I hope you all enjoyed the holiday! I took a small break from writing to recoup, now that, that's done I can get back to work... thx for being so patient and I hope you enjoy.
Another, Insane Choice
What I Wouldn't Do
John Connor let out a tired sigh as he noticed sunlight beginning to trickle through the curtains. He had been awake for several hours lost in thought, everything that they had learned, everything that had happened.
'A wife? Guess that's one more thing I can check off the list of shit I can't control.' John thought to himself.
After a moment of silence he felt and eagerness overtake him, he had spent a lot of time thinking about the previous days events and had made a lot of stunning inferences, John let out another sigh before, deciding to get and venture out, in search of Alex.
John passed Cameron's room, which was right next to his, as he passed it, he recalled the question she had asked him, 'could she mother a child?'. John came to a pause as the question, returned to the forefront of his mind.
John had been thinking about a lot, in the hours he had spent awake, but for some reason this thought kept returning to him. Why was is so important, why should he care if Cameron could have children... it's not like that meant anything to... anyone.
'Except you.' his mind fired back.
John stood there for a moment, 'except me?' Why me? He wondered silently, as an image of Samantha Cameron crawled into his mind.
'Come on John... you're smarter then this. What the fuck is the connection between the two of them?' John thought, as for some reason another memory surfaced, when Alex had accidentally spilled the beans about the FM children, he had said that he was waiting for the right time to bring it up.
'Why would he need to bring it up at all?' John asked himself, Alex was an enigma of everything he had come to learn about the future. Uncle Bob, Derek, Cameron... all of them were silent about the future, the two terminators would often only offer simplistic explanations to his questions or in Cameron's case, counter them with questions of her own. In Derek's case it seemed like he was trying to spare John from the horrors of the war, for as long as he could, however noble that ideal was, it prevented John from really asking the questions that he needed too.
Alex was different, not only was he open to answering any and all questions, about the future, the war, the machines, and even John himself, but he seemed to revel in the chance to explain things. Even so, Alex seemed very mission oriented... much like Cameron and Derek, why would he need to bring up anything unless it pertained to his mission? 'Unless... maybe...'
"John." Came Cameron's voice, John's eye immediately refocused and he noticed Cameron standing in her door way, staring at him. "You've been standing outside my room, for ninety-six seconds, and you haven't moved, is something wrong?"
John just stared at her, he hadn't heard her, his brain was still trying finish that last thought, when suddenly it struck him. "Holy shit!" John whispered as his eyes went wide, he stared at Cameron for another moment before turning and walking down the hall.
Cameron stared after him for a moment, and was about to follow, when he called back, "I'm fine Cameron." She stood there for a moment before returning to her room.
John made his way downstairs and quickly located Alex, whom was standing at the windows in the living room, staring out at the outside world.
"Hey..." John greeted him.
"Hey, you look like you slept well." Alex replied with a huff.
Yeah... not really... I've been doing a lot of thinking." John replied as he scratched his head.
"What about?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
"The future... my wife... stuff like that. Look... I've given it some thought..." John paused as he let out a sigh, "I think you know who my wife is, you're just not telling me because I need to figure it out on my own."
"A reasonable assumption." Alex commented, not confirming or denying it.
"I know you can't tell me... but if I figure it out, can you tell me then?" John asked, eying Alex intently.
"Assuming I actually know who she is, I guess if you figured it out on your own, then I'd have to move the two of you to and undisclosed and hidden location, to await judgment day." Alex replied, giving John a strange look.
"I think I know who she is." John declared after a moment.
"Oh really?" Alex asked, eying him curiously.
"I took a step back, and looked at everything that happened yesterday, I tried to see all of it from a strategic standpoint. You, whom Derek has described as a pretty big asset in the future, were sent back to protect me, and my future wife. While at the same time, dozens of resistance fighters were also sent back to fight SkyNet. I had to wonder, if a time machine can send you back to any date in time, then why would future me send you back, to a point in time before I met my wife. All of those resistance fighters are out working on their missions, so why aren't you? It took me a few hours but I finally pieced it together." John declared, as a knowing grin crept across his face.
"It took me some time to realize that, there was no reason, what so ever, that I would send you back, earlier. So with that thought in mind, you were sent back, when I already knew my wife. You said that you'd been here for a few weeks, looking for us, but that's not true, future me would have told you exactly where to find me, which means you've been watching us for a few weeks now. You only revealed yourself, to deal with those terminators, otherwise you wouldn't have, you would have remained in the shadows, doing your best to not influence me one way or another, until I found my wife. However... here you stand, the only logical reason, a smart, talented and highly skilled soldier like yourself would break from procedure and reveal yourself like that, would be because I've already met my wife." John continued.
"A very wise assumption." Alex commented.
"You see I figured it out... just now, a few minute ago. I spent a lot of time thinking about my future wife, and all that I'd learned about SkyNet, from you... but for some reason, something kept coming back to the forefront on my mind, a similarity that I noticed, between Cameron and your mother. At first I thought that it was possible that Cameron was simply modeled after her... but the more I thought about it the more untrue that felt. They looked similar but not exact, no one would confuse them for each other. So Cameron couldn't have been modeled after her, so then why did they seem so alike? Then you told me about the FM children... when you slipped up, you said that you were waiting for the right time to tell me. After a little thought, it occurred to me that, that point had exactly nothing to do with your mission, why would you need to tell me at all? Unless it did have something to do with your mission." By now Alex was grinning back at the young Conner, a mischievous look in his eye.
"...and what did all these revelations, lead you to concluding?" Alex asked.
"Well if I'm right, and I already know my future wife, it's either Riley or Cameron, and you made a point to say that it wasn't Riley... so that leaves Cameron. Now... I came to this realization earlier this morning, to say that it was odd, would be an understatement, but just now I realized something else." John stated, giving Alex a look.
"You're an FM child aren't you?" John asked after a moment.
"The first." Alex replied with a nod.
"I figured." John sighed.
"How could you tell?" Alex asked, tilting his head in curiosity.
"Well... it was your mother that kinda tipped me off, she's a cyborg right?" Alex simply nodded in response, "I gotta say... that was a good cover on her part, when Cameron tried to scan her. Saying that she was testing out something that stopped machines from being able to scan a person, it was a good cover. Only someone technologically inclined like myself could have seen through it. What she described, the tech, she said she was testing, at best it would cause a machine to investigate why it can't scan you. Someone who understands how the terminators work, would see that something like that, wouldn't be effective. It was a good cover though, Mom and Derek won't think twice about it, and your mother is one of Cameron's commanding officers, and this sort of thing must be common. It makes sense... I'm going to guess that, it's only Cameron that can't scan her. It's probably something in Cameron's code that stops her from identifying that your mother, is a cyborg, and I understand why."
"You are very perceptive John, it took you a grand total, of one day to figure all this out." Alex praised him.
"Well, I was meant to, right?" John replied with a sigh.
"So Cameron is your future wife, my mothers a cyborg, and I'm an FM child... any other revelations occur?" Alex stated with a dry chuckle.
"Only one... Cameron and Samantha, they're the same person aren't they?" John asked, he seemed to tense up slightly, knowing what the answer could mean, in regards to Alex.
In response Alex grinned widely.
John let out a loud sigh... out of all the revelations that had occurred today, this one was the most insane.
"If Cameron and Samantha were the same person that means that Cameron is your mother, and if Cameron is my future wife, that means that you're my..." John paused, and just let the statement hang in the air.
"Son." Alex finished for him after a moment. John simply let out another sigh and stared at the floor for a few moments. After some time he looked back up at Alex who was just grinning back at him, suddenly a thought came to him that and he decided to bring it up.
"What the hell is wrong with me?" John asked as he scratched the side of his head.
"A lot, according to you." Alex replied with a laugh.
"First I send back my father, so that I can be born, then I send back Cameron, so that one day I can marry her and have kids, then I send my own child back, to ensure that me and my wife, who is a cyborg, don't get killed. I then send my own wife back in time to do god knows what. I don't know whether I should be pissed off or not. My future self is the one who is dictating what I do with my life, but if you think about it, he's making choice to ensure his past, so... basically I have to go along with it, or I might fuck something up." John voiced his problem.
"That is quite the conundrum." Alex agreed.
John simply shook his head and rubbed his eyes, before asking, "You obviously lied to stop anyone but me from figuring it out, so what did you lie about?"
"Not much... aside from Cameron being killed destroying that T-X a few years from now." Alex replied with a shrug.
"So you really didn't know that I was your father?" John asked, curiously.
"I had my suspicions growing up, but never any proof. I learned the truth when I was twenty-seven, but I don't think you ever knew that I knew." Alex responded.
"You said I have children, as in more then one. Did you ever meet them?" John asked as he took a seat on the couch.
"Yeah... I've met all of them. All of them had different last names, and they had to keep their identities a secret, but there was no mistaking it, they looked a lot like you." Alex replied with a warm smile.
"Why were you the only one that I held at arms length?" John asked with a tilt of his head.
"I guess one of your kids had to remain a secret, even to himself. You took care of the other three, they were still a secret, but people suspected you had kids, so it wouldn't be a surprise. I guess I was kept away so that if anything ever happened to you or the others, then at least one member of the Connor clan would survive." Alex answered, as he scratched his head. "That's my guess, anyway."
"This is a lot to take in." John stated, after a moments pause.
"I'm sure it would be... glad it didn't take you too long to figure it out. I plan on waiting until, Cameron figures it out, and you actually decide to act on it before I do anything with the two of you." Alex commented, almost like he was trying to hint at something.
"So... as long as Cameron doesn't know and I keep it in my pants, we're free to keep fighting, that sounds like a pretty shitty trade." John huffed in reply.
"Yeah well if I take the two of you now, then you're going to have to spend the next few years, in some Mexican village, awkwardly trying to make a pass at each other. I think it's for the best we not force this." Alex joked.
"Yeah... I agree. Any specific time-frame I need to consider?" John asked, with a bit of distaste.
"Well... I don't know. Do I look like your frigging therapist? All I know is that I'm thirty years only, and I left in the year twenty-forty-four, which means you two are together, at the latest in the year twenty-fourteen." Alex replied.
"Great." John sighed.
Alex stared at him for a moment, before a question formed in his mind.
"Hey... you wouldn't happen to know why you described your wife's eyes as blue, do you?" Alex asked.
"What?" John asked in reply, staring at him oddly.
"Yesterday, I gave you the exact description that future you gave me. He said that his wife's eyes were blue. Cameron's eyes aren't blue and neither are my mothers." Alex, explained.
"Cameron's cyborg eyes flash blue, sometimes. I don't know if they're actually blue, or if that's just something she can do." John replied.
"Interesting." Alex stated with an amused nod.
"Do you know what model Cameron is?" John asked.
"Maybe... why so curious? Alex responded.
"Cameron can have kids. Which means her frame was modified. She's naturally lighter and faster then other machines. I'm just trying to figure out if Cameron is a modified model, or if she was custom made. It's just odd to me, she's such a good fighter, and yet she has everything working against her. She's weaker, and she has structural weaknesses, that are required to allow for children. I don't know... it just seems odd." John explained.
"That is interesting. I guess the only three people that could answer that question are Cameron, my mother, and you one day." Alex stated.
"I think I need to get some more sleep." John stated, after a moment.
"Go right on ahead. I'm not stopping you. Try to actually get some rest though, and don't worry so much about all of this... it'll work itself out." Alex replied cheerfully.
"Yeah... I'll try. I've got a lot to think about, though." John said with a nod as he got to his feet, and headed for the stairs.
"I won't tell anyone... I'll leave that to you." Alex called after him.
"Thanks." John replied with a bemused look as he headed up the stairs.
As he made his way down the hall, he passed Cameron's room, right as he passed the door opened and she stepped out.
"You look tired." She commented as he walked past her.
John stopped, and thought of something to say, but nothing came to mind. He didn't know what to say to her, at best all he could do was keep mentally telling himself to 'stay cool'.
"Is something wrong?" Cameron asked.
"Yeah... I didn't get a lot of sleep last night Cameron." John finally replied, 'smooth'.
"Oh... is it stress that's keeping you up?" Cameron inquired.
"No Cameron. I've just had a lot on my mind." John replied as he rubbed his head and continued towards his room.
"Oh... should I tell Sarah, that you're playing hooky today?" Cameron asked.
"Yes!" John called back in reply, as he entered his room and closed the door.
Cameron stood there for a moment staring at the closed door. After a few seconds she turned and headed downstairs.
John stood behind the door for a second, before letting out a sigh and plopping down on his bed. "What the hell have you gotten yourself into John?" He asked himself aloud, as he closed his eyes and tried to let sleep overtake him.
-Meanwhile-
Sarah exited her room, and headed for the kitchen. She walked past the living room and found Alex lying on the couch, staring up at the ceiling.
"Your seem to be a man, who's easily occupied." She commented.
"Hey... in order to survive out in the wasteland, you gotta learn how to escape into your own mind at times." Alex rebutted as he sat up.
"Yeah, well... you find anything interesting in there?" Sarah asked with a smirk as she turned to head towards the kitchen.
"Well... if you must know, I fed the hamster, and got him back to running on his wheel. I should be good to work for a few hours before I have to feed him again." Alex joked.
"You're hilarious." Sarah commented dryly.
"I sure am." Alex replied cheerfully.
"Is Derek awake?" She called back to him.
"Yeah... but he left at like three this morning... I don't know where he went." Alex replied.
"Great." Sarah stated to herself as she started to make breakfast. After a moment Cameron came in from outside.
"How's the perimeter look?" Sarah asked, knowing that Cameron walked the perimeter of the house once every hour.
"Kid's were playing in our yard again." Cameron replied, "...and I found a squirrel."
Sarah just gave the terminator an amused look before returning to breakfast.
"John, doesn't want to go to school today." Cameron commented.
"And why is that?" Sarah asked with a sigh.
"He's tired. He didn't sleep well last night. He's upstairs sleeping right now." Cameron replied very straightforwardly.
"Well... I guess he can afford to miss one day." Sarah stated, wondering what was wrong with him.
-Meanwhile-
'Knock', 'Knock', 'Knock'.
Derek stood, outside waiting for door to open.
After a moment, Jesse opened the door to her apartment. "Derek..." Jesse greeted him.
"Hey." Derek greeted her, he quickly noticed that she looked like shit.
"The fuck happened to you?" Derek asked after a moment. Jesse had a cut on her lip, and a few bruises on her face.
"I got into a bar fight." Jesse replied.
"Well, that looks like it was fun." Derek stated.
"Yeah... I got arrested. I tried to call you to bail me out last night, but you didn't answer." Jesse, stated.
"Sorry... there was a development at the Connor house." Derek replied as he stepped into the room.
"What happened?" Jesse asked as she followed after him.
"We've got problems..." Derek replied solemnly, and with that he explained everything they had learned the previous day. As he finished the two quietly lamented, about what they would do in the coming days...
Okay gonna leave at a sudden stop... I'll pick up where I left off, in the next chapter... I hope you guys enjoy and I can't wait to get to the action!