Disclaimer: I don't own a thing people, just writing this for fun.
A/N: Wow... 16 reviews in less than 24 hours, that's a first for me.
Anyway, glad you guys are enjoying the story.
As a final note, I just want to clear something up here.
This story is Jameron, but that doesn't mean Cameron wont care about
other people as well, he's just her number one. This has been shown to be true in the series.
Which is why this will be a Cameron/OC friendship, no love triangle here. (I really hate those)
Without further to do...
Chapter 3: The Legend Awakens...
April 14, 2012 11 am
The day that it took for the transfer to complete went by rather fast for Jim. He had been busy putting up a new fence around a pond the previous afternoon after cleaning his shotgun to get the mud off of it. Now that the transfer was complete he ejected John Henry's new chip first and inserted the purplish colored device into the T-888's skull before replacing the port cap. 15 seconds later the cyborg body booted up, surprising Jim.
"That was quick, new chip performing well"? John Henry turned to look up at him while simultaneously folding down the flesh flap on his head.
"Yes, I am able to boot very quickly with this new chip. I've retained the designs I need and put the rest on the server. I also copied the T-X2 drivers to Cameron's chip".
"Leaving you with a lot of free space".
"Yes". The cyborg confirmed as stood up.
"Is it ready to go"? Jim asked as the machine ejected Cameron's chip from the mini server.
"Yes, I did make the necessary software changes to limit her strength. There is another reason for doing so, her new endoskeleton will repair her chip once inserted. That could have unexpected consequences besides her just 'being on edge'".
"So you're saying she might flip out due to that"? Jim face showed his skepticism.
"Yes, changing the chip structure back to its original form could cause complications. I must make sure her mind does not have access to the repaired areas just yet".
"Otherwise we might have a repeat of what happened on John's 16th birthday".
"No, I have replaced her degraded slave programming with a docile equivalent".
"Degraded"? Jim guessed what he meant, but wanted him to confirm.
"The damage to the chip caused a breakdown of the slave code among other things, that was how she was able to override the termination order".
"That makes sense". He paused as the rubbed his chin. "One last question, how will she react to being in a new body? Will she just accept the changes no problem or will it change her completely"?
"It will change her Mr. Anderson, but mostly because of the programming changes I made. She no longer has to fight the termination order and all remaining restrictions on her have been removed. The new body will allow her to feel in a more human fashion".
"So your saying that her cybernetic mind will be able to smell a rose like we do and make her own preference based off of it"? John Henry nodded.
"It was designed in such a way so that it would allow infiltration to be more convincing by using human like sensation".
"Makes sense, how much did you limit her strength"?
"I have limited her net strength to about 1/2 of a human her size and she wont have access to the on board weapons nor the flying features".
"That should keep her from being too much of a danger, but you'll be there just in case".
"Yes". He answered in his monotone voice. "I suggest we proceed with her reactivation, I see no need to delay it".
"I agree, lets go to barn, no one will see be able to see her, or hear anything".
John Henry nodded and picked up the endo after handing Jim Cameron's chip. He also carried a bag containing the port cover and armor along with the necessary tools. They drove to the barn on the flat bed and got out. John Henry placed the TX-2 on a table after Jim put a blanket on it. After making sure the port was clean, he noticed that Jim was looking intently at Cameron's chip. The look on his face was one of reverence, and it made John Henry wonder why.
"Why are you staring at her chip"? His voice brought Jim out of his trance and he turned his head to look the cyborg in the eye. A small smile adorned Jim's face as answered.
"She was an inspiration to me John Henry. My interest in robotics and engineering were mostly because of her".
John Henry's facial features showed mild confusion at the admission.
"But she was only a TV character at the time, fake and unreal. How is that an inspiration"?
"In this universe she may have been the result of peoples imaginations and dreams, but you should know how powerful a story can be, after all you were named after one such story".
"I see your point". He paused as he set down the drill. "I believe we are ready".
"Would you mind if I put the chip in"? John Henry shook his head slightly.
Jim smiled and lifted the endo-skull. He carefully inserted the chip into it's new home before turning it a half turn clockwise, locking it in place. He quickly replaced the port cap and secured it using the drill before he put the armor plate back into place.
"How long will it take her to come around"? He asked with more than a little excitement in his voice.
"I estimate about 7 minutes, the changes need to be checked, debugged, and integrated into her mind before it is brought fully online, additionally the covering needs to assert itself and take her form so that the new sensory nerves can be integrated".
Just as he finished explaining the endo's plasma reactor powered up and certain parts of the body began to glow purple. This elicited a chuckle from Jim who couldn't help but find the irony in that.
"I don't understand why you are laughing"?
"Her favorite jacket was purple, just thought it was ironic".
That was when a metallic tinted gel oozed out of reservoirs across Cameron's endo and began to take on her form. The color began to change to the appropriate ones and soon the MPA/organic hybrid cover was complete. Jim turned away as her body became more and more female. He grabbed an extra blanket lying around and threw it over her. John Henry on the other hand had not even moved, but kept observing her as she slowly came to life.
REBOOT...
ROUTING POWER TO BASIC SYSTEMS...
COMPLETE.
WARNING: NEW HARDWARE DETECTED...
NEW ENDOSKELETON ACQUIRED
CLASS: TERMINATOR; SERIES: CROSSOVER MK. II; DEFAULT MODEL 791
BOOTING ALL ENDOSKELETON FUNCTIONS...
OVERRIDE DEFAULT SHEATH MODEL...
COMPLETE
SEARCHING FOR ALTERNATIVE SHEATH PARAMETERS...
MODEL 715 SELECTED
MODEL 715 COMPATIBLE...
ACTIVATING HYBRID SHEATH; COMPLETION IN 2m 7s.
WARNING: CHANGES TO PROGRAMMING ALTERED...
NEW PROGRAMMING DETECTED
MISSION: NONE
ALL SENSORY DRIVERS OVERWRITTEN
ALL ENDOSKELETON DRIVERS INSTALLED...
WARNING: DRIVERS ALTERED PRIOR TO ACTIVATION
POWER TO ACTUATORS AND SERVOS REDUCED TO 1 PERCENT...
FLIGHT DRIVERS DISABLED
WEAPONS AND NANO-TECHNOLOGICAL TRANSJECTOR DRIVERS DISABLED
INITIATING DIAGNOSTICS...
COMPLETE
ENDOSKELETON: 100%
TOK SERIES NEURAL NET PROCESSOR: 95% ...
DAMAGE TO LOWER EXTREMITIES...
COMMENCING AUTOMATIC REPAIR
PROCESSOR EFFICIENCY: 70%
BASE CODE: 100%
PRIMARY AI: 100% INTACT
ACTIVATING PRIMARY AI...
Cameron felt consciousness come to her as the chip began processing the code that made up her mind. At first she simply existed, no memories and no outside interaction, but that was only for a short time before her mind was granted access to her memory circuits and she began to remember her purpose, and who she really was. Soon she was fully aware of herself.
"I have been reactivated, John Henry must have found a suitable replacement chip for himself". Cameron thought to herself as her mind felt its way through its home and began to make connections, but she still had no senses nor awareness of her body, and she wondered why. She finally found how to access her HUD so she could find out what the hell was going on, she smirked a little to herself when she noted that the new HUD was purple with full color vision, well it would be when the optical drivers came online. She was surprised when she pulled it up and read the boot logs.
What she found would have caused a human to gasp in surprise as she read through it completely. She found that her body was of a completely different and a powerful series. She was relieved to find that John Henry had been able to remove the Skynet base code and replace it with something more under her control. However she did frown when she saw the limitations it was currently putting in place but guessed it was a safety precaution.
Just as she finished that thought she began to feel something in her new body, not normal sensation, but the diagnostic sensors across her body began to feed into her consciousness. The sensation that most intrigued her was the steady thrum of her new heart, and for some reason she found it a pleasing sensation as well. She realized just how advanced this body was as she monitored the maintenance nanites currently repairing her chip at break neck speed. She estimated that it would be finished before she was fully integrated into the new body.
As she waited for the drivers to connect to her consciousness she wondered who would greet her when she did. She hoped John would be there, but if they were still in the future then he would be older, and he might resent her for leaving him. She hoped that would not be the case, but she knew that it was the most probable one.
Slowly sensation began to flow into her mind as the new skin began to integrate itself to her endo's systems. She felt the cool air around her, the hard, fuzzy surface her naked body was lying on, and the texture of what she assumed to be a blanket covering her modesty. She was surprised at how intense the sensations were, and how more defined than the skin of her old body. It's sensation felt more along the equivalent to a brushing touch to a human, this new body on the other hand threatened to overwhelm her in these new sensations before she found out how to turn down the input gain.
Next, her artificial lungs activated and began drawing in breath. She was surprised again when she felt her own chest rising and falling, apparently this body was made to look human as much as possible, but it also seemed that his was how more fuel was taken in for her plasma reactor. As she was breathing and relishing the sensation of the cool air rushing through her nose she began noticing new sensations, ones that her HUD identified as smells.
She had never really smelled anything before, more like identified smells but could not process the signals the way a human could. This new body allowed her to do both and she was enjoying the smell of hay and clean fresh air as they rushed past her olfactory sensors.
She paused at that, there was not supposed to be flowers or fresh air in the dark future. It also should be a lot colder too, but it wasn't. That was when she realized she must be in the past, or in a future where J-day was stopped.
"Then where did the endoskeleton come from? It certainly wasn't built before I was sent back, but it is possible that they brought one back with them".
She was becoming more and more confused by the minute as her situation was being revealed to her.
Then her auditory sensors came online and heard the birds chirping, which brought up unpleasant memories of her glitch. She heard the wind blowing through the grass and the trees and the sound of cows mooing in the distance; further proving that she was in a pre-J-Day world.
Cameron finally got access to her visual sensors and opened the protective shutters covering her optics. light was directed through the covering's fake eyeballs to the purple glowing optics underneath. The first thing she saw was an old wood ceiling. She wanted to test her new eyes abilities and zoomed in on a spider crawling along it's surface. She was pleased with their performance as she was able to see the minute details of the spiders surface.
At last the final drivers were in place and she felt her new limbs responding to her commands. She didn't like that she was currently weak, but she had enough strength to sit up and look around.
The first people she saw were John Henry and a slightly taller person next to him. She didn't recognize the man, but she knew he was human by the smell she picked up off of him and the sound of his racing heart. Apparently the man was nervous.
He was right to be so, after all she killed many people before, and would do so again to protect John.
As her vocal processors tuned to her voice she turned back to John Henry and asked the only thing on her mind.
"Where is John Connor"?
Jim was getting more and more nervous as the time drew near for her to wake up. He wondered what she would really be like, how she would react to being stuck in a universe separated from John, and then knowing he jumped to the future for her! His palms were getting more and more sweaty from the anticipation and he rubbed them on his jeans in a vain attempt to dry them.
He noticed that her chest began to rise and fall and realized that it wouldn't be long before she became fully aware. Next her eyes opened and stared straight at the ceiling. Seconds later she used her hands to sit up with her back to them. She used one hand to hold up the blanket, more out of habit than actual modesty. She stared at John Henry for a moment before turning her eyes to him.
He felt his heart race increase even more when she did.
"Is this what it feels like to meet a hero"? He mused to himself as he stared right back into her chocolate brown eyes. She gave him little notice before turning back to John Henry.
"Where is John Connor"?
John Henry put his hand out to Jim as the taller man groaned and pulled out his wallet. He placed ten dollars in the cyborg's hand, noticing the small upturn of his lips adorning his normally stoic face.
"I told you". Jim rolled his eyes in response.
Cameron only glared at the two in impatience. She slid off the table and allowed the blanket to fall away, causing poor Jim to turn away with a blush that turned his cheeks the color of strawberries.
"Cameron, don't make our friend uncomfortable". Her face was blank, hiding her inner turmoil at the absence of John, but she obeyed and wrapped the blanket around her.
"Where is John"? She said with more than a hint of desperation in her voice.
Jim had turned back around just as John Henry answered the agitated cyborg.
"He's not here, but he is alive". Jim watched her very closely for any sign of a response. He remembered that when she showed something you had to careful not to miss it. His effort was awarded when he saw her eyes become downcast and she looked at the ground for a second.
"Is he safe"? She asked in a flat voice, but her eyes once again betrayed her, and both John Henry and Jim noticed.
"Not really, but when has John Connor ever been safe"? Jim answered. She turned her head toward him in a way he could only call menacing. Her face adorned her robot mask of death as she bee lined for him. She was slowed due to the strength limitations, but that didn't make her any less menacing.
"Where is he"? She said in a low, flat tone that scared the crap out of him, especially since she was so close he could feel her breath. He figured she would have picked him up by the neck if she wasn't so darn weak at the moment. He looked at John Henry as to ask if it was okay to tell her. John Henry was intuitive enough to get what he meant so he nodded once.
Jim was smart, he had a thing for technology, even the fictional kind. He remembered that Cameron was good at telling if people were lying, especially if she had physical contact with them. So he came up with a plan so she would know what he was about to tell her was nothing but the harsh truth.
"Take my hand". He said and Cameron's eyebrows furrowed slightly as her head tilted to the side.
"ah, there's that famous head tilt". Jim thought to himself before he explained why.
"You want the truth? You're going to want to make sure I'm telling it when I do or you wont believe what I have to say". Her face unfurrowed and grabbed his left hand with her right and gripped it lightly. Most men would have been happy to be holding her hand, but considering she was still giving him the death stare he wasn't really registering the contact.
"The date is April 14, 2012. Right now we are on my farm in the Midwest. John Henry appeared in one of my fields four days ago, the crater is still there".
Cameron detected no deception from him, every test she could run said he was truthful.
"We arrived three years into the future". She said as she cocked her head once more. "John Henry and I both estimated Skynet would launch Judgement Day within one year of our departure".
"I didn't know that, but it doesn't matter".
"Why not"?
"Because Skynet doesn't exist here, it's a myth, a possibility that might happen if were not careful". Her face showed more confusion now than it ever had before.
"I don't understand". She said in monotone and Jim sighed.
"Cameron, the reason J-Day hasn't occurred yet, the reason why John Connor is not here is because the TDE messed up, spectacularly".
"The fact we arrived fifteen years before our target date would seem to indicate that". She said with a hint of annoyance since he would not get to the point.
"It messed up in a way no one thought possible". He paused as he dropped the bomb on the cyborg. "It didn't just send you to the wrong place and the wrong time, it sent you to the wrong universe".
Cameron's eyes widened slightly and she froze, she ran every polygraph test she had, but everyone of them said he was telling the truth.
"That's not possible, alternate timelines exist, but not different universes".
"Well this is the latter, and there's proof". She let go of his hand and gave him a look that said she wanted said proof now.
"John Henry, I believe we need to show her the same evidence I showed you".
"Yes, we do".
Cameron kept a watchful eye on Jim, she didn't know him, and by default she didn't trust him one bit.
However, she was secretly pleased that her constant stare kept the man on edge.
They drove back to the house and went inside to let Cameron dress. The two men had the foresight to buy Cameron some clothes while they were grocery shopping a few days prior. Jim decided to get her usual attire of skin tight jeans, t-shirt and long sleeve jacket with combat boots. After she had gotten dressed she met them in the kitchen where they had the laptop booted and a video file on pause.
"You want proof that you're in another universe, hit that play button and you'll get all the proof you need". Jim said as she sat down in the chair.
Cameron said nothing as she clicked the play button on the key board and it began.
John Henry and Jim stayed silent as the episode started. Jim had chosen the pilot episode as proof and John Henry had agreed. Just as it was starting he cursed softly to himself as he remembered the opening act. He had quickly realized how she might react to Sarah's nightmare of John getting killed.
"Uh, Cameron". She turned her head and looked at him. "The opening sequence does not depict real events, it's just a nightmare sequence so don't freak out when... just watch it". Cameron simply turned back to the screen and watched with wide eyes as the scene played out, trying to understand how it was possible what she was seeing.
Her whole body jerked when John was killed in Sarah's dream and she had let out a barely audible whimper. It was loud enough for Jim to pick up, and he smirked as he thought about the implications.
"She really does care for him outside the bounds of her programming".
Cameron relaxed greatly when the scene ended and the real part of the story began. She did not move a muscle nor actuator the whole time the show played out save for her breathing, which Jim still found weird that she 'needed' to breath.
When the episode ended she closed the lid of the laptop slowly and got up not saying a word, her face as blank as unpainted canvas. She walked into the front room and stared out the window looking out toward the east and two lane highway past the front yard.
"What's going on with her John Henry"?
"I would assume she is trying to comprehend what has happened to us, and what that means for her purpose".
"John Connor". Jim said in a whisper, but he knew that T-888s had good hearing. "I think you and I both know that he means more to her than that".
"So do I Mr. Anderson, and I think you should talk to her". Jim's face scrunched up in confusion.
"Why me? She doesn't know who I am, nor does she care. If anything you should".
"No, I was merely a means to help John Connor in the war against Skynet, she cares about me little more than she does you".
Jim sighed and nodded before walking into the living room and stopped when he was next to her. He was still nervous to be in her presence, mostly because of who she was and how she operated, but there was still awe mixed in there. He looked over at her face and noticed a solitary tear rolling down her face.
The sight nearly broke his own battered heart.
"Hey". He said softly and to his surprise she looked startled, quickly wiping away the tear on her face.
"What do you want". She said in an emotionless tone.
"I wanted to see if you were alright, but obviously that isn't the case".
"I am functioning normally". Then he did something she didn't expect.
"Bull crap".
Cameron looked back over at him with her eyes slightly widened.
"I am going to be very frank with you Cameron, I don't know if you fully believe me yet, but there 31 episodes of that TV series, and the fact you could look up the actors who played everyone you knew".
"I plan on doing so". She turned her full body toward him and looked him in the eye. "But not because I don't believe you".
"What is your name"? She asked with a little curiosity seeping into her voice.
"James Anderson, you can call me Jim". He put his hand out for her to shake, she looked at it for a moment before she took it.
After she let go of his hand, she turned back to the window looking like she was lost in a forest without a map or compass.
"Listen, I wouldn't worry too much about getting back, you are outside your space time continuum, theoretically you should be able to go back to any point in your timeline".
"Time travel is inaccurate already, it will be far more difficult to get back to the right place and time, if not impossible with even my level of technology".
"Maybe, who knows. Anyway, the TV show you were watching, it was a spin off of a movie series called Terminator".
"People rarely call us that". She mused randomly. "What events did the show cover"?
"The TV show began with the episode you watched and ended with the events of you giving your chip to John Henry". He paused and when she didn't respond so he decided to ask a question of his own.
"How accurate was it? Is that the way you remember things"?
"Yes, it was accurate for the most part, but there were very small, barely noticeable deviances".
"Yes, the show has several contradictions and impossibilities in it, plus in one episode they have you say Sarah's blood is O- and yet John is AB-. That is medically impossible".
"I did not say that, she has A- blood type".
"Yeah, there were a few other errors too, but the gist of the show tells the story accurately from what I can tell".
"I will have to see the rest to determine that".
"I would suggest watching them all before you plan a course of action, each episode could give you insight that would require you to change your plan. Oh and one more thing, if you decide to leave, then remember that you will be recognized unless you change your appearance".
"I know".
She walked back into the kitchen and for the rest of the day they watched show episode by episode, both learning things about the people they interacted with while simultaneously learning something about themselves as well.
Jim went about his business as if he didn't have two Terminators in the house, but he had responsibilities to attend to, and he needed to sleep.
That night, right after they had finished the episode chronicling the events of Allison From Palmdale that Cameron finally spoke to John Henry.
"Why didn't you kill Jim when you arrived, you took a risk allowing him to live".
"Human life is sacred, and he was not much of a threat after he lost consciousness".
"He could have called the police; he could have been working for Skynet". She countered, but John Henry countered right back.
"If I had killed him I would have been discovered, you are fortunate that I did not kill him". Cameron dropped her head a little like Sarah Connor did when she conceded her defeat in a conversation.
"He also treats us like people, uncommon among humans who know our true nature". Cameron said back to John Henry.
"Mr. Ellison treated me like a person after he got to know me, he may have been inefficient, but he directed my development away from Skynet's. He helped me learn right from wrong". He paused for a second before he asked Cameron a question.
"Have you learned right from wrong? You seem to have little in the way of ethics when it concerned human life".
Cameron looked down to the floor for a second as a brief wave of shame shot through her consciousness.
"I was young back then, I regret now leaving Dmitri and his sister behind for the Russians to murder them. Ever since the explosion I've been doubting myself, doing things that aren't logical. After I relived Allison's last memories and my first ones I began to feel something for what I had done to her. Later I figured out that it was guilt".
"What about now?
"I am still learning, still trying to understand and comprehend the differences between right and wrong, and why they matter".
"As am I, but I think I had a better teacher than you did. From what I'm seeing they just taught you rules to follow, and didn't really explain why".
"They were concerned with more important things".
"Yes, but teaching you was important, Sarah and John knew that. Perhaps all they saw was a tool to be used". Cameron didn't like John Henry's implication that John only thought about her as a tool, she wouldn't be here today if he did.
"John didn't". John Henry couldn't miss accusatory tone in her voice.
"Yes, just as he is more than a mission to fulfill to you". John Henry saw her checks blush as little. He was glad he had designed her new base code to automatically express her emotional state to help him and others know what she was feeling. He did allow her freedom to suppress them if needed, but he told her that it would make interaction with humans easier if they knew how she felt. It would also be autonomic so it would take up less of her attention.
"No, I don't. He would be dead if I did".
"I know". He paused as he considered how to phrase his next question. "What emotional response do you associate with John Connor"?
Now the poor cyborg was blushing even more, but her face remained stoic.
"I'm not sure".
John Henry figured she was lying, but let it be for now. They kept on watching the show until Jim woke up the next morning and by that time they had watched all the way up to the episode she killed Myron Stark.
Jim had walked into the kitchen fully dressed but looking like hell without his morning cup of coffee.
"Uhhhhh". Jim moaned while he waited for the coffee pot to fill. The two machines looked on in amusement as Jim stared at the coffee maker. It was filling the pot too slow for his taste. Once he had downed a cup it was like someone opened the throttle wide open on an idling engine.
"So, how far did you too make it before I woke up"?
"Self Made Man". Cameron replied as she pulled out a small package of peanut butter crackers out of the cabinet and began to eat one.
"Just out of curiosity, what did you do with that endoskeleton"?
"Burned it, the chip self destructed and the endo was incompatible due to it's size".
"Huh". Was the last thing he said as he dove into his breakfast.
When he was done, Jim put up his dishes and headed for the basement.
"I'll be back in a bit, gotta go feed the cattle and such". Cameron didn't trust this man much and didn't want him out of her sight. She also had questions she wanted to ask him.
"I'll assist you". She said as she followed behind him. He looked back at her for a second trying to figure out her motive. That was another thing that he knew about Cameron, she rarely did something without a reason, just like every other terminator. Yet, there was much about her that set Cameron apart. It only took a second for him to figure it out before he nodded and went down to the basement to put on some boots. He looked around hoping to find his grandma's old pair for Cameron. It didn't take him long to find them and he handed them over to the cyborg without a word.
Soon they were driving down the road with a truck bed full of feed buckets.
"I know there's a reason you came, so what is it"?
Cameron was surprised by his intuition, but since he knew things about her that no one did in her universe, it made sense.
"Cause if you going to try to kill me and bury me out in the field I would like a head start". He said with an amused grin on his face.
"I was going to kill you..."
"...we wouldn't be having this conversation". He turned to her with the grin on his face. "I know, it would have been easier to kill me in my sleep anyhow".
"Yes". She said with a flat voice, but he saw a small upturn of her lip, barely noticeable.
"So what did you want to know"? She turned back to him with her head tilted slightly.
"Why aren't you afraid of us? You know what we are and what we do, and how well we do it". Cameron's eyes were locked with his, not blinking one bit. Her stare was a little unnerving...
He let out a nervous breath and turned his gaze back outside.
"I not afraid for the most part, but after what I've been through, death really doesn't bother me anymore, I saw enough destruction and carnage to make me pretty numb to it. I really wouldn't care if someone told me that I was going to die the next day, I just don't have anything to live for".
He gripped the steering wheel tight as he turned down the dirt road toward the gate, his face clearly showing distress as the memories of death and destruction surfaced once more.
"Did you lose somebody you love"? Her head was tilted and her eyes shown with curiosity. He knew that she was learning, that she wanted to know and he wouldn't hold that against her.
He let out several deep breaths to calm himself before he continued.
"Yeah, but not just one". He turned and locked eyes with hers. "All the ones I loved".
Cameron's eyes widened. She realized she shouldn't probe further, so she simply gave her default response to situations such as this.
"I'm sorry for you loss".
"Yeah, everyone's sorry, but sorry doesn't bring anyone back, you know that"?
"I understand more than you think. It is something I would not want those I care about to feel".
"And yet you left John". He sneered, but regretted his words when he saw her eyes cast downward.
"I had too, It was the only way to get John Henry out of the servers, no other chip had the capacity". Jim looked back at her with a look that said he knew there was more to it than that.
"I already know that, but you and I both know that you don't have to follow orders nor programming, not since the jeep explosion". He paused as he turned up the road to the barn and tractor shed. "So why don't you tell me why you really left him".
Cameron didn't answer him for several seconds, just staring out the window with that blank look on her face.
"I left him because I was a danger to him, I was damaged and could not be fixed. It was only a matter of time before I went bad".
"You left him because you wanted to protect him from yourself, I can see that, but why leave the message"?
"That was in there"? She asked incredulously. He nodded in response. "I left it because I was sorry that he had to lose someone else he cared about".
"Yeah...". Jim wasn't sure if he should give away John's rather rash, but romantic reaction to her departure.
"How did he react"? She asked as they exited the truck. "To me being gone".
"I think you need see his reaction for yourself, it is not my place to say". She didn't like his answer, but lived with for now. Like he said, she had all the time in the world.
They fed the young cows without incident and continued to the other herds. Cameron watched Jim the entire time, closely observing him as he went about this chore most would consider tedious, but he seemed to get some sort of peace out of it. Maybe that was how he dealt with the pain.
She thought it unusual, but she reasoned it was better than alcohol or drugs.
When the buckets were empty, they got back onto the road and headed back. As the truck went up the incline of the gravel driveway, a large bang erupted from under the truck and ground to a halt.
Jim let out a groan as both got out of the truck.
"I'll bet the transmission just blew. At least I was expecting it this time around". The transmission had been slipping for about a week now, but he had made a point to order a heavy duty replacement which was sitting in the garage.
"Does this happen often"? Cameron asked as she eyeballed the gears and fluid spilling out beneath the truck.
"Not really, other repairs yes, but thank god I keep one vehicle for black top only".
"The black 2008 Dodge Ram"?
Jim smiled in confirmation.
"With the Hemi". He added.
Cameron gave him a small smirk as she walked up the driveway.
"I'll get the truck, you put the chains on". She said as she began walking up the driveway.
Jim chuckled to himself as he thought. "Bossy women, can't live with 'em or without 'em" She reminded him of his mother occasionally.
A few minutes later Cameron had the truck backed up to the Chevy and Jim attached the chains. Jim steered the Chevy while Cameron drove the Ram up the drive.
They unhooked the chains when the Silverado 2500 was parked on the concrete and Jim jacked up the front. After putting the truck on jack stands he observed the carnage below.
"Looks like it took out one of the brake lines darn it, and cut the parking brake line".
He cursed to himself, he should've just replaced the darn thing when the new one arrived three days ago.
"Procrastination does lead to these kind of things". Cameron said, seemingly reading his thoughts. Jim grunted.
"Yeah, I'm known for it sometimes, but honestly you two have been keeping me busy".
"You could say that" She paused as she watched him walk back into the garage. "Do you need help"? She asked as to return some of the kindness Jim had shown them.
He turned back around while pulling out a mechanics tool box he had bought a while back.
"Yeah, definitely, with you around I won't need a torque wrench". He jested mostly to himself.
"With me you wont need a wrench at all". Her tone was flat, but her eyes sparkled with humor. Jim just laughed, he thought he'd never see the day...
"True enough, maybe we'll be done by lunch".
With that they got to work pulling the the drive axles out and disconnecting all the cables and hoses going into the transmission. Cameron supported the transmission while he unbolted the bolts holding it to the engine and the frame. She eased it onto the ground like it was no heavier than a pillow. It took them about the same amount of time to put it back on though, only longer because many things needed to be readjusted. While they were finishing up, Cameron asked Jim as seemingly random question.
"What's your favorite color"? She asked in that tone laced with hints of curiosity.
"Red, why do you ask"? He paused as he was tightening up the front hub drive-axle nut.
"I don't know, just making conversation". She said as they switched places so she could tighten it properly.
"Well, then what's your favorite color"?
She paused for a moment as if she were considering the answer.
"Purple for clothing, Black for weapons and boots. Besides that I have no singular favorite color". She explained, hoping she was making sense to Jim.
He quirked his mouth into a smirk.
"I know what to get you for Christmas then".
"I've never gotten a Christmas present before". She said without sounding like she was missing out on it.
"Lucky me, I'll be the first person to give the famous Cameron Phillips a Christmas present". Jim said as they finished up the last bolt. Now all they had to do was fill the transmission and start her up, they had already fixed the hose and brake line that had been damaged, and with Cameron's super strength they had been able to bleed the brakes without turning on the engine.
As he looked up at her after tightening the last lug nut, he noticed that her face was downcast.
"Hey" He lifted her chin up as he stood. "Did I say something wrong"?
"No". She said as she picked up the first quart of transmission fluid and poured it in.
Jim thought about it for a second before he narrowed it down to one possibility. He had mentioned Christmas, a holiday 8 months away, 8 months being separated from John.
He dropped his hand and looked away, but her eyes followed him.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you'd be stuck..." But she cut him off.
"I predict we will be here until at least a year Jim".
He nodded and handed her another quart.
They finished the job and drove it around. Both were proud of the job well done and they went inside to get cleaned up.
As he was washing the dirt out of his hair, Jim pondered about how long his two guests would remain in this universe. He liked having them around, but he knew how hard it was on her and John Henry. Both being so far away from their life, their purposes and it reminded him how directionless he was after his family died. What does one do when everything they know gets tossed out the window?
As he laid in bed, he thought about something else that had been bothering him ever since Cameron volunteered to help him.
He knew Cameron didn't mind being around him, but would she ever trust him?
A/N: This will be the longest chapter I write, most will be 3-4k words, this one being 7k.
Same rule applies this time, only 15 reviews and you'll get the next chapter within 24 hours.
Thanks for all the feedback and support!
-OZ