T3 - The Lost Terminator Ch. 02

"Yeah, just doing a supply run," Kristanna replied, opening her purse. Having already calculated the price in her head, she pulled out slightly more than she needed.

After scanning everything, the cashier sighed, packing everything into plastic bags. "That'll be 42.85."

Kristanna handed the cashier her money. "Keep the change." She smiled, waiting for him to finish packing everything.

"Thanks. Have a good afternoon." He said, sliding the bags over to her. John grabbed one, and Kristanna took the rest. Upon going back outside, they were confronted by the group of smokers who were hanging around her car.

"Oi, here she is...." One of the men said quietly, nudging his friend in the arm as he threw his cigarette away.

"Can I help you, gentlemen?" She said firmly, standing in front of John as she put her bags down.

"That's a real nice set of wheels you got there. What's a pretty little thing like you doing all the way out here?" One of them said, standing with the others on either side of him.

"Shopping. It's been a long day, so I'm taking my son home." She said coldly. Her heads-up displays assessed the situation.

Five life signs present... 3 potentially armed.

Physical statures suggest targets are aged between 20 and 35... Threat level, moderate.

Priority target, John Connor, protect by any means.

"It's getting late if you'll excuse me. John, get in the car." She said. John grabbed the other bags and got in the car as Kristanna stared them down.

The guy shrugged, stepping aside. "Well, I'm sorry, didn't mean to intrude. Shame you can't come look after us instead." Kristanna approached the car, and the guy grabbed her butt just before she opened the door. A split second later, she span around, meeting him with a firm blow to the face. The guy staggered backwards, clutching his nose.

"Hey! What the fuck?" One of the others shouted, pulling out a knife and coming at Kristanna from the side, almost going for her throat. She grabbed his arm and manhandled him into an armlock, squeezing his wrist and forcing him to drop the knife as he yelped in agony.

Kristanna threw him at the others, landing on top of the guy she punched, who sat there holding his bleeding nose. She jumped in her car and started it, throwing it into reverse. She put her foot down, aggressively pulling out and spinning the car around before speeding off down the parking lot, tyres screeching as she swung out onto the road.

"You okay?" She asked, scowling as she glanced in her mirrors to check if they were being pursued.

"Yeah, I'm fine," John replied, looking slightly shaken.

"Good. Sorry about that... That hasn't happened in a while." She sighed, starting to reduce her speed, seeing no sign of pursuit as she gained some distance from the store.

"Don't mention it. You alright?" Said John, seeing that she was visibly angry.

"Yeah, that's not the first time that's happened. I'll be alright." She said, focusing on the road as she drove back to the Connor's house. As she drove, various warnings kept flashing up on her displays.

Warning!

Emotional subroutine errors detected... Reboot advised. Negative, dismiss.

Subsystems compromised... Dismiss.

Logic subroutine errors detected... Dismiss all.

Full system reset required. Permission denied.

Override reset commands, delay reset... Specify delay time... Indefinitely.

Warning: Delaying reset could lead to data corruption or CPU damage.

Override complete. Full System reset delayed.

Kristanna sighed, gripping the steering wheel tightly, hesitating to ask John for help as she fought against her programming. However, she pushed through and drove them back, arriving a few minutes later and taking everything inside. Kristanna kept herself distracted by sorting through everything they bought and organising it all.

John watched her from a distance. "Are you sure you're okay? You seem tense."

Kristanna stopped for a few moments, sighing as she balled her fists. "I don't know... My programming is struggling to process what I'm feeling. It's trying to force me to reboot. But I don't know what will happen to me if I do." She said, trembling as more errors cropped up on her readouts.

Motor function errors detected... Reboot advised. Negative, dismiss.

Warning: CPU load critical!

Warning: Reboot to avoid data corruption.

John saw her trembling, debating internally whether or not to approach her. "What're you feeling?"

"Anger. Rage, almost." She said.

"What have you done before to help process it?" He asked, gulping slightly.

"I sleep. Or my closest equivalent, at least. I go into low power mode. It lets my background process run without interference from my other primary systems." Said Kristanna, turning to face him.

John nodded, urging her over to his mom's room. "Uh, okay. Use my mom's bed. Lay down, and I'll pack everything away. How long does it take?"

Kristanna nodded, heading to Sarah's room with John. "It varies, anywhere between 2 and 8 hours. But I've never had this many errors appear because of my feelings before. Can you interface with my software, clear my error readings and prevent a reboot?" She asked, sitting down on the bed.

"I don't know. I've never tried before. Maybe, I just need the right equipment. Try resting first. See if that clears your systems at all." Said John, thinking of how he might be able to interface with something as advanced as a TX series.

"Whatever you think you need, let me know. I'll see that you get it. But for now, I think you're right. Wake me up when the others get back, please." She said, looking concerned as she lay on the bed, getting herself comfortable before activating low power mode.

"I will don't worry."

****

A few hours later, Sarah and Cameron returned from retrieving their new IDs. Cameron entered first, leaving Sarah outside, having just told her she was supposed to die back in 2005. Sarah took a few moments to really take in what she'd said, eventually coming inside to see Cameron and John talking.

Cameron approached her. "You need to talk to John. It's about the TX series."

Sarah gradually acknowledged what she said, shaking her head to snap herself out of the daze she was in.

"TX series? Oh yeah, uh, what's it about?" She asked.

"Ask him." Said Cameron coldly before walking away.

Sarah frowned. "John? What's going on?" Approaching him as he stood up.

"It's Kristanna. We went out to get supplies..." he said before being swiftly cut off by Sarah.

"You did what?! Where the hell is she?"

"Mom. Mom! Stop! Listen to me... Everything was fine until we went to head back. A group of guys, they... it looked like they were trying to force themselves on her, or something, either way, they were touching her." He said firmly, trying to get a word in.

Sarah stopped, confused at first, unsure if she'd heard him correctly. "What? How, wait, where is she?" She asked, feeling taken aback.

John urged her to follow him, heading for her room. "She's sleeping, or resting. It's some sort of low power mode she uses. She said it allows her background processes to work whilst everything else is off." Pushing the door open to reveal Kristanna lying on her side, seemingly asleep.

"Kristanna! Wake up." She said sternly.

"It'll take about 46 seconds before she's responsive." Said Cameron, appearing from behind.

Eventually, Kristanna awoke, opening her eyes and sitting up. "Sarah, you're back. How did it go?"

Sarah approached her, gesturing at the others to leave. "Fine. I just spoke to John. What happened?" She said, folding her arms, standing before her with a concerned gaze.

Outside the room, John stood leaning against the wall as Cameron approached him. "Your mom isn't going to be happy. You should've stayed inside." She said plainly.

"Yeah, I know. Doesn't matter now anyway; we've got the IDs." He replied.

"That's not my point. You shouldn't have trusted her. She put you in danger...." Said Cameron plainly.

John cut her off. "I'm in danger all the time, Cameron, all the time, whether I'm with her or mom or you! As long as I'm alive, I'll always be in danger!" He snapped, moving away from her.

Cameron watched him silently as he sat down at the kitchen counter. "We're only supposed to mimic emotions, John; we're not designed to feel them. If what you said is true, we can't help her."

"Not if I can help it." Said, John. Cameron stood there silently, staring at him.

Back in Sarah's room, Kristanna explained everything that happened, also mentioning what they spoke about in the car. Sarah still conflicted, sighed. "You're right. He's just a kid. But don't ever bring that kinda stuff up with him again, please. I mean, with Cameron and now you around him all the time, he's young and dumb just like I used to be."

Kristanna shook her head. "I wouldn't dream of it, Sarah. He's not my type, even if he was old enough. I don't know what being that age is like, but I can imagine it's spontaneous and unpredictable."

Sarah laughed for a moment. "Yeah, putting it mildly. I didn't know you had a type, or even could." She said quizzically.

Kristanna also laughed. "Well, maybe. It's a work in progress still." She said, eyeing Sarah head to toe with a subtle grin.

Sarah coughed, catching her drift quickly. "Right, I see. Well, just try to keep it to yourself around here. Do whatever it is you do in your own time. And try not to mention the subject again with him, please?" She said calmly.

"I'll try to keep that in mind," Kristanna replied.

"Thank you. Uh, just a thought... You said you had a job, right? Do they know you're... busy?" Sarah asked.

"Yes, I've taken a leave of absence until further notice. They're okay with it, they rather like having me around, so I don't need to worry about losing my job any time soon." She replied.

Sarah nodded. "Good, okay. You do realise that if you're seen with us, you're risking everything?"

"Yes, I know. I understand. I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure you and John survive. And together, we will save humanity." Said Kristanna, rising from the bed and standing before Sarah confidently.

"Good, good. Thank you for getting us supplies. Very thoughtful. Although run it past me next time, please?" Said Sarah.

"You're most welcome. And I'll try and bear that in mind too." She replied. Sarah smiled at her heading towards the door.

The bedroom door opened, and Sarah stepped out with Kristanna behind her, giving John a conflicted stare. Kristanna sighed as she walked into the kitchen. John stood up to meet her.

"How're you doing? Any luck resting?" Said, John.

"Better. But I still need a little more time. I'll be alright in the morning." She chirped.

Sarah nodded. "I'll get you set up on the couch. I'll need you ready for tomorrow. We're gonna check out that resistance safe house. I want you there just in case." Heading off to make sure the couch was clear enough for Kristanna to sleep on.

Kristanna smiled at John and Cameron. He smiled back whilst Cameron stared plainly. "Do you need blankets or anything? I'm not sure how you, uh, prefer it." Asked Sarah, bewildered at hearing herself ask a terminator how they sleep.

"I'll be fine, thanks. See you tomorrow." She said sweetly.

Sarah nodded. "Sleep well."

John waited in the kitchen, sensing an impending lecture from his mom any moment now. And soon enough, Sarah returned, sighing as she stood on the opposite side of the counter. "Don't do that again. Next time just say no. If anything else had gone wrong..." she stopped herself before becoming too upset with him. "Either way, I've got your papers. We'll sort out memorising them tomorrow."

"Alright. Sorry." He said apologetically, not daring to question her this time, given how much restraint she was showing.

"Is it possible to interface with something like her? To see what's wrong?" Sarah asked.

John sighed, shrugging. "I don't know; I've never tried. Maybe. But I don't have the tools for it."

"We'll give it a try at some point. I can't make any promises, though." Said Sarah. "Now go on, get some sleep."

John nodded, heading off to his room, leaving Sarah alone in the kitchen with her thoughts. She began looking through the cupboards, seeing everything they'd bought earlier. Upon opening the fridge, she saw a plentiful selection of food and drink, including the beer Kristanna had bought. Sarah sighed, almost closing the refrigerator when she suddenly changed her mind, grabbing a bottle and cracking it open on the kitchen side. As she drank, she leaned against the counter, thinking about what Cameron had said. Her mind turned to Kristanna, debating the idea that she could possibly take over teaching John should anything happen to her before his time came.

Meanwhile, in the living room, Cameron stood watching over Kristanna, staring at her curiously as she questioned several things internally, wondering if she too could be capable of achieving what she had. She cocked her head, staring blankly as Kristanna snoozed peacefully, lying motionless on her side. Having not yet mastered the act of breathing in low power mode, she almost looked lifeless.

****

The following day, John climbed out of bed, got changed and went to the restroom before he stumbled into the kitchen. It took a few moments for him to realise Kristanna was also awake, although she looked quite different. Her lush blonde hair was free-flowing, reaching over the neck of her black leather jacket. She wore black jeans and boots to match.

John cleared his throat, stunned by her appearance. "Morning." He said nervously.

Kristanna glanced around and smiled. "Morning, John. Sleep well?" She chirped.

"Yeah, kinda. My mind's been racing lately." He replied, "What about you? How're you feeling?"

"Much better. Most of my errors are gone, for now. Others are more persistent, though. If we can look into them at some point, that would be great." She sighed, turning back to continue making a special blend of coffee.

"I'll try and have a look soon, I promise. Hopefully, it's nothing too serious." He said reassuringly.

She smiled at him. "Thank you." Seeing the list of errors still lingering on her display, she tried to remain positive. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Uh. No, I'm good, thanks. I'm just gonna make myself some breakfast." He said, heading for the fridge.

"Okay. No, you sit yourself down. I'll fix you something up. What would you like?"

"Honestly, it's fine..." he replied.

"John, I insist. Please." She said warmly, "What would you like?" John reluctantly sat down, feeling awkward as she began rummaging through the refrigerator.

"I can do a fry up? Make some waffles? Or some toast?" She said sweetly, glancing at him as he sat down at the counter.

"Uh, um. A fry up sounds good, I guess."

Kristanna smiled. "Coming right up!" She chirped.

Moments later, Sarah walked in, rubbing one of her eyes. "Morning, Sarah! Would you like some coffee?"

Sarah jumped slightly, not expecting anyone to have woken up yet. "Oh, hey. Uh yeah, sure, why not?" She yawned. John raised an eyebrow, surprised she said yes.

"You too lazy to make your own breakfast now?" Said Sarah, glancing at John as Kristanna poured her some coffee.

John was quick to reply, "Uh. Well, she didn't give me much choice."

Sarah gave him a dubious look "Kristanna?"

"It's okay, I insisted." she chirped, handing Sarah a cup of her home-brewed coffee.

"Alright, but don't make a habit out of it." Said Sarah, sipping from her coffee as she noticed Kristanna's new outfit. Taking a brief moment to admire her boots, seeing herself wearing them too. John sighed, nodding at her, deciding it was too early in the morning for a witty response.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Asked Kristanna, starting to get a fry up going as she found various utensils to use. She rummaged through the refrigerator and found everything she needed, bacon, eggs and sausages, soon realising she didn't get beans.

"We're going to check out that resistance safe house, see if we can make a few connections... We should've checked it out sooner. I remember Cameron said they could've sorted our papers as well. Not sure why we didn't go... Where is Cameron?" Said Sarah, sipping from her coffee before looking around, not seeing Cameron anywhere. John looked around too, surprised he hadn't noticed.

"She went outside. She said she saw something hanging around outside the house. Raccoons, I think she said."

Sarah frowned. "Are you sure? What if it's not? Why didn't you say anything?" She said, putting down her coffee and heading outside.

Cameron was stood outside not far from the front door, watching a pack of raccoons rummage through their trash. She cocked her head as they searched for food, not taking much notice of her until Sarah came out, scaring them off.

"Cameron! What're you doing?" She asked.

Cameron watched as the raccoons fled. "I thought there was an intruder. But instead, I found these. Now I'm examining the local wildlife."

"Well, did you find anything else?"

"No."

"Come inside then. We need to talk." Said Sarah sternly, urging her back inside. Cameron abruptly turned and marched back inside. Sarah looked around at her surroundings, feeling uneasy.

Back in the kitchen, they resumed their conversation. "Cameron, why was it we didn't get the papers from the safe house again? My head's a little fuzzy."

"There were police all throughout the building. They wouldn't let us in." Said Cameron plainly.

"Right. So now it's been a couple of days, we can head back, make a few connections and see if we can get some leads on how to bring down Skynet... again." Said Sarah.

Kristanna nodded. "Sounds good to me. We can leave as soon as we've finished eating. This won't take long." She said, starting to cook. "Oh, that reminds me. May I have my weapons back, please?"

"Yeah. Cameron, would you be so kind?" Said Sarah, sipping from her coffee again, looking down at it for a moment as she inhaled the pleasing aroma it gave off.

Cameron walked away, leaving the room quiet with all but the sizzling sounds of bacon, sausage and eggs. Cameron came back a few moments later, laying out Kristanna's sidearms and other personal effects on the counter.

"Thank you, Cameron." Said Kristanna sweetly, dishing up their meals a few minutes later.

Kristanna took the opportunity to holster her weapons after setting the plates down. Having made enough for all of them, she also welcomed Cameron to join them.

Cameron cocked her head. "You made some for me?" She asked.

"Yeah, come sit down." Said Kristanna happily, gesturing to a seat next to her.

Cameron sat beside her, staring at the steaming hot food before her. She took her cutlery and began eating along with everyone else. Kristanna couldn't help but watch as Cameron ate, observing how stiffly she moved, thinking of how she could help her improve, but she soon became distracted as her eyes strayed downwards, admiring Cameron's physique. Her eyes strayed further, moving down from her bust to her thighs.

Sarah watched as Kristanna enjoyed a little eye candy for a few more moments before clearing her throat, causing Kristanna to look up at her, catching her gaze. Sarah stared at her with a subtle smirk, knowing exactly what she was up to. Kristanna stuck out her tongue, shortly followed by a beaming grin.

John looked up, blissfully unaware of their interaction, as Sarah rolled her eyes and sighed.

"What's up?" He asked, bewildered as they exchanged one last look with one another.

"Nothing." Said Sarah, sipping from her coffee. "This is really good coffee. It's got a nice flavour to it. How did you make it?"

Kristanna raised an eyebrow before tapping her nose. "My little secret." She giggled.