A weird day for Sarah

OK one more AU in the 'Day' series

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Sarah had found a Sky Net warehouse claiming to be an air-conditioning company. Going alone with a bag of explosives, she was going to blow it up.

It didn't turn out well. The man at the desk she thought was subdued, pulled a pistol and shot her in the leg. She got him and managed to get back outside. With her leg bleeding bad, she saw an H/K over her before she passed out from the pain and blood loss.

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Sarah awoke in what looked like a hospital bed that had been put on a ship. Her bed was bunk sized with the inside wall curving around to the ceiling. On the inside wall, a couple of monitors were making those green lines tracking vitals. Her wounded leg was wrapped up in a bandage and those sticky pads were on her torso. The pant leg of her wounded leg was split up to her hip and laid over her other leg. Right outside her bunk was a narrow hallway showing an array of futuristic looking cabinet doors.

"I just checked on Grammy, she's recovering. A female voice said.

A male voice replied, "Julie, don't call her granny, OK?"

Sarah recognized the voices. The woman was the one who'd tazered her. The man was the one Cameron had been thumping on with that steel pipe.

Another familiar woman walked by. It was Nancy, who'd showed up at the Weaver house and took Savannah back, shot a bunch of plasma bolts at the police, then hopped an H/K and disappeared. Seeing Sarah was awake, she stopped and offered Sarah a smile.

"Hey! You're awake! How are you feeling?" Nancy asked brightly.

"Where am I?" Sarah asked guardedly.

"On our ship. Your car is hanging on the supports underneath, outside the ship. Once you are well enough to get up, we'll take you someplace and drop you off," Nancy told her. "Just lay back and enjoy the ride for a bit." Studying the monitors, she added, "In another ten minutes or so, your wound will be gone as long s you stay there in place."

"You're a terminator. Why are you helping me?" Sarah asked flatly.

Nancy frowned at her. "No, I'm a cyborg. I do believe I told you that before."

"You're still metal," Sarah stated.

"And you're still a meat head, but I don't hold that against you," Nancy replied in the same tone.

Sarah tightened her fists at the insult. "I'm to believe you are going to let me go?" she asked as she reached for her gun. It wasn't there.

"We took your gun away, it's in your car. We didn't want any accidents," Nancy said and stuck her tongue out at Sarah.

For some reason, that infuriated Sarah even more. "So you're going to torment me," Sarah stated.

Nancy rolled her eyes and walked on. "John! Come deal with your grandmother!" she called.

"Stop saying that!" John cried, his voice approaching.

"Have fun," Nancy sang.

The man Cameron had been beating on with a pipe appeared. He lifted a seat from below the bunk and sat down. "Hi, Sarah Connor. Look, you're almost healed. Just wait a few more minutes, then we will be nothing but a bad memory for you," he assured her.

Sarah studied his face. The man did have some resemblance to John. His eye color was John's. His hair was more like Cameron's. "No bullshit. Just who are you?" she asked.

He signed and said, "I will be bad if you tell anyone."

"Terminator Nancy had no problem announcing she was Derek's daughter," Sarah said evenly. "So, let's hear it. I want to know who you are."

Johns scrubbed his face and said, "OK, maybe this is for the best. It might take some pressure off Mom and Dad." Looking squarely at her, he said, "I'm John Connor Junior. My parents, John and Cameron Connor, did fight and defeat Sky Net. Before you blow a gasket, Mom will learn with Dad's help, and she will become sentient. Those programmed missions she has now will mean nothing. She will decide her own fate. Dad told me we have no fate except what we make for ourselves. I believe he said you told him that. I wish I could say I met you in the future, but I didn't. You died in the war before myself or my sister Sarah was born. As for how we got here, we found a new way to transverse time. No, I can't tell you about it. I'm not even suppose to be admitting who I am. Nancy's already ripped that rule up and trashed it, so I might as well also. Any questions?"

"What's John's favorite story?" Sarah asked, testing him.

"Wizard of Oz. Sarah, my sister, has Dad's copy in a hermetically sealed case filled with nitrogen. It's not the original actress, but she also has an audio of the song, Over the Rainbow, as well as Mom's 9MM she used to carry, and Mom's last purple leather jacket." he told her.

Sarah felt a chill crawl up her spine. "What's John's favorite snack?"

He grinned and said, "Cheese puffs. Not the crunchy ones, the big softer ones. There was a grocery that made them just for him. It was hard as hell getting any kind of milk products post-war, but somehow, they managed it."

Sarah looked at him closer. "Cameron is your mother?" she asked.

John nodded and said, "After Sky Net's defeat, Dad and Mom decided it was time for children. Sarah was first, I came two years later. Could you answer me a question? When I did something … not the brightest, Dad would say 'smooth move Exlax'. What does that mean?"

Sarah burst out laughing as his confused look.

"It's that bad?" he asked, watching her.

Sarah chuckled, trying to suppress her mirth. Wiping a tear from her eye, she manage to say, "It means you did something dumb."

"OK, I can see that," he admitted.

Sarah collected herself and asked, "What year are you from?"

"2095. Sarah is head of the UEC, the United Earth Coalition. After Dad died, pretty much everyone wanted another Connor in the President's seat. Sarah was the best choice. See, after the war, He and Catherine Weaver decided one world government was needed. They united everyone, humans, AI's, and everyone in between, into one ruling body to prevent any more wars. The populations had been so devastated, that the vast majority of people were eager to have any form of government that would help and support them," he explained. "We've been moving out from Earth too. Right now, we have Earth people on four different planets, and massive radiation absorption towers all over Earth to reduce the radiation to make it more habitable. What Dad and Catherine started, Sarah is doing well on continuing."

"Catherine Weaver?" Sarah asked.

"That's right. She's still holding the vice President's seat. Her daughter Eleanor Weaver is the current Governor of Reach. The first planet we colonized," John explained.

Sarah eyed him and asked, "You're a cyborg?"

"Yes, most people are now. For a while, there were few areas on Earth where pure humans could survive. One of the most extensive efforts was to save as many as possible. It was either isolated environments, or receiving nanites that eventually turned people into Cyborgs if they were to survive."

"My son became a cyborg?" Sarah asked, unhappy at the prospect.

John shook his head. "No. That's why he died. Mom didn't want to live without him. She chose to die with him," he said sadly. "If I could change one thing in history, it would be to give Dad a nanite treatment so he and Mom were still around. I really miss them."

"Do you have a computer chip in your head?" Sarah asked, now curious.

"No, I have a human style brain, but it is enhanced by electronic style growths. Same with Nancy and Jasper. I imagine by now, Julie has the same thing. She was a human species, but I had to give her nanites so she survived. She is originally from another planet outside the UEC," he said.

To get it straight in her head, Sarah said, "So, John marries Cameron, and after the war, they have two children. You and Sarah, which I assume, is named after me."

"Yes, that's correct."

"But Cameron is a terminator," Sarah pointed out.

John shrugged and said, "So is Catherine Weaver, she has three kids. So is Derek's wife, they have three kids also. Mr. Young, Allison's husband, Jasper's Dad, is a newer T-888. After the war, there was many inter species couples. One of the things we learned in school is to judge people by how they act, not by what they are."

"Hey," Julie said as she appeared. "So, how's granny?" she asked with a grin.

Sarah glared at her. She almost said, "I'm NOT a grandmother." The man sitting by her blew that statement out of the water though.

"Julie, don't pick, OK?" John asked.

"Sorry I shocked you, but getting shot hurts, and I wasn't in the best of moods at the time," Julie told Sarah.

Sarah only nodded. She said, "Things in your time are very different that they are now."

"They are," John agreed. "Parts of education are standardized, other parts are tailored to the area the kids are going to school at. Colleges are geared for physical and knowledge areas. On Reach, there are no degrees for radiation sciences, on Earth that is a required set of courses. No one on Earth goes to land reclamation sciences, but it's required on Reach and New Caprica. Planetary atmospheric sciences are only taught on Mars."

A beeping sounded. John looked at the monitor and said, "Great, Sarah, you're healed. Julie. Help me get that bandage off."

Sarah watched as they carefully removed the bandage. The wound was gone. No stitches, no scar. It was like nothing happened to her. Julie then took a device and where Sarah's pant leg was ripped away on the seam, Julie re-stitched her pant leg together.

"OK, Sarah, stand up, how's it feel?" Julie asked.

Sarah got up. Like it looked, it felt like she'd never been shot. "It feels great." she said, amazed. She then cast John a serious look. "You know what's going to happen for the next … almost hundred years. Can you help us defeat Sky Net?"

John's face fell. "We are doing all we can," he said apologetically. He then added, "You can do something you weren't able to before. Help Mom evolve. Get some nanites into Dad so he won't die."

"I'll tell Jasper she's ready to go," Julie said and walked down the hallway to go into a ship-type door.

"There's a limit on what we can do," John said apologetically.

"But, you know everything," Sarah countered.

John nodded. "Almost everything," he agreed. "This may be hard, but … Sky Net has to come to be. The war has to happen so everyone can evolve into something better. I'm not saying I want that. I'm saying it's necessary. I am very sorry, but that's the way it has to be. Sarah, there are other people in the universe that are … saved, because we were there to assist them. Because we evolved into more than humanity is now. It's not just Earth that is affected by Sky Net. It's … many places and civilizations. Please, believe me on this."

Sarah again was stunned. "You sister rules more than Earth. These people you and she save, they are counting on you."

"They are."

An overhead speaker announced, "Touchdown in five! John, get your granny up, we're ready to dump her off."

"That's Jasper, as politically correct as always," John said with a grumble. "Follow me, please."

Sarah had a thousand questions as she followed her grandson down a ladder onto a lower deck. He walked to the end then opened the ramp. Just ahead of the ship was her car, on a dirt road.

Sarah turned and asked, "Did you come back just to keep me from dying from a leg wound?"

John shook his head and told her, "No, this was an opportunity to get some nanites in you so you won't die of cancer. You don't believe how much Dad missed you after you were gone. Just keep going the way the car's pointed. You'll run into a familiar town soon."

Sarah looked at her car, then back to John Junior. Not sure what to say, she hugged him, then walked down the ramp. Walking up to her jeep, she note the keys were in the ignition. Her gun was on the seat. Hearing a jet noise, she turned around and saw the H/K style ship lift straight up and kept going until it was out of sight.

"I'll be damned," she said to herself.

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Sarah drove only a couple miles before she found a main road. Turning left, she looked for a sign. The road split a mile farther. She was ten miles outside of LA.

All the way home, she pondered the things John Junior told her. Part of it made her happy, Sky Net would be defeated. Other parts, like Sky Net had to come into being for the future of the universe, she wasn't happy about. He mind was numb when she thought about John and Tin Miss having children. As she thought about that, her mind drifted to how John acted with Cameron now. How Cameron had questions for John, and he explained as well as he could. She had been getting worried he was becoming too attached to his metal protector. Apparently, he was going to be come much more attached to her.

In the future, they were going to be married and have kids. That blew her mind.

By the time Sarah pulled into the driveway, the pair were already home from school. She walked in to find Cameron in the kitchen with the school books spread out before her. She saw Tin Miss had two sets of books

"Are you doing John's homework again?" Sarah asked.

"No. You told me not to do that. I am doing mine and Emilio's. I agreed to do his so John could get the game chip he has," Cameron said without looking up.

Watching her, Sarah asked, "Do you know what love is?"

"Yes," Cameron said as she continued working.

Sarah waited. Cameron kept working. "Could you explain a little better than that?" she prodded.

"Which form of love would you like me to explain? There are a few types." Cameron asked in return.

"Are there any of those types that you experience?" Sarah asked.

Cameron paused in her work and tipped her head slightly. She said, "You love John in the motherly way as John experiences love for you as your child."

"How about yourself?"

"No, you do not love me," Cameron stated.

Becoming irritated, Sarah asked, "I am asking if you have experienced love for yourself."

"No. I do not love myself."

"How about other people?" Sarah asked firmly.

Cameron glanced at her and said, "I would have to monitor them to determine if someone loves themselves or others."

"Forget it," Sarah said with a grumble and went to see what John was doing.

Sarah left the kitchen, Cameron read her HUD that had come up. 'I love John. John loves me.' She was not going to share that with Sarah. It would cause trouble if she did.

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Upstairs, the door to John's room was open. Sarah stood in the doorway and leaned on the casing, watching John. His school books were piled to one side. He was playing the new game he got today. As she watched him, Sarah thought about Cameron's 'protector' mission. She had agreed to do someone else's homework so John could have his game. That in no way had anything to do with protecting him. She knew Cameron also brought him food and cleaned his room for him. John was suppose to clean his own room, but she had heard Cameron come out of his room and found it clean after. If Cameron was doing things for John that her mission didn't require, what did that mean?

John Junior told her Cameron was going to evolve. Were these things Cameron was doing for John part of that? Now with Riley gone, they were spending more time together. Was this the beginning of Cameron having emotions?

"Excuse me," Cameron said from behind her.

Sarah turned to see Cameron holding a small plate with a sandwich and a glass of milk. She moved to let her in.

"Mom, were you watching me again?" John asked, looking irritated.

"I was wondering when you're going to do your homework," Sarah replied.

"We will start it now," Cameron stated. She set the plate and glass in front of John, then pulled up a chair to sit beside him.

"I thought you didn't do John's homework any more?" Sarah asked.

"I don't," Cameron said. "But if John has any questions about it, I am here to assist him," Cameron replied.

John put his game on pause. Cameron handed him a math book.

Sarah was sure this was not part of Cameron's programming. "Cameron, why are you helping John?" she asked.

"It's nice to have help once in a while," Cameron replied. She turned to look at John, and he turned to look at her. She saw John's brief smile. Cameron's face was hidden from her, but she knew Cameron had smiled briefly too.

Sarah concluded something was happening between them already. Great, she really was going to have a tin daughter-in-law. Sarah left them alone to head for the kitchen, she really wanted a beer.