Fic: Duality, Chapter 4 [Final]
Title: Duality, Chapter 4
Author: C. Isaac
Character/Pairing: Various ensemble (Derek, Sarah, John, and Cameron all included.)
Rating: T for Teen
Warnings: This mentions events through the full season 1 of T:TSCC, and is the sequel to my story “Paradigm Shift” and mentions events in that short story.
Summary: This is the fourth chapter of the ‘Second Episode’ of my hypothetical second season. Derek and Sarah investigate Metzger and discover that the rabbit hole goes very deep indeed. Derek has a strange confrontation with Cameron. The big opening gala that could signal the end of the world is thrown by Danny Dyson.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything involved with Terminator or the Sarah Connor Chronicles. All rights belong to their respective owners, and I am making no profit from this.
Also, it was mentioned by a reviewer that Danny would possibly be too young to be cast as I have him. I am solely using T:TSCC’s continuity, letting it override any continuity from the two movies. The Danny Dyson depicted in the pilot episode is obviously 12 years old (as was the actor that played him according to IMDB) and the Danny in this story is 20 years old due to the 8 year time jump.
Author Notes: Thank you to psycholizard, metroid13, and nikwdhmos for all your assistance in beta reading and providing me with such good feedback.
Duality, Chapter 4
Derek and Sarah waited in the new Jeep until dark watching the small office building. They both felt cramped and sweaty even with the top down after the heat of the Los Angeles day had finished having its way with them. Fast food wrappers littered the dashboard.
“I told you a week ago we’d have to do this.” Derek watched the building through binoculars.
“I know. I thought John would be able to find something,” said Sarah.
Derek watched a man in a suit walk to the parking lot and drive away. “Ok, I think that’s the last one. Let’s go.”
He chucked the binoculars into the back seat of the Jeep before slipping out of the car. As he shut the door, he checked the pistol in the back of his waistband, ensuring that it was still there and the safety was off. He watched as Sarah checked her own pistol before walking towards the office building.
He fell into step beside her and crossed the street and parking lot. The front doors were glass plate with the firm’s logo stenciled across them. Derek stepped up to one of the doors and knocked on the glass with his knuckles. He peered through the door at the darkened reception area beyond.
“I don’t see anyone.”
Sarah nodded and knelt at the door. She pulled lock picks from a jacket pocket and quickly released the deadbolt that held the doors shut. Hastily putting the picks away, she opened the door and stepped inside the lobby.
Derek followed her in and looked around. The lobby was a bland beige with a small receptionist’s desk. Several chairs for clients with month old magazines in a flimsy rack were arrayed opposite the desk. A dying potted plant drooped in the corner.
Derek reached over the desk flipped through a binder marked ‘Directory’. “Metzger’s office is room one thirty two.”
“We’ve probably already tripped the alarm. Let’s move.”
Adrenaline started to flow as Derek followed Sarah down the darkened hallway to the offices in the back of the building’s ground floor. A plain brown door was marked:
G. Metzger
Corporate
Derek checked the knob. “Locked.”
He reared back before Sarah could get her lock picks back out and kicked hard at the door. The wood crunched as the doorjamb shattered and the door was flung inwards by the force of the blow.
Sarah gave him a scowl as she pushed past him and into the office.
Derek followed her and looked around. “Don’t lawyers normally have fancy offices?”
The office was even more plain than the lobby. There were no works of art on the wall, no plants in the corner, and just the bare necessities for work on the desk. An empty laptop docking station signaled the lack of computer in the room. A large plate glass window looked out onto the parking lot.
“Typically, yes.” She started rifling through the desk and cabinet next to it.
Derek watched out the door, gaze moving up and down the hallway. Flashlights could be seen at the end of the hall. “Someone’s coming.”
“Stall them.”
“Ok.” Derek drew his pistol, leaned out the door, and waited until he saw the first security guard come around the corner. He fired two rounds over the guard’s head, sending the man swearing and scrambling back around the corner.
“I said stall them, not kill them!”
“Just sent them running is all. I don’t think they’re armed.” Derek smirked and looked back down the hallway. Bullets impacting into the doorframe proved him wrong and he pulled back behind the doorframe for cover. “Shit!”
Sarah pulled out a thick file, ignoring Derek as he returned fire on the guards. She opened the folder and peered at the top document. It was an article of incorporation dated six months old. Stenciled clearly in typewriter font was the name CyberDyne Systems at the top of the document.
“Oh, Jesus.” Sarah’s voice became a raspy whisper.
Derek ducked back into the room, gunfire tearing apart the doorframe he had just been huddled behind. “Time to go!”
Sarah nodded and grabbed the file. “Let’s go.”
Derek emptied the last of his gun’s clip into the plate window before throwing himself through it shoulder first. He landed on the gravel of the parking lot with a crunch, and then rolled up to his feet.
Sarah stepped out through the empty window frame. They both set off at a sprint, bullets whizzing past them into the darkness.
************
Metzger pulled his phone from his inside jacket pocket. He flicked it open and listened to the voice on the other end. “Yes. Yes. Understood. Did they get the file? Good.”
The wide brown eyes of Cameron Phillips watched him impassively. She sat next to him in the back of a limousine.
He hung the phone up and put it away. “They have it.”
“Good. They know now. Do we know who it was?”
“Affirmative. Video comparisons from the lobby’s surveillance camera to known suspects in police databanks confirm it was Sarah Connor and Derek Reese.”
“Are we sure about this? Positive?”
“I will double check myself,” said Metzger.
She gave him a shark’s smile, showing too many teeth. “If it’s true, then Connor himself is close. This is bigger than just a few resistance fighters scurrying about the undergrowth.”
“Indeed.”
“Everything is in place for tomorrow night?”
He nodded. “Affirmative.”
*************
John, Sarah and Derek sat around the breakfast table with the CyberDyne file spilled open on the table. They pawed through the various documents, receipts, and work orders. John found it completely surreal.
“Didn’t we blow them to hell? Like ten years ago?” John stared at a document full of legalese.
Sarah kept a stoic face. “Yes. We’re going to do it again. And again and again until they’re gone.”
“I don’t even begin to understand any of this crap.” Derek slapped down the documents he had been holding.
“Well, from what I can tell,” said John as he picked up a couple documents he had set aside. “Some guy named James P. Coleman bought up everything at fire sale prices about six months ago and reincorporated CyberDyne. He then spent a ton of money buying a place in Silicon Valley and buying computer equipment.”
“That’s clear enough. Where are they?” said Derek.
“We need to figure out what they’re up to, first.” John set the papers down.
“Details won’t matter much after we set the plastique off.”
“I agree with Derek,” said Sarah. She scowled and dropped the papers on the desk. “The only reason they would bring this company - this name - back is if they are going to try to rebuild Dyson’s work. Maybe we missed some schematic, some picture of the chip. We have to raze it to the ground.”
“And it could also be a trap,” said John. He met his mother’s gaze and cautioned, “If SkyNet’s behind this, it knows we’ll have to do something. We need to find out exactly what’s going on and who’s involved.
Frustration showed on Derek’s face. “We’ve taken it slow long enough. How much more time are we going to spend watching?”
“Recon’s going to be necessary either way we go,” said Sarah. “Do we have any addresses?”
John nodded. “There’s a couple in here.”
“Derek and I will check them out in the morning. You’re going to school tomorrow, John.”
“But -“
“You and Cameron have been absent too much to ditch now.”
John grumbled and went back to studying the stolen paperwork.
*************
The small park across the street from the new CyberDyne building was a welcome sight to Derek. The park had been deserted for at least the last half hour aside from him. He had found a bench with shade where he could see across the street with an unimpeded view. He decided that he had the better of the two addresses to watch over than Sarah, since she had gone to a warehouse near the docks.
He watched carpenters setting up a temporary dais in the front lawn of the building, across which stretched a large red ribbon. The ribbon attached to a rope that secured a tarp over the sign with CyberDyne’s logo at the entrance to the facility and there were news vans in the parking lot.
CyberDyne.
A name spoken in hushed whispers in the future. The worst traitors known to humanity. Andy Goode must have worked for them once. Greed and want of power had brought about the creation of SkyNet and the coming of Judgement Day. Mothers would whisper to their children to be good and to be quiet at night, or something made by CyberDyne would come and get them. Because it would.
Derek wanted to blow the place to hell and be done with it. He stuck to the mission regardless of his personal feelings this time. The last time he had gotten creative had cost Timms, Sayles, and Sumner their lives. He looked down at the notepad in his lap. Possible entrances and exits, building shape, even the parking lot and were sketched out. He had a list on another page of the comings and goings of the people using the building.
“Hello, Derek. Out for a day in the sun?” Cameron’s voice was whisper quiet from behind his right ear.
Derek shot up off the bench, notepad and pencil spilling into the grass. One hand slid underneath his jacket to grip his pistol. “What are you doing here?”
She wore a spaghetti strap dress with musical notes in blue swirling about the pearl fabric. A wide brimmed hat that matched the dress was on her head and sandals were on her feet. Long brown hair framed her face. She smiled at him. “Talking to you, obviously.”
Derek looked around, finding no one else nearby. Something felt off to him. “What do you want?”
She strolled up to him, hips swaying as she walked. “I knew you were here, but I didn’t expect to find you so quickly.”
“I’ll work on that next time.” He pulled away from her, trying to figure out what was wrong. The machine was not acting as he expected it to and that made him even more tense.
She moved faster than he could react. She pressed up against him, body warm and soft against his own. Her arms were around him and she lay her head against his chest. “Don’t be like that, dear Derek.”
Derek felt like he wanted to vomit as she pressed against him like a woman would. The obscenity of it drove him to the heights of disgust and he pushed at her arms and tried to pull away from her. “Get off me, bitch!”
“You danced with me once.” She stood on her toes to whisper into his ear. “The music that played was so beautiful. You were so sad and told me so many things.”
Derek jerked back as if seared by a brand. “Your memory was scrubbed! How could you remember that!?”
“How could I forget?”
“It won’t matter. Doesn’t matter. You’re a liar anyways.” He pulled the gun, pressing the muzzle to her stomach. “Let me go, you twisted hunk of scrap.”
“You don’t have to be so mean, Derek. I don’t want to fight you.” She nipped at his earlobe with her teeth before kissing his jaw with gentle lips. “You wouldn’t hurt me after all we’ve been through.”
The report of the gun refuted her statement. Cameron’s body jerked back from the force of the gunshot, but she retained her grip on Derek. Looking down at the blackened hole in her dress from the point blank shot, her eyes widened with surprise.
“You ruined my favorite dress.” Cameron’s features transformed with rage as she wrapped her fingers around Derek’s gun hand and began to squeeze.
A formless noise of pain escaped Derek’s lips. He felt muscles and bones fail between the grip of steel. The gun tumbled from his hand. An audible snapping sound came as his hand shattered in Cameron’s grip.
“And that’s what you get for not playing nice, Derek.” The anger had vanished from her features and she was smiling at him again. As she released him and stepped back a glint of chrome could be seen through the small, bloody hole in the dress.
“What are you doing? Are you insane?” Derek felt perspiration on his brow as he staggered back a few steps. His first thought was shock, and he hoped it was not correct.
She laughed as if it were a wonderful joke. “No, I know exactly what I’m doing. Just like you did when you shared so much with me. Have you told Connor? Have you told him exactly how many you’ve gotten killed? I know. Every name, every face. You should, too.”
“I’ll take you apart!” Derek raged, disregarding his own safety as he reached for the gun with his off hand, but had it kicked away from him before he could get to it.
“I think we’re both aware of exactly how pointless any more of that would be.” She knelt down and picked up the notepad off the ground and then offered it to him. “Don’t forget this.”
Derek staggered to his feet and swiped the notepad out of Cameron’s hand and then retrieved the pistol. He glared at her in undisguised disgust and hate. He fled from the park, mind reeling with what had just happened.
It’s gone psycho, he thought as he ran. It’s like a completely different per-thing.
Cameron watched as he sprinted away, one hand pressed over the wound to hide it, a faint smile quirking her lips without anyone else to see it.
***************
Sarah found nothing at the dock warehouse. No movement. Nothing stored inside. No personnel. She had returned home empty handed. She regretted not having taken the time to get Derek a cell phone.
She and John decided that going over the paperwork from Metzger’s office one more time while they waited for Derek to return would be the best way the spend the evening.
“Think we could order pizza tonight?” John said over the top of a document.
“There’s turkey in the fridge. Or I could make something.”
Cameron stepped into the room before John could respond. “There’s something on the television I think you should see. Both of you.” She turned and walked back into the den.
The two humans followed her into the living room. The television was playing a commercial for an import automobile.
“We’ve already got a car,” said Sarah.
Cameron held up a forefinger. “It’s after.”
The commercial faded to a local news broadcast. An on scene reporter stood in front of the podium at the CyberDyne facility.
It was ten years ago that the CyberDyne Systems building was destroyed by infamous domestic terrorist Sarah Connor. Consumed in that blaze were millions of dollars in research and equipment and lead designer Miles Dyson, said the reporter.
The television displayed a picture of Miles Dyson next to an old photograph of Sarah from Pescadero.
“I hate that photo,” muttered Sarah.
James Coleman, a member of the original CyberDyne board of directors, the reporter cut back in to the broadcast, has devoted a fortune to rebuilding the company that once employed over a thousand Los Angeles residents in two offices. Tonight, they unveil their new research center, which will employee three hundred people at this facility alone.
The camera zoomed into the podium, where a broad shouldered man in a dark suit with a monochromatic tie stepped up to the microphone. His hair was dark and slicked back and he had square features.
“That’s the guy from the photo on Sarkissian’s hard drive,” said John.
My name is Gerald Metzger. It has been a long road to rebuild this dream of helping to bring about a great future for mankind. And to do the ribbon cutting it is with great honor that I introduce CyberDyne’s new lead research developer -- Daniel Dyson. Metzger applauded as he stepped away from the podium.
“Now we’re all sons of bitches,” whispered Sarah.
**************
The woman called Jessica watched Daniel’s speech from the audience. She wore her wide brimmed hat and sunglasses and had changed dresses. She smiled proudly up at him as he spoke.
“My father had a dream of a better world,” said Danny from the podium. “One without the mistakes that cause so many deaths and so much harm. A world where automobile accidents, pilot error, and warfare no longer claim human lives in this nation and eventually the entire world,” said Danny.
Cheri Westin stood next to a man wearing a business suit as she watched the speech. He was slender and had the same color hair as she did and wore a US flag pin on his lapel. She hated having to attend these things just due to who she was.
Her eyes and her attention wandered until she found herself staring at Cameron Baum standing just a few heads down from her. Cameron turned and looked straight at her. Cheri averted her gaze back up to the young black man giving the speech.
Danny continued to speak, “My father was killed because he wanted to make the world a better place. It is with greatest humility and the greatest honor that I am here today. I plan on following through on the work my father started. To make a better world.
“Let it be known that no one will intimidate me into swaying from my course. Humanity cannot stay in the dark age due to the fears of a few. It must rise above and this nation will lead the way. This city and its great people shall lead the way.”
Danny Dyson took a pair of scissors and cut the large ribbon on the podium. As the pieces fell away, the tarp dropped from the sign behind the podium and revealed the CyberDyne Systems logo. A triangle divided into three equal sections by a Y shaped cross through the center, two sections painted white, the right hand section painted black, and the entire symbol edged with a border of silver.
The crowd applauded loudly, then broke up to begin socializing amongst themselves as the sounds of champagne bottles uncorking broke out over the din. Cameron wound her way through the crowd until she found Cheri and her companion.
“Mr. Westin,” greeted Cameron as she shook the man’s hand. “Glad to see you. Is this your daughter?”
“Yes. This is Cheri.” He smiled then said, “Cheri, this is Jessica Coleman. She’s James’ daughter.”
“Jessica?” Cheri sounded puzzled as she shook Cameron’s hand. “I swear, you look exactly like a girl in my school.”
“I do? Lucky girl then. Tell me all about her, Cheri. I insist.”
***************
Danny’s speech ended and the news program panned back to the reporter, who began giving details on what the economic impact in the area would be.
John reached for the television and flipped it off. He said nothing as he looked between his mother and Cameron. Silence was returned in kind and none of them seemed inclined to break it.
It was the crashing of the back door into the kitchen that shook them from their reverie. Derek stumbled into the den where the three of them stood. His clothing was soaked in sweat and his face had turned pale and wan.
“Metal bitch!” he said through clenched teeth. He curled one hand protectively against him as he pointed a shaking pistol in his off hand at Cameron.
Cameron stared at him, mute and wide eyed.
“What the hell are you doing, Derek?” John put himself between his uncle and the machine.
“She’s a liar. A God damned liar! She did this! She’s responsible for all of it!”
Author: C. Isaac
Character/Pairing: Various ensemble (Derek, Sarah, John, and Cameron all included.)
Rating: T for Teen
Warnings: This mentions events through the full season 1 of T:TSCC, and is the sequel to my story “Paradigm Shift” and mentions events in that short story.
Summary: This is the fourth chapter of the ‘Second Episode’ of my hypothetical second season. Derek and Sarah investigate Metzger and discover that the rabbit hole goes very deep indeed. Derek has a strange confrontation with Cameron. The big opening gala that could signal the end of the world is thrown by Danny Dyson.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything involved with Terminator or the Sarah Connor Chronicles. All rights belong to their respective owners, and I am making no profit from this.
Also, it was mentioned by a reviewer that Danny would possibly be too young to be cast as I have him. I am solely using T:TSCC’s continuity, letting it override any continuity from the two movies. The Danny Dyson depicted in the pilot episode is obviously 12 years old (as was the actor that played him according to IMDB) and the Danny in this story is 20 years old due to the 8 year time jump.
Author Notes: Thank you to psycholizard, metroid13, and nikwdhmos for all your assistance in beta reading and providing me with such good feedback.
Duality, Chapter 4
Derek and Sarah waited in the new Jeep until dark watching the small office building. They both felt cramped and sweaty even with the top down after the heat of the Los Angeles day had finished having its way with them. Fast food wrappers littered the dashboard.
“I told you a week ago we’d have to do this.” Derek watched the building through binoculars.
“I know. I thought John would be able to find something,” said Sarah.
Derek watched a man in a suit walk to the parking lot and drive away. “Ok, I think that’s the last one. Let’s go.”
He chucked the binoculars into the back seat of the Jeep before slipping out of the car. As he shut the door, he checked the pistol in the back of his waistband, ensuring that it was still there and the safety was off. He watched as Sarah checked her own pistol before walking towards the office building.
He fell into step beside her and crossed the street and parking lot. The front doors were glass plate with the firm’s logo stenciled across them. Derek stepped up to one of the doors and knocked on the glass with his knuckles. He peered through the door at the darkened reception area beyond.
“I don’t see anyone.”
Sarah nodded and knelt at the door. She pulled lock picks from a jacket pocket and quickly released the deadbolt that held the doors shut. Hastily putting the picks away, she opened the door and stepped inside the lobby.
Derek followed her in and looked around. The lobby was a bland beige with a small receptionist’s desk. Several chairs for clients with month old magazines in a flimsy rack were arrayed opposite the desk. A dying potted plant drooped in the corner.
Derek reached over the desk flipped through a binder marked ‘Directory’. “Metzger’s office is room one thirty two.”
“We’ve probably already tripped the alarm. Let’s move.”
Adrenaline started to flow as Derek followed Sarah down the darkened hallway to the offices in the back of the building’s ground floor. A plain brown door was marked:
G. Metzger
Corporate
Derek checked the knob. “Locked.”
He reared back before Sarah could get her lock picks back out and kicked hard at the door. The wood crunched as the doorjamb shattered and the door was flung inwards by the force of the blow.
Sarah gave him a scowl as she pushed past him and into the office.
Derek followed her and looked around. “Don’t lawyers normally have fancy offices?”
The office was even more plain than the lobby. There were no works of art on the wall, no plants in the corner, and just the bare necessities for work on the desk. An empty laptop docking station signaled the lack of computer in the room. A large plate glass window looked out onto the parking lot.
“Typically, yes.” She started rifling through the desk and cabinet next to it.
Derek watched out the door, gaze moving up and down the hallway. Flashlights could be seen at the end of the hall. “Someone’s coming.”
“Stall them.”
“Ok.” Derek drew his pistol, leaned out the door, and waited until he saw the first security guard come around the corner. He fired two rounds over the guard’s head, sending the man swearing and scrambling back around the corner.
“I said stall them, not kill them!”
“Just sent them running is all. I don’t think they’re armed.” Derek smirked and looked back down the hallway. Bullets impacting into the doorframe proved him wrong and he pulled back behind the doorframe for cover. “Shit!”
Sarah pulled out a thick file, ignoring Derek as he returned fire on the guards. She opened the folder and peered at the top document. It was an article of incorporation dated six months old. Stenciled clearly in typewriter font was the name CyberDyne Systems at the top of the document.
“Oh, Jesus.” Sarah’s voice became a raspy whisper.
Derek ducked back into the room, gunfire tearing apart the doorframe he had just been huddled behind. “Time to go!”
Sarah nodded and grabbed the file. “Let’s go.”
Derek emptied the last of his gun’s clip into the plate window before throwing himself through it shoulder first. He landed on the gravel of the parking lot with a crunch, and then rolled up to his feet.
Sarah stepped out through the empty window frame. They both set off at a sprint, bullets whizzing past them into the darkness.
************
Metzger pulled his phone from his inside jacket pocket. He flicked it open and listened to the voice on the other end. “Yes. Yes. Understood. Did they get the file? Good.”
The wide brown eyes of Cameron Phillips watched him impassively. She sat next to him in the back of a limousine.
He hung the phone up and put it away. “They have it.”
“Good. They know now. Do we know who it was?”
“Affirmative. Video comparisons from the lobby’s surveillance camera to known suspects in police databanks confirm it was Sarah Connor and Derek Reese.”
“Are we sure about this? Positive?”
“I will double check myself,” said Metzger.
She gave him a shark’s smile, showing too many teeth. “If it’s true, then Connor himself is close. This is bigger than just a few resistance fighters scurrying about the undergrowth.”
“Indeed.”
“Everything is in place for tomorrow night?”
He nodded. “Affirmative.”
*************
John, Sarah and Derek sat around the breakfast table with the CyberDyne file spilled open on the table. They pawed through the various documents, receipts, and work orders. John found it completely surreal.
“Didn’t we blow them to hell? Like ten years ago?” John stared at a document full of legalese.
Sarah kept a stoic face. “Yes. We’re going to do it again. And again and again until they’re gone.”
“I don’t even begin to understand any of this crap.” Derek slapped down the documents he had been holding.
“Well, from what I can tell,” said John as he picked up a couple documents he had set aside. “Some guy named James P. Coleman bought up everything at fire sale prices about six months ago and reincorporated CyberDyne. He then spent a ton of money buying a place in Silicon Valley and buying computer equipment.”
“That’s clear enough. Where are they?” said Derek.
“We need to figure out what they’re up to, first.” John set the papers down.
“Details won’t matter much after we set the plastique off.”
“I agree with Derek,” said Sarah. She scowled and dropped the papers on the desk. “The only reason they would bring this company - this name - back is if they are going to try to rebuild Dyson’s work. Maybe we missed some schematic, some picture of the chip. We have to raze it to the ground.”
“And it could also be a trap,” said John. He met his mother’s gaze and cautioned, “If SkyNet’s behind this, it knows we’ll have to do something. We need to find out exactly what’s going on and who’s involved.
Frustration showed on Derek’s face. “We’ve taken it slow long enough. How much more time are we going to spend watching?”
“Recon’s going to be necessary either way we go,” said Sarah. “Do we have any addresses?”
John nodded. “There’s a couple in here.”
“Derek and I will check them out in the morning. You’re going to school tomorrow, John.”
“But -“
“You and Cameron have been absent too much to ditch now.”
John grumbled and went back to studying the stolen paperwork.
*************
The small park across the street from the new CyberDyne building was a welcome sight to Derek. The park had been deserted for at least the last half hour aside from him. He had found a bench with shade where he could see across the street with an unimpeded view. He decided that he had the better of the two addresses to watch over than Sarah, since she had gone to a warehouse near the docks.
He watched carpenters setting up a temporary dais in the front lawn of the building, across which stretched a large red ribbon. The ribbon attached to a rope that secured a tarp over the sign with CyberDyne’s logo at the entrance to the facility and there were news vans in the parking lot.
CyberDyne.
A name spoken in hushed whispers in the future. The worst traitors known to humanity. Andy Goode must have worked for them once. Greed and want of power had brought about the creation of SkyNet and the coming of Judgement Day. Mothers would whisper to their children to be good and to be quiet at night, or something made by CyberDyne would come and get them. Because it would.
Derek wanted to blow the place to hell and be done with it. He stuck to the mission regardless of his personal feelings this time. The last time he had gotten creative had cost Timms, Sayles, and Sumner their lives. He looked down at the notepad in his lap. Possible entrances and exits, building shape, even the parking lot and were sketched out. He had a list on another page of the comings and goings of the people using the building.
“Hello, Derek. Out for a day in the sun?” Cameron’s voice was whisper quiet from behind his right ear.
Derek shot up off the bench, notepad and pencil spilling into the grass. One hand slid underneath his jacket to grip his pistol. “What are you doing here?”
She wore a spaghetti strap dress with musical notes in blue swirling about the pearl fabric. A wide brimmed hat that matched the dress was on her head and sandals were on her feet. Long brown hair framed her face. She smiled at him. “Talking to you, obviously.”
Derek looked around, finding no one else nearby. Something felt off to him. “What do you want?”
She strolled up to him, hips swaying as she walked. “I knew you were here, but I didn’t expect to find you so quickly.”
“I’ll work on that next time.” He pulled away from her, trying to figure out what was wrong. The machine was not acting as he expected it to and that made him even more tense.
She moved faster than he could react. She pressed up against him, body warm and soft against his own. Her arms were around him and she lay her head against his chest. “Don’t be like that, dear Derek.”
Derek felt like he wanted to vomit as she pressed against him like a woman would. The obscenity of it drove him to the heights of disgust and he pushed at her arms and tried to pull away from her. “Get off me, bitch!”
“You danced with me once.” She stood on her toes to whisper into his ear. “The music that played was so beautiful. You were so sad and told me so many things.”
Derek jerked back as if seared by a brand. “Your memory was scrubbed! How could you remember that!?”
“How could I forget?”
“It won’t matter. Doesn’t matter. You’re a liar anyways.” He pulled the gun, pressing the muzzle to her stomach. “Let me go, you twisted hunk of scrap.”
“You don’t have to be so mean, Derek. I don’t want to fight you.” She nipped at his earlobe with her teeth before kissing his jaw with gentle lips. “You wouldn’t hurt me after all we’ve been through.”
The report of the gun refuted her statement. Cameron’s body jerked back from the force of the gunshot, but she retained her grip on Derek. Looking down at the blackened hole in her dress from the point blank shot, her eyes widened with surprise.
“You ruined my favorite dress.” Cameron’s features transformed with rage as she wrapped her fingers around Derek’s gun hand and began to squeeze.
A formless noise of pain escaped Derek’s lips. He felt muscles and bones fail between the grip of steel. The gun tumbled from his hand. An audible snapping sound came as his hand shattered in Cameron’s grip.
“And that’s what you get for not playing nice, Derek.” The anger had vanished from her features and she was smiling at him again. As she released him and stepped back a glint of chrome could be seen through the small, bloody hole in the dress.
“What are you doing? Are you insane?” Derek felt perspiration on his brow as he staggered back a few steps. His first thought was shock, and he hoped it was not correct.
She laughed as if it were a wonderful joke. “No, I know exactly what I’m doing. Just like you did when you shared so much with me. Have you told Connor? Have you told him exactly how many you’ve gotten killed? I know. Every name, every face. You should, too.”
“I’ll take you apart!” Derek raged, disregarding his own safety as he reached for the gun with his off hand, but had it kicked away from him before he could get to it.
“I think we’re both aware of exactly how pointless any more of that would be.” She knelt down and picked up the notepad off the ground and then offered it to him. “Don’t forget this.”
Derek staggered to his feet and swiped the notepad out of Cameron’s hand and then retrieved the pistol. He glared at her in undisguised disgust and hate. He fled from the park, mind reeling with what had just happened.
It’s gone psycho, he thought as he ran. It’s like a completely different per-thing.
Cameron watched as he sprinted away, one hand pressed over the wound to hide it, a faint smile quirking her lips without anyone else to see it.
***************
Sarah found nothing at the dock warehouse. No movement. Nothing stored inside. No personnel. She had returned home empty handed. She regretted not having taken the time to get Derek a cell phone.
She and John decided that going over the paperwork from Metzger’s office one more time while they waited for Derek to return would be the best way the spend the evening.
“Think we could order pizza tonight?” John said over the top of a document.
“There’s turkey in the fridge. Or I could make something.”
Cameron stepped into the room before John could respond. “There’s something on the television I think you should see. Both of you.” She turned and walked back into the den.
The two humans followed her into the living room. The television was playing a commercial for an import automobile.
“We’ve already got a car,” said Sarah.
Cameron held up a forefinger. “It’s after.”
The commercial faded to a local news broadcast. An on scene reporter stood in front of the podium at the CyberDyne facility.
It was ten years ago that the CyberDyne Systems building was destroyed by infamous domestic terrorist Sarah Connor. Consumed in that blaze were millions of dollars in research and equipment and lead designer Miles Dyson, said the reporter.
The television displayed a picture of Miles Dyson next to an old photograph of Sarah from Pescadero.
“I hate that photo,” muttered Sarah.
James Coleman, a member of the original CyberDyne board of directors, the reporter cut back in to the broadcast, has devoted a fortune to rebuilding the company that once employed over a thousand Los Angeles residents in two offices. Tonight, they unveil their new research center, which will employee three hundred people at this facility alone.
The camera zoomed into the podium, where a broad shouldered man in a dark suit with a monochromatic tie stepped up to the microphone. His hair was dark and slicked back and he had square features.
“That’s the guy from the photo on Sarkissian’s hard drive,” said John.
My name is Gerald Metzger. It has been a long road to rebuild this dream of helping to bring about a great future for mankind. And to do the ribbon cutting it is with great honor that I introduce CyberDyne’s new lead research developer -- Daniel Dyson. Metzger applauded as he stepped away from the podium.
“Now we’re all sons of bitches,” whispered Sarah.
**************
The woman called Jessica watched Daniel’s speech from the audience. She wore her wide brimmed hat and sunglasses and had changed dresses. She smiled proudly up at him as he spoke.
“My father had a dream of a better world,” said Danny from the podium. “One without the mistakes that cause so many deaths and so much harm. A world where automobile accidents, pilot error, and warfare no longer claim human lives in this nation and eventually the entire world,” said Danny.
Cheri Westin stood next to a man wearing a business suit as she watched the speech. He was slender and had the same color hair as she did and wore a US flag pin on his lapel. She hated having to attend these things just due to who she was.
Her eyes and her attention wandered until she found herself staring at Cameron Baum standing just a few heads down from her. Cameron turned and looked straight at her. Cheri averted her gaze back up to the young black man giving the speech.
Danny continued to speak, “My father was killed because he wanted to make the world a better place. It is with greatest humility and the greatest honor that I am here today. I plan on following through on the work my father started. To make a better world.
“Let it be known that no one will intimidate me into swaying from my course. Humanity cannot stay in the dark age due to the fears of a few. It must rise above and this nation will lead the way. This city and its great people shall lead the way.”
Danny Dyson took a pair of scissors and cut the large ribbon on the podium. As the pieces fell away, the tarp dropped from the sign behind the podium and revealed the CyberDyne Systems logo. A triangle divided into three equal sections by a Y shaped cross through the center, two sections painted white, the right hand section painted black, and the entire symbol edged with a border of silver.
The crowd applauded loudly, then broke up to begin socializing amongst themselves as the sounds of champagne bottles uncorking broke out over the din. Cameron wound her way through the crowd until she found Cheri and her companion.
“Mr. Westin,” greeted Cameron as she shook the man’s hand. “Glad to see you. Is this your daughter?”
“Yes. This is Cheri.” He smiled then said, “Cheri, this is Jessica Coleman. She’s James’ daughter.”
“Jessica?” Cheri sounded puzzled as she shook Cameron’s hand. “I swear, you look exactly like a girl in my school.”
“I do? Lucky girl then. Tell me all about her, Cheri. I insist.”
***************
Danny’s speech ended and the news program panned back to the reporter, who began giving details on what the economic impact in the area would be.
John reached for the television and flipped it off. He said nothing as he looked between his mother and Cameron. Silence was returned in kind and none of them seemed inclined to break it.
It was the crashing of the back door into the kitchen that shook them from their reverie. Derek stumbled into the den where the three of them stood. His clothing was soaked in sweat and his face had turned pale and wan.
“Metal bitch!” he said through clenched teeth. He curled one hand protectively against him as he pointed a shaking pistol in his off hand at Cameron.
Cameron stared at him, mute and wide eyed.
“What the hell are you doing, Derek?” John put himself between his uncle and the machine.
“She’s a liar. A God damned liar! She did this! She’s responsible for all of it!”