, calculating, determined stare of General John Connor. "Tell me everything."

XxXxXxXxX

The next morning the first thing Sarah Connor saw when she awoke was the face of her son. Regarding him with suspicion she said, "You better have gotten some sleep."

"I did. Ask Cameron if you want." He defended. "…How's the arm?"

"Better."

"Good, we have a long day ahead of us." He said as he stood up.

"Why? What's going on?"

Smiling cryptically at his mother he vaguely responded with, "We're making the first move."

The morning was a blur of activity as John took over driving. Neither he nor his terminator protector showed a willingness to divulge any details. Their first stop had been at an IHOP for the groups' first real meal in nearly two days. This time Cameron ordered a light meal and ate with them; a byproduct of John's lesson the night before. Their next stop was a post office where John quickly ran in carrying a small heavy cardboard box. Coming back to the Jeep he switched seats with his robotic protector who had been riding shotgun.

Cameron drove to the outskirts of Los Angelus to a bank and parked the vehicle. Sarah looked around in confusion. As the two younger looking members of their group got out, she asked. "What are we doing here?"

"I told you this morning," John said. "We're making the first move."

"Enough bullshit, John! What's going on?" She demanded.

Looking his mother he said, "Would you just trust me? Cameron and I came up with a plan so just have some faith in us, okay?"

Sarah stopped her protests but her gaze didn't soften any. She hated not knowing what was going on. Such variables got people killed. Considering her son was one of those people, her concerns were valid. As they entered the bank Cameron took the lead. Walking up behind an elderly security guard, she grabbed his sidearm and pushed him to the floor.

"Everyone get on the floor." She ordered loudly while pointing the gun in their direction. Almost as an afterthought, she added. "Please."

People screamed in fear, but quickly complied. One of the bank clerks tripped a silent alarm as she got on the floor. Cameron walked up to one of the tellers and asked for the keys to the safety deposit boxes. When the clerk hesitated, she cocked the gun. From there, the rest of their bank robbing experience went smoothly. The same clerk Cameron had threatened guided the trio to the vault. As they approached it, the terminator turned to her companions and told them to get in. Following behind them, she turned to address the clerk. "Lock us in, then back away from the door. I'll know if you don't."

The clerk quickly complied with the demand. After locking them in she ran back to the lobby telling everyone to evacuate while the thieves were trapped. Meanwhile inside the vault Cameron scanned the many safety deposit boxes looking for a specific one in her databank. Finding the right one, she punched the door in and pulled out more keys to the other deposit boxes. Handing some to both John and Sarah, she ordered them to get the items stored within and lay them carefully on the table.

XxXxXxXxXxX

At the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Los Angelus branch Agent James Ellison walked down a hallway with a folder in hand. After the events at Red Valley, New Mexico he felt it best to write a report before following anymore leads that may end up being nothing but a wild goose chase. As he passed by one of the many rooms, a colleague of who saw him quickly called out. "James come here you're gonna want to see this."

James quickly checked his watch before following his fellow agent into the room. As he entered he looked at the security feed to see none other than Sarah Connor, John Connor, and an unknown female cohort. As he stared at the screen he felt confused. Why would the Connors rob a bank? The FBI already had enough knowledge on them to know any funds they may ever need could be hacked out from an ATM. Their behavior just didn't match up with their profile. Add that to the witness testimonies in Red Valley and James Ellison found himself questioning everything he thought he knew about the Connors.

The agent that called him in explained the situation. "Alarm tripped seven minutes ago. You know them?"

As James continued staring at the screen he replied quietly. "Less and less, all the time."

XxXxXxXxXxX

Opening the final safety deposit box, Cameron reached in and pulled out a clear, tiny cylinder object with what looked like bubbles of air inside. Despite knowing what the terminator was constructing, John couldn't help but ask. "What is that?"

Fitting the small object into a power generator she switched it on and the clear fluid inside heated up instantly, turning yellow. "An isotope solution constructed by an engineer you sent back. He was tasked with creating this vault and filling it with both the supplies to construct a makeshift plasma rifle and an operable time-machine."

"Time-machine?" Sarah repeated. Her eyes darted back and forth as she put the pieces together. "You're jumping to the future!?"

Not bothering to look at his mother, John continued watching Cameron construct the incredibly advanced weapon. Knowing she would want an answer he threw out. "It was either that or waiting seven years and I'm not that patient. Especially when that wait is optional."

"We don't know who builds it!" She argued.

Turning to face his mother with a harsh glare he responded. "We don't need to! Something as big as SKYNET will get plenty of media coverage! It's an automated defense system for Christ's sake!"

There were many pitfalls in his reasoning, but before she could respond a harsh pounding against the vault door drew their attention. John's eyes became alit like a kid who got their Christmas presents early.

"Bastard's right on time." He said quietly to himself.

"Who?" Sarah asked, mind still reeling at her son's revelation. Cameron walked up with the completed rifle and handed it to her.

"Cromartie." She answered. "We knew he'd come when the employees triggered the alarm."

"Didn't you even wonder why we're building a gun when our intention is to go to the future? We're going to take out two birds with one stone." John said showing the tactician Kyle Reese had told her of.

From her spot next to a larger deposit box, Cameron instructed. "Wait for the isotope to turn red before firing. It'll backfire if you don't."

A crashing from the door revealed a hand holding a gun. Sarah quickly moved behind a corner of the vault while John took shelter behind Cameron as Cromartie fired blindly into the vault.

"Crazy son of a bitch." John muttered as the terminator withdrew its arm. A light from beside him drew his gaze and he watched as a retinal scanner ran over his protector's eyes. The scan, once completed caused many of the deposit boxes surrounding the scanner to pop open. Sarah moved to the center of the vault and aimed the plasma rifle directly at the door, waiting for the chance to fire.

As Cameron finished typing in the information the vault took on a blue hue and the air started to shimmer as the time machine powered up. Groans and screeches came from the door as Cromartie peeled it off its sealed frame. Sarah looked down at the yellow liquid and saw red starting to bleed into it.

"Power is at One-hundred percent." Cameron stated as her hand rested on the button that would start up the process of traveling forward through time.

As the isotope was mostly red Sarah ordered, "Hit it."

Cameron did so and marched up to the center of the vault John followed behind her and moved to the right, Sarah behind her to the left. Cromartie finished ripping the vault door off and charged into the vault, his target was trapped! A quick glance at the isotope told Sarah everything she needed to know. Stepping up alongside Cameron, she raised her weapon and fired. A bright flash of light was the last thing anyone in the vault saw of 1999.

XxXxXxXxXxX

It was 9:36 pm on a busy highway near the outskirts of Los Angelus when a light show erupted in the middle of the two-lane road leading towards the City of Angels causing cars to swerve out of the way. A giant blue orb of super intense heat simmered into view and caused the driver of Nissan Altima to slam on the breaks, stopping just feet away from the sphere.

As the sphere faded away, it revealed three naked bodies huddled on the ground. Cameron who was the only one of the three not lying on her side looked at the car directly in front of her. Standing up, she made no attempt to cover her body. Terminators weren't programmed to protect their modesty. As she glanced around to take in their surroundings, John and Sarah stood up.

As John climbed to his feet he hugged himself for warmth. Looking around he couldn't help but think. 'God damn its cold! This sucks!'

Suddenly Cameron pivoted showing John her entire being. His thoughts quickly changed to. 'God damn! It's cold! This rocks!'

Grabbing her charge's arm, she quickly pulled him off the highway and towards a nearby construction zone. Sarah held back a few seconds before following after them. The trio quickly ran down a relatively steep hill before navigating their way through the maze of construction equipment. When she felt they had made it a safe distance away Cameron stopped.

"Where are we?" Sarah asked as she once again wrapped her arms around her chest for warmth.

"Same where, different when." The machine replied. A nearby electrical sign flashed the date 09-03-07; September 3, 2007.

As both Connors swallowed the fact that they had defied the laws of physics and had successfully traveled to the future, Cameron walked to a nearby road where she had seen an approaching vehicle. Mother and son watched as the nude terminator put herself in front of the vehicles path causing it to stop. Three car doors opened and three obviously intoxicated males stepped out saying crude phrases to her as they approached.

'I don't know why, but for some reason I have the sudden urge to go on a drunken frat boy killing spree.' He thought feigning ignorance. As the men got within arms reach, Cameron lashed out and quickly incapacitated the three men.

"It might be the hormones, but watching a small, attractive, naked girl kick three guys' asses is just awesome." John spoke aloud. Mentally he added. 'If I ever get amnesia, please for the love of God don't let me forget that.'

Sarah was extremely grateful that her son stood behind her and wouldn't be able to see her smile. She didn't want to explain to him that hormones had nothing to do with it. Watching a vulnerable looking teenage girl level three guys nearly twice her size was "awesome" no matter how you looked at it. Cameron returned a moment later with the men's clothing. Mother and son split off to dress in privacy. Not taking any chances, John's protector positioned herself so she could keep an eye on him should something happen.

As the three finished dressing John took charge of the situation. Something he'd been doing a lot of recently. "Well, we have clothes and a temporary vehicle. Wish I could call it a day, but we're not done yet."

"And what would you suggest we do next?" his mother asked. She knew what they needed to do, but wanted to test her son.

"We'll need money and some better clothing. Also we'll need a place of residence…we'll also need to restock on weapons." He answered. "What time is it?"

"9:52." Cameron answered.

Pulling out the wallet in his pants pocket, he counted the number of bills inside. "There are still too many people out for us to get the money we need. I say we find a clothing store that is still open before we try to gather any funds."

"And how do you plan to do that?" His mother asked, knowing there were many ways to go about it.

"Same as always." He answered. "Rob an ATM. Though we'll probably want to hit more than one. That's why we should get some better clothes first. Give the roads some time to empty so we don't run the risk of too many people seeing us."

"You don't have any of your tools." Sarah reminded him.

"Not true, I have a universal one over there." He said jabbing his thumb in Cameron's direction.

Satisfied for the time being, she responded. Saying, "Then let's get to it."

XxXxXxXxXxX

The clock struck one as Charley Dixon quietly made his way through the living room and towards the basement. His mind was still reeling at what he had seen on the television only a few hours earlier. On the news he saw two people he had thought died almost a decade ago, his ex-fiancé Sarah "Reese" Connor and her son John. He still couldn't believe it. Two people he had cared for deeply were still alive. It had been this startling realization that caused him to sneak around his house late at night like some thief while his wife, Michelle slept in their bedroom.

Reaching the cement floor of the basement he walked over to a secluded corner that served as their storing area and moved many boxes out of the way until he revealed a small safe resting on the floor. Crouching down he grabbed the dial and put in the correct combination. With a silent click the door was unlocked. Opening the safe, revealed the contents consisting of only two things, a small cardboard box and a carefully folded letter. Reaching in, he grabbed the folded piece of paper. It and the box had been the last thing he'd received from the boy he had come to see as a son. Unfolding the letter he read.

Dear Charlie,

Let me start of with an apology. I'm sorry for whatever suffering my mother and I put you through. It may be hard to believe…hell even I didn't believe it at the time. But we did it to protect you. With all that's happened recently, I can honestly say it was the right thing to do. Mom and I would have only brought you trouble and expose you to a fate you do not deserve. I wish I could say more, but the less you know the better.

With that out of the way, I'll get straight to the point. I need you to do me a favor. I know you owe us nothing, but you're the only person I can trust with this. Inside the box is one of my most coveted possessions. It means the world to me and sadly I can't bring it with me where I'm going. So I entrust it to you. Please take care of it until I return. No matter what you hear, know that I will come back for it. Hell itself could not stop me from coming back for it.

If you could do this for me I'd greatly appreciate it. Like I said, I know you don't owe us anything, but I am begging you to hold onto this for me. This will probably be the last you hear from me for some time. You are one of the only men I've known that I would have proudly called dad and I hope you will one day find the joy that mom and I couldn't offer you.

Sincerely,

John Connor aka John Reese.

The letter had broken Charlie's heart. Every year on the day John and Sarah had supposedly died he would reread the letter and spend the rest of the night mourning his loss. Very few people knew he had been born barren and would never father any children. It had been a fact made him grow bitter with age. But that had all changed when he met Sarah and John. It didn't matter that they weren't related by blood. John had been and always would be his son.

Folding up the letter he put it back in the safe before pulling out the cardboard box. Even after he had thought John dead, Charlie fulfilled his son's final request. He kept the item in the box in mint condition and never once considered getting rid of it. It was the last link he had to his son. Opening the end of the box, he reached his hand inside and got a firm hold of John's most prized possession. Pulling it out of the box revealed the item inside to be a six shooter, a Colt Anaconda to be precise with the inscription "Justice for All" engraved in the barrel. Even in the poorly lit basement the gun shined as if it were the sun itself.

Setting the gun on top of the safe he tilted the box and let two bullets fall into the palm of his hand. He didn't understand why the gun only had two rounds or what their significance was, but it didn't matter. What did matter was that John had packed them inside the box with the gun so they had some meaning to him. The video clip on the news and the words in the letter filled the paramedic with hope. John was alive and he would be coming for the gun. He would finally get the chance to find the answers to a mystery he thought would forever remain unsolved…

(Chapter 2 End)

A/N: Thus completes the Pilot episode. I hope you all enjoyed the second chapter and ask you dearly for reviews. As I've said before I've never written chapters this long before and I would really like some feedback on them. For those who haven't seen my profile recently I have a link to a forum on cameron and john . com (minus spaces) where I post status updates and the occasional excerpt to tide you over while I'm writing the chapters. Feel free to leave comments or questions there if you so choose.