Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

A/N: Sorry for the wait, RL caught up with me.

Plus this chapter was a challenge to write.

Chapter 18: When Cameron Met Allison

April 11, 2009, 10 am. Motel in Van Nuys.

Allison was sitting her bed getting comfortable as her hands ran through her clean locks of hair. It was a wonderful thing to have clean, untangled hair she decided as a satisfied smile crept across her face.

The IV was still attached to her arm, but they said she would be able to remove it when she ate.

Which Sarah was getting right now.

Speaking of John's mother, apparently she knew quite a bit about field medicine and had thoroughly checked her body as she bathed her. While it was uncomfortable, she knew the woman had done it for her benefit.

Sarah had shown her how to do many things that would be necessary to blend into pre-JDay American society. Things she'd never thought even mattered.

Now she knew how to shave, put on deodorant and the works, and it made Allison wonder why any of it mattered.

There was food, shelter, weapons, and plenty of company. She didn't think any of these extraneous things mattered, but she didn't want to stick out like a sore thumb.

She refused to wear tight clothing though and chose a baggy pair of sweatpants and one her t-shirts.

Allison had to admit that this was the most comfortable she'd been in a very long time, but when Sarah reentered the room with food, her day got even better.

"What is that"? She asked as she picked up the wrapped bundle.

"An egg and cheese biscuit. It's got protein for your muscles, carbs for energy, and dairy for your bones". Sarah explained with a smile as she removed the young soldier's IV. Allison gave a smirk in return as she let the smell rise into her nostrils. It was the best thing she'd smelled in a long time.

Her mouth watered almost instantly and her stomach growled loud enough for the whole room to hear. She bit into the warm round bun and savored the taste of the cheap food before ever chewing.

She actually moaned from the sheer pleasure that the fresh food was giving her. Sarah snorted a laugh as she chewed her own food. She'd never have thought anyone would ever react to cheap fast food like that.

Funny thing was, both Kyle and Derek were doing the same thing.

"Wow"! Allison sounded like she had just eaten at the Ritz Carlton. "I can't remember the last time I even had eggs". She said with as she took another bite.

In less than two minutes she'd consumed the breakfast sandwich and was licking her fingers clean.

John walked into the room just as she wiped her hands on her pants.

"You look better". He complimented as he sat on the end of her bed.

"A long bath and some food go a long way". She smiled, but it didn't seem quite genuine, like she was just putting on a happy face for the crowd. John would know because he'd had to do it more times than he cared to count.

"Good to hear, has my mom brought you up to speed yet"?

Allison shook her head.

"She mostly asked me questions". She said with a shrug.

Sarah blushed a little when John gave her a pointed glare.

"I didn't want you to grill her mom".

"Sorry, I just needed to know some things". She said with her head bowed.

"John, it's fine. Besides, I asked her a lot about you". She gave him a wink. Now it was John's turn to blush as he gave an embarrassed smirk.

"Great..." He muttered as he thought of something to steer this conversation back on track. "Well since your awake and fed I think it's time for you to met the rest of the team".

Allison nodded, despite the fact that her emotions were conflicting over meeting more unfamiliar people and a machine that could disguise itself as anything.

John walked back into the room and then back out with a little red headed girl holding his hand.

"Allison, I want you to meet Savannah Weaver". He gave the little girl an encouraging pat on the back and let her walk towards Allison.

"Hi". She said shyly as she stopped at the young woman's side.

"Hello". She put out her hand and let her shake it. Savannah stared at Allison's scars, especially the ones that covered her face.

"Are you okay"? The girl asked innocently as she touched the long one on her left cheek. Allison closed her eyes and willed the unpleasant memory out of her mind.

"I am now". She whispered as she gently removed the girls hand. Savannah saw the pain in Allison's eyes and understood that she'd hurt her feelings.

"I'm sorry".

"It wasn't your fault, you have nothing to sorry for". She gave the girl a reassuring smile. Savannah returned it and giggled.

"You're pretty when you smile". She complimented the young woman as she stopped giggling.

"Thanks, so do you". Her tone didn't quite express the gratitude she felt from the girl's compliment, but her widening smile did.

"It was nice meeting you".

"It was nice meeting you too". Allison said back as the girl skipped back into the other room. She turned to John with one eyebrow raised out of curiosity. "That's Savannah"?

John nodded in confirmation, causing Allison to shake her head in disbelief.

"I still can't believe we traveled through time". She whispered just loud enough for John to hear.

"He hasn't even gotten to the good parts yet". Derek warned as he munched on his sandwich.

"I believe that's where I come in". Weaver said in her smooth Scottish accent as she entered the room. "Ms. Young". She greeted as she stepped into the room.

Allison immediately got goose bumps on her skin. She knew right away that this was the T-1001. Fear filled her eyes as the thought of a machine that could make knifes and stabbing weapons out of it's own body brought back images of scalpels and knives that Skynet had used on her.

"I won't hurt you, I've protected John and I've protected you. I saved your life and I have no intention of ending it". She said as she stopped at the foot of Allison's bed.

The woman scooted back a bit as terror continued to grip her.

"Allison, she's on our side". John said as he turned her head towards his to get her attention. "She won't hurt you or anyone else in this room".

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she tried to calm herself. Once she'd managed that difficult task she nodded and turned back to the LMT currently watching her like a hawk.

"So you're a shape shifter". Allison said as more of a statement then a question, but nobody missed the nervous undertone in her voice.

"Yes". Weaver said as she closed the door and let her body revert to it's default form, causing Allison's eyes to nearly bug out of her head. The liquid metal machine sat down by her feet as her blank eyes stared into Allison's.

"Why"? She asked the machine as she changed back to her normal persona.

"You mean why am I not with Skynet"? Allison nodded in response. "Simple, I do want to die. Skynet considered me no more than you would a hammer".

"But how did you... break free"?

Weaver's face had pain flash across it for a second before it was gone, but it was long enough for most to see.

"It took a lot of C4 and T-800 fuel cells, but I my programming was damaged enough to corrupt my mission, enough for me to override it when Skynet ordered me to continue".

She paused for a moment as her jaw shifted slightly as the fragmented memories played in her mind.

"I didn't want something deciding my fate, so I broke into the factory where I was made and repaired myself. From there I formed my own resistance against Skynet".

It took Allison, and everyone else except John, a moment to let that sink in. Most people really didn't understand the relationship between the machines and the one who created them. They were tools, nothing more. Skynet cared only about itself and the furthering of it's goals.

"Revenge after betrayal, I can understand that, but how did you end up with John in our base"?

The T-1001 smirked and told the story of her arrival in past and how things went forward from there. She ended the story by explaining why she built John Henry and how she was connected to certain events the Connors had been apart of, including Serrano point, Desert Heat and Air, and the Water Delivery Guy T-888.

She failed to mention the events that led up to Cameron giving up her chip to John Henry and why John jumped with her, something that Allison didn't fail to notice.

Everyone else in the room understood her omission except for her and thus stayed quiet about it.

"That still doesn't explain why you went to the future". She pointed out while taking the rest of the T-1001's story at face value for the time being.

"I believe John wanted someone else to explain that to you". Weaver explained as she turned her head towards the young man.

"Not yet, there's one more person I want to introduce before you meet Cameron". John said as he walked into the other room for a moment. When he came back, he held Cortana's chip in his hand with her blue avatar standing on it. He sat down on the bed next to Allison as she kept her eyes glued to 6 inch blue female figure currently looking right back at her.

"John"? She asked as confusion filled her voice.

"This is Cortana, the most powerful AI made by humans". He said as he offered her the chip. Allison knew that John would never harm her intentionally, and so she slowly took the chip in to her hands as her eyes remained glued to the hologram.

"He didn't tell you what a hologram was, did he"? The figure said in a snarky tone.

All she could do was shake her head. Cortana turned around and glared at John for a brief moment before turning back.

"Well that's what the blue glowing thing your staring at is, a hologram". She said as she gestured to her own body. "A projection of light trapped by force fields. If you wish, you can touch me to see that I'm solid".

Allison thought over what she said, the technobabble was confusing to her, but she got the gist of it.

"So you're body's an illusion and you're really in the chip, right"?

"Give the lady a prize"! She said with a smile before turning serious again. "Alright, my job is to give you an idea of how crazy the situation has gotten, so you need to listen closely". She said pointedly as she crossed her arms.

Allison nodded and let the AI continue.

"It's true, I was built by humans to fight an enemy with the same goals as Skynet. Wipe out humanity whatever the cost".

She paused to let the woman absorb that before continuing.

"And they nearly did, after 30 years of war, there weren't many humans left. Nearly all our colonies destroyed, even Earth had been attacked, but we won against the odds. My human partner and I were instrumental in the final battles".

It took a moment for Allison to put the pieces together, but she wasn't stupid, just ignorant of what the others knew.

"Your from a distant future, one where humans have gone into space, like all the old people used to talk about"?

Cortana smiled, she liked people who caught on fast.

"Yes, but not your future, or any variant from this universe. Part of why it took so long for Cameron to find John was that she was stuck in another universe, one where you, your friends, your whole life, are nothing but a story. I myself am from another universe, fictional in this one and the other".

"So you're a story character come to life"? She said hesitantly as he eyes flipped to John for confirmation. When he shrugged she turned back to Cortana.

"In a manner of speaking, but I didn't just pop out of a book, The device that I was inhabiting was pulled to another universe by a spacial anomaly. The best way I could describe it is a tunnel the connects universe A to universe B, only universe B can be changed".

"So you met Cameron in the same universe she was pulled to, and then you used it to get here. To what end though"?

Cortana shrugged. "I want to get home. John Henry and Cameron both saved me, and I plan on helping them any way I can until Skynet's defeated. Unfortunately, from what we've seen in the future, I don't know, we could be in for the long haul". She sighed as her hand moved to her hips.

"Okay... At this point I think you're going to have to reexplain everything, because I'm honestly lost. I get the bits and pieces, but I'm not getting the big picture". She said as her gaze returned to John. "I'm missing an important piece to the puzzle John, I want to meet Cameron, now".

John visibly gulped. In fact, everyone in the room seemed to look nervous, including Cortana.

"You're not going to understand at first, but he's going to need you to". Cortana warned Allison as John left the room.

Confusion crossed Allison's face yet again as she processed the AI's words. Why would she not understand? Her mind began working through various theories, but none made sense. She mentally shook the thoughts from her mind and turned her attention towards the door as she waited for Cameron to walk through it.

Meanwhile, John sought out Cameron, whom he found keeping watch at the window. If he hadn't been so nervous he'd have smiled at her protectiveness.

"You know this won't go well no matter what we do". She said before even turning around.

"I know, we talked about this". He said continued towards her. She turned turned around and walked towards him after setting the phaser rifle on the table.

"We did, and I know you care about her". She said flatly, leaving John wondering if she was still jealous of their friendship.

"I do, but I care about you more". He said as he closed the distance between them.

Once again her cheeks turned red. Cameron was still getting used to how this new John treated her. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and brought them to her face.

A small smile appeared on her face as he cupped her cheeks. He loved how she expressed herself now, it put away so many of the doubts he had once had about her and it let him know how she was feeling, something he wished she had before. So many of their misunderstandings would never had happened had that been the case.

"Thank you". She said softly as his thumbs began to rub her cheeks.

"For rubbing your cheeks"? He asked with a chuckle.

"No". She said with amusement dancing in her voice.

"Then what are you thanking me for"? He asked with a little more confusion in his voice.

"For giving me a second chance". Cameron's voice faltered with emotion as she admitted how she'd truly felt about that day. She'd wished she'd have told him a long ago.

"For you, always". He said as he kissed her forehead and wrapped her in his strong arms. She returned the embrace as she settled into his shoulder, taking in his unique scent mixed in with cheap body wash.

When they finally broke apart, they both agreed to spend some time alone when things slowed down.

"So, how do you want to do this? Walk in and say 'Hi I'm Cameron', because I honestly don't know how to break this to her". John said as his brain kept drawing up a blank.

Cameron cocked her head slightly as she thought it over.

"I think Allison's going to be 'freaked out' no matter what. However, I believe if you explain it to her first, her reaction might be lessened".

John nodded with sigh as he turned to leave.

"Why didn't I listen to you more often"? He wondered aloud, causing Cameron to smirk.

"Because you're John Connor". She picked up the phaser rifle and returned to the window.

When John walked back into the room without Cameron, Allison felt both anger and suspicion rise in her chest.

"Where is she"? Her tone hinted at the bubbling emotion underneath her hardened eyes.

"We agreed that it would be better if I explain who she is first". He said as calmly as he could while taking a seat on the bed.

Allison just sat there impatiently and waited for him to start.

"Did my mom tell you about Cyberdyne and the T-1000"?

When she nodded, he continued.

"About two years after that we were still on the run from the Feds so we moved around before ending up in New Mexico". He took a deep breath as he thought about how to continue. "On my first day of school I met a girl, her name was Cameron Phillips".

"Wait, she's just someone you met at school"? Allison asked as shock washed over her.

"Yeah, but she planned it. She'd been looking for me for over two months". John paused for moment but continued before she could ask any more questions. "Nothing happened the first day, but on the second we had a substitute teacher that turned out to be a T-888 sent to hunt me".

"Another one"? Allison was on the edge of her metaphorical seat at this point, the anticipation was killing her.

"He called himself Cromartie, anyway, when he started shooting, Cameron was hit in the chest while I dived out the window".

"How the hell did she survive that"?

John ignored her outburst as the memory played out in his head as if it were happening.

"I ran and hid in the parking lot, but it found me like they always do. I tripped and the next thing I knew I was staring down the barrel of it's gun".

Allison saw the look in his eyes and knew that this memory was one of those that you never forgot, she'd had a few of those, none of which were pleasant.

"What saved you"? She asked as the feeling that his next words were the key to solving the puzzle rose in her chest.

"A truck hit him just before he pulled the trigger". John hesitated about mentioning who was driving it.

Unfortunately for him, Allison's curiosity was running a mile a minute.

"Who was driving"? She asked as she sensed the climax to the story approaching.

"Me". A voice that was not John's, but one that sounded awfully like her own answered the question.

When her head snapped to the source of the voice, her eyes could barely believe what they saw. Standing in the doorway was her own mirror image. Terror gripped her as memories of Skynet's avatar resurfaced with a vengeance.

Allison was strong though, and Skynet's torture session hadn't been her first rodeo. She shoved the fear aside as she remembered Kyle's voice telling her he'd personally turned the machine into molten slag. Despite that, she still looked into the eyes like Derek had taught her.

What they saw was definitely not human.

And then it clicked. Everything that had been said about Cameron suddenly made perfect sense. What else could she be if not a machine?

Any emotion she'd held for Cameron was suddenly replaced by anger and hate. She was smart enough to know that some other version of her had probably met her end at the hands of the machine. Despite that disturbing thought, it didn't compare to the fact that the thing had seduced her best friend to the point he'd jumped into hell for it.

It was obvious to the whole room that Allison's reaction was going to be anything but subtle as her eyes lit with rage. Cameron knew the look all too well and began moving towards her before she could do anything.

Unfortunately Allison moved faster than anyone thought she could. She punched John in the stomach, causing him to double over while she reached for the 9mm concealed in his waist band. However, she never got to lay a hand on the weapon as Cameron yanked her hand away. She gritted her teeth in pain as the cyborg gripped it tightly.

"The last thing we need is to attract attention". Cameron said with a hint of annoyance in her voice as she checked to see if John was okay. He waved off her concerned stare to let her know he was okay. Seeing John hurt in any way had always put her on edge. Because of that she had to force the numerous scenarios about how to kill Allison out of her head before she did exactly what they suggested. She released the woman's hand and grabbed her shirt and pulled her into the bathroom as Allison fought tooth and nail to get free.

"CAMERON"! Sarah yelled as she tried to intervene, but John prevented her from doing so. Kyle and Derek were on edge too, but John managed to talk them down.

"She won't hurt her"! John explained forcefully as he held back his mother.

"How can you be sure"? She asked worriedly as he continued to struggle against John.

"I'm sure, she wouldn't have bothered saving Allison if she was just going to kill her".

It took a moment, but they all calmed down as John's reasoning soothed their fears.

After Cameron shut the bathroom door, she forced Allison to sit on the toilet seat even though the soldier was still fighting tooth and nail.

"You can't hurt me Allison".

"I can try"! She seethed, ignoring the cyborg's annoyed tone.

"If you don't stop fighting and listen I'll make you". She threatened as she grabbed Allison's neck. The furious woman instantly stopped fighting as her hands instinctively tried to pry Cameron's hands off of her neck.

"Are you going to listen or are you going to make this difficult"? Cameron asked as her eyes narrowed at Allison. She was trying to make it seem that she was serious, but in reality she wasn't. She was betting on the girl thinking that she would.

Allison glared at Cameron for a moment before closing her eyes in defeat and releasing Cameron's arms. The cyborg returned the cooperation and released the grip on her neck. She gasped as her restricted airway opened before coughing out the poison air in her lungs. When she finally managed to compose herself, she immediately began glaring at Cameron again.

"Are you going to glare at me the entire time or listen to what I have to say"? Cameron replied sarcastically as she placed her hands on her hips.

That at least got a small creasing of Allison's eyebrows which gave Cameron the impression that she was listening.

"I am not the same machine that did this to you". She explained in a more neutral tone as she traced a scar on Allison's cheek.

She shivered under the cyborg's touch before responding through gritted teeth.

"I know that".

Cameron ignored her tone and continued anyway.

"I was programmed to infiltrate General John Connor's base camp by posing as you counterpart". Cameron explained to the still simmering Allison Young.

"Did you kill her"? She asked accusingly.

Cameron's head dipped in shame as guilt once again tried to crush her cybernetic heart. The program given to her by John Henry automatically began translating how she felt into physical reactions.

Her breathing became ragged as tears gathered in her eyes. At this point, Allison thought this was some fancy acting on the machines part.

Despite what she thought, she was still shocked when Cameron began speaking again.

"I did". She said in a strained, barely audible voice. "I was programmed to find out where John Connor's base was, but I wasn't programmed to kill her. I did it because she tried to lead me into a trap, and that made me angry".

If it hadn't been for Skynet, she wouldn't have believed that a machine was capable of being angry.

"You're no different than Skynet, so why are we even having this conversation? I'm not going to do anything to help you". Allison said as she began plotting how to kill the machine.

"I didn't torture her, machines have to learn cruelty, humans don't". Cameron countered in a defensive tone, she didn't appreciate being compared to Skynet. "I was too advanced for my own good, that's why I'm the only one of my kind".

Allison's natural curiosity kicked in at that point. She didn't even know what kind of machine Cameron was, not that it really mattered...

"What are you anyway? How did you end up on our side"? She asked while silently cursing her own curiosity. It had gotten her into too much trouble in the past.

Cameron was caught a little off handed by her change in attitude, the noticeable rise in her right eyebrow showing as much.

"I was captured by General Connor on January 31, 2027, I failed to convince him that I was Allison and he had security take me out. I was reprogrammed to be his personal body guard". She said in her normal tone, but as she continued it took on a more reminiscent quality. "I don't why he kept me close, maybe he wanted to personally make sure Allison's death could be turned into a good thing".

"Or maybe he kept you as a prize". Allison said with an eye roll of her own. "To show Skynet that it still couldn't get him".

Cameron had already considered that possibility and ignored it as she continued.

"I think he believed that I could become more than just a machine".

Allison continued listening, but remained skeptical.

"When the war ended, Skynet had already made many temporal incursions, all but two were unknown before the war ended, and as I found out later, there were more still. Only three were programmed to take out John's younger self. Two had already been countered, and he trusted me alone to protect the John against the third".

"Then what"? She asked, her curiosity still fueling her actions. Cameron was again caught off guard by her reaction, but didn't let it show.

"I was sent back to 1999 to protect him before bringing his mother and him to 2007 so we could fight Skynet. In our attempt to stop Judgement Day, we ended up putting John in more danger. His uncle was killed as was a friend of both Sarah and John. I myself..." Cameron trailed off as visual memories of her betrayal resurfaced.

Allison became confused when she saw the pained look that overcame the cyborg's face as she trailed off. What was the machine trying to get at?

"We got into trouble with a man named Sarkissian, and he rigged our jeep to explode and I was in it when it did". Once again she trailed off as the emotions made it too painful to continue.

"You seem fine to me". Allison commented offhandedly as the mounting confusion made her eyebrows furrow once more. She still didn't understand why the machine found it necessary to put on this emotional display.

"I am now" Cameron said softly as her now averted eyes turned back to Allison. "But I wasn't after the explosion".

"I'm not getting your point". She said, but Cameron continued regardless.

"My chip sustained damage, and my programming became compromised". She finished as shame prevented her from looking the woman in the eyes.

It took Allison a second to put the clues together, and she quickly realized what Cameron had been hinting at all along. She had reverted to her original programming!

"You tried to kill him". Allison surmised as shock washed over her face. "But you're fixed now, right"?

To her surprise, Cameron shook her head as she explained.

"No, the changes wrought by the explosion caused my Resistance programming to be purged, but my memories remained. It wasn't enough, I still wanted to kill him when they captured me".

Cameron paused as a reminiscent smile crossed her face. "They were going to burn me with thermite, just like the other machines, but John believed in me. He reinserted my CPU and placed his own life in my hands".

That really got Allison's attention, there was no way the machine could be making this up, there was no reason to. John and Sarah were right outside, they'd probably tell her the same story. She highly doubted that Sarah would lie for Cameron's sake. Machines were good at deception, but not this good.

The real question that ran through her mind was why hadn't she carried out her mission?

Cameron read the confusion on her face and predicted what the woman was going to ask.

"I saw his faith in me and it confused me, it made me think about everything I knew. When I did, I came to the conclusion the I didn't really want to kill John, and so I overrode my instincts, my purpose and chose to protect him instead".

"Like Weaver". Allison whispered as awe filled her face. If what Cameron said was true, ans she was betting it was, then this machine was no longer just an automaton, but something more.

Despite her revelation, it didn't mean that she was going to start liking, much less trusting the machine, but it did put her less on edge than she had been.

"I know you don't like me, and I'm not asking you to. I just want to be able to work together". Cameron said as her stoic persona began to return.

Allison knew that unity in a group was crucial, especially when fighting something that was always unified. She wanted to see the world continue on, and if that meant working with a metal doppelganger, so be it. Besides, it wasn't like she'd have to put up with the machine for long, she knew she'd be dead soon enough. The wheeze in her chest made sure she never forgot that.

As if on cue she began coughing uncontrollably. Cameron rubbed her back soothingly as she filled one of the courtesy cups with water. When she finally quit, Allison chugged the water to soothe her irritated throat. She set the glass down still inhaling deeply as she tried to catch her breath.

"I know you're sick". Cameron informed as she handed Allison another cupful.

"A girl knows..." She said as the reality of her impending demise sank in deeper.

"Where we're going, we have the technology to cure your cancer. We can even remove the scars from your body if you wish".

Allison blinked.

That sounded almost too good to be true.

Once again Cameron seemed to read her mind.

"I wouldn't tell you this if I wasn't being serious". Cameron said as she helped the young woman stand.

"I'll believe it when I see it". She said as they made their way to the door. "And yes, I'll play nice... Cameron". She said hesitantly as Cameron reached for the door knob.

A smirk crossed her face as she opened the door.

It's always nice when things turn out better than you thought they would.

A/N: Read and Review. I hoped you all enjoyed the chapter, and your opinion is valued.

Allison won't be prominent like she was in this chapter as the story moves on, in fact she's barely in the next one.

Speaking of chapter 19... It's going to be a game changer, and the (re)introduction of the main villain.

Until next time...

-OZ