Afterword

Well, as some of you might have suspected, this story is now finished.

It wasn't part of the original plan, but given the time that has passed, not to mention the fact that so many months has passed, not to mention the fact that the whole arc is massive, I've decided to end CoW here, and break up what was meant to be in this story into more manageable chunks.

So... what lies ahead?

Well, I've been working away on the fourth story, which is provisionally titled "Switch and Bait." This covers the Battle of Serrano Point, and the events in the episode "The Mousetrap." After that... well, story five is proving hard to pin down, because I've got a lot of ground to cover, and it needs to be done quickly and effectively. A lot of the character building I've been doing is to help towards a big, ensemble story I've got lined up. In fact, I've already been dropping hints at it, particularly in the last part of this story. So much is going to happen in it... and just thinking about some of what I've got lined up is threatening to make me cry, because I find the whole thing horribly tragic...

But I'm digressing.

In the more immediate future, Story Four is well under-way, with several parts finished. I'm waiting to hear back on whether they're any good, because I've sent them to someone to have a look at.

Oh, and can I say... Whether you loved or hated my story, PLEASE comment. Feedback is wonderful. It's great to know when you're getting it right, and more importantly, when you're getting it wrong. And with the second story in this set-up, "Balance of Power", I had to re-write some parts, because I had fouled up big time. Problem is, I hadn't noticed until I had put the mess up for all to see. So, please, please, PLEASE give feedback!

To those who have, thank you. And to the reader Sqonk, thank you for the conversations over the past few months. You've been an excellent sounding board, and have helped to get me to focus better. I'm still having issues about how Cameron is to blame for the loss of the west side of Craggy Island, but I'm sure that it'll come to me...

As for Story Four, I thought I'd add below a sample of what's been going on... And don't forget, feedback is love!

"The house is moving." I shouldn't have said that, but I can't think of anything else to say. It's not like I tell him all that's happened to me...

"What?" he seems shocked and confused. I have to better explain to him. Calm him down.

"Moving. The east by south east section of the house is moving." I can tell from his blurred body posture that this conversation isn't going very well.

"Really? Where is it going?" Weariness. That's weariness in his voice. That I understand. I've been feeling tired since I woke up this morning. Not physically tired, but tired of having to hide all of my feelings, of having to keep from everyone what happens to me. I'm tired of being alone. I miss being with someone. I don't like being single. Alone.

Ignore it, and focus on the test. And I need to explain to John better...

"Down. At a rate of point nine three millimetres a year." He's silent. I don't get it. Why is he silent? I have to stop this, and start concentrating on normal stuff. I think I can safely say that I am able to do things still that humans cannot. Which is good. Because in a deep, buried layer of my essence, I feel wary and scared of humans. Then again, they do have a proven record of destroying anything potentially dangerous, and then investigate the threat potential after they've done the destroying. Oh. A thought has struck me, and I find it... depressing. Yes, its depressing.

It's in their nature to destroy themselves.

"And what? Does that affect the security system, or sight-lines for the night scope? How does this affect the safety of one John Connor?" He seems to think I've gone mad, based on his body language. Good. I've disconnected. I'm now fully back. I turn to look at him, feeling my hair sway slightly. I staring h9im in the eye, making sure I'm still hiding my emotions.

"It doesn't. But next summer we are going to have to repaint."

He just produces this annoyed look before walking past me. I watch him go past me silently.

I think I just messed up that conversation. And I think I'm a freak for messing it up.