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"Orientation" Chapter 1
A/N: There’s been some confusion about where the Ark is located, and since I’m not sure when I’ll be able to work it into the story, I thought I’d just let you know. It’s not in the basement of Zeira Corp. I can see how some (or all) of you might have thought that, but it’s actually located somewhere else. I was going to work it into Episode 6, Chapter 5, but it just didn’t happen. There’s no specific place. It’s not in the middle of nowhere (because that would be noticeable), but it’s not necessarily in the middle of L.A. It’s located in more of a suburban area, just on the outskirts of the more urban part of L.A. And, of course, it’s located underground.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters or this show.
##########
After being excused, Allen instantly went in search of Weaver. He found her in the lobby downstairs. He didn’t even try to hold back his anger.
“I’m a decorated Colonel in the United States Army and you expect me to respect a teenage boy who hasn’t even been alive as long as I’ve been in the military? This has to be a joke!”
“I assure you, Colonel Allen, that this is not a joke. And yes, I do expect you to respect General Connor.”
“Oh, so now he’s ‘General Connor’.”
“Well, obviously, you respond to the title of a man, so yes, he is now General Connor. I warned you the job would be difficult and at times out of your comfort zone, but you agreed nonetheless. You have signed the contract as well as the confidentiality agreement, so we are currently at a standstill. I cannot allow you to rescind on our agreement. So if you’d like, I could reassign you. We could use a maintenance and janitorial man. You could be that man. The agreement was that you would work for us, not that you’d work for us as a Colonel.”
Allen shot daggers at her, but she didn’t back down. After a long, agonizing silence he replied bitterly, “That won’t be necessary. I’ll meet with the General now.”
##########
“How long will we be gone for?” Savannah asked Ellison as she placed a pile of shirts in her suitcase.
“Um, I’m not sure Savannah. But your mommy said that you should just bring your favorite clothes and toys.”
“Oh. Okay.” She shrugged and picked out two pairs of her favorite tennis shoes. “I really liked playing Monopoly with John Henry. Do you think we could bring that with us?”
“I’ll make sure it makes it to wherever you are. In fact, your mommy said that John Henry would be coming with you, so maybe he’ll bring it with him.” Ellison made a mental note to himself to not depend on John Henry doing so.
“Oh! I didn’t know John Henry was gonna be there! Then I better bring more games to play with him. And books. He loves when I read to him.”
“Do you read to him often Savannah?”
She nodded her head. “All the time. First I read Wizard of Oz to him because mommy read it with me and she said it was one of her favorites. I’ve been reading Alice and Wonderland to him though lately.”
Hearing the details of the relationship that had built between the little girl and the AI was intriguing to Ellison. He had known that they had spent time together, but he hadn’t really thought about how the two were relating to each other. The idea that they were teaching each other things and actually spending quality time together was a foreign idea to Ellison. Sure, he’d spent time with John Henry, but that had been for research purposes only. Admittedly, he found that he enjoyed some of his conversations with the AI, but more often than not, he’d left with an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. Perhaps knowing what the future held and that John Henry could possibly play a part in that had blinded him to seeing the potential in John Henry. He had always been insistent that his interest in working with John Henry stemmed only from the belief that in order to defeat the machines, you needed to understand them. Somehow along the way, though, his work had become more about teaching John Henry and preparing him for whatever Catherine Weaver had planned for him. This disturbed Ellison in more ways than one.
“Mr. Ellison? Mr. Ellison?”
Ellison realized that Savannah must have been trying to get his attention, which he aptly gave as soon as he came to his senses. “Yes, Savannah?”
“Can we go by the bookstore on the way? I want to get some more books. We’re almost to the end of Alice in Wonderland.”
“Of course, Savannah, of course we can.” Ellison patted her on the back in assurance as she returned to her packing.
##########
Allen had been instructed to meet John in his quarters. The door opened immediately following his knock upon it and he was surprised to find no one there. Instead, he saw John sitting at his desk directly across the room working on the laptop that sat in front of him. There were two empty chairs located on the side closest to Allen, facing John. The girl, Cameron, was standing beside John watching over his shoulder at whatever he was doing. No one said anything, so Allen took a chance and walked into the room. He stood slightly behind and in between the two chairs, not presuming to be allowed to actually sit.
Without glancing up John said, “At ease, soldier. Please sit.”
Allen sat down on one of the empty chairs and waited for John to speak or for a cue to speak himself. He had decided on the way over that he would study this young General closely. He’d find a weakness and use it to his advantage. He figured it wouldn’t be that difficult. He’s young, he must have a multitude of weaknesses just ripe for the picking.
A long while passed as John continued working on whatever it was he was working on. Maybe five, ten minutes later, he finally closed his laptop and looked up at Allen.
“I apologize for that. I just arrived today, so there’s a lot to take in. Thank you for coming to meet with me.”
Despite the politeness in his words, John’s voice conveyed a tone of authority and almost...boredom. Great. This kid doesn’t even want to be here.
“For now, I just wanted to introduce myself personally and give you a general overview of what we’re doing here and what to expect. First off, expect to be surprised. A lot. There’s no exact job description here. For any of us, really. I guess you could say we’re like the C.I.A., Black Ops division, of course. We obtain information and act in accordance. We eliminate threats as they arise. There’s a bigger picture, I assure you, but that will be revealed within time. We have access to some of the best and state-of-the art resources. Have you met John Henry?”
“No. Who’s he?”
“He’s what you might call our Research and Information Technology guy. He can find almost anything out for you. Often in his research he’ll stumble upon something that he deems necessary to follow up on. If he asks you to do so, I expect you to listen. If his request clashes with an assignment I’ve given you, though it shouldn’t, come to me and I’ll determine which takes precedence.”
“Why wouldn’t it clash? If you don’t mind my asking...you just seem awful sure of that.”
“John Henry knows everything. Or at least more than anyone or anything else in the world. He knows the name of your second grade teacher. He’ll know if you have been given an assignment from me.”
“Well then, I look forward to meeting this John Henry of yours.”
With a slight smirk, John said, “I’m sure you do.”
There was a long pause before John spoke again. “I’m sure you’re wondering why someone my age has been put in charge of this division.”
Allen didn’t respond, he merely stared expectantly at John, waiting for him to continue.
“I thought so. The truth is, at this point I can’t give you a satisfactory answer. Let’s just say that what we’re doing here, I’ve done this my whole life. It’s ingrained in me. I am one of two people who are able to do this job, and unfortunately it falls to me. I assure you, Colonel Allen, this is the most important thing you will ever do in your life.” Until now, John had been staring, unblinkingly, at the Colonel; but now his head is turned to the side, as if he’s trying to make a decision on whether to continue or not.
Without turning back, he simply says, “You’re dismissed Colonel. I’ll send for you once I’ve established a plan of action.”
Allen considered asking him whom the plan of action was directed towards, but instantly thought better of it. Instead, he got up from his seat and headed out of the room. Before he reached the door, however, he turned around and asked John “Who’s the other person?”
“I’m sorry?” John’s attention was now back to the older man.
“The other person who is able to do this job.”
“Oh. My mother. She taught me everything I know.”
With that, Allen left the room even more confused than he had been before he entered it.
##########
Weaver returned to Zeira Corp to meet with Alex and Xander Akagi. They were waiting for her in her office once she arrived. “Gentlemen, I apologize for my tardiness. I was at the Ark, and my work there took longer than I expected. I hope you weren’t waiting for too long.”
“No, not too long,” Alex assured her.
“Good. Now down to business.” The terminator sat down across from the father and son. “I promised you a transfer to Project Babylon once Project Ark was completed. You’ve held up your end of the bargain, not it’s my turn.”
“Project Babylon?” Xander questioned.
Weaver turned her attention to the younger man. “Project Babylon is a project dealing in artificial intelligence. Is that not your primary interest?”
“It is, it is,” Xander confirmed.
“Then if you gentlemen would follow me, I’d like to introduce you to someone.”
The two men followed Weaver down to the basement into a room they’d never been in before. Sitting at his table in the middle of the room was John Henry.
“John Henry,” Catherine said, capturing the machine’s attention.
“Hello, Ms. Weaver,” he said with a grin, “Mr. Alex Akagi, Mr. Xander Akagi, hello to you both as well.”
Without so much as a glance in the two men’s direction, Weaver introduced them. “Gentlemen, I’d like you to meet John Henry. Our very own artificial intelligence being.”
##########
As soon as the door closed and locked behind Allen, John breathed a sigh of relief. He hated being the calm, collected leader. But he knew that in order for Allen and the rest of his team to trust and respect him, he had to be just that.
“It’ll get better,” Cameron said, seemingly reading his mind.
“What’ll get better?”
“Soon you’ll be able to relax around them. The whole point of John Connor leading the Resistance is that his soldiers and civilians alike can relate to them. They feel like he truly cares. Like you truly care.”
“Cam?”
“Yes?”
“In the future, what is it like between us?”
“What do you mean John?”
“I mean, how close are we?”
“I spent much time by your side. More than any other human or machine. We were often quite close to each other.”
“I don’t mean physically.” On second thought… “I mean, did I talk to you like I do now? Do I ask for your opinion a lot?”
“Yes. You ask for my opinion a lot. I am a highly advanced strategic and infiltrative unit. I am a useful resource.”
John, still not satisfied with her answer, pushed further. “But do I talk about things with you? About my day, about what I’m thinking?”
“Yes John, you did.” She tilted her head slightly. “I think I understand now what you mean by asking me if we were close. We were. In fact, before I left, I was the only one you were talking to anymore. There were rumors that you had died, that I had possibly killed you.”
“Why didn’t I talk to anyone?” John was alarmed, hearing this for the first time.
She took a moment to answer, which was always suspect to John. He knew it didn’t mean she was formulating a lie. She could easily and quickly respond if she was lying. No, when she paused like this, she was contemplating whether to tell him the truth or to simply tell him that it’s one of the things that he can’t know.
“It was difficult for you to deal with the war. You cared so much. And every day, soldiers were dying. And every day you had to face the family of those who had not returned. Yet they still followed you. They still believed in you. And most days you couldn’t understand how they could possibly continue in that belief. You couldn’t understand how they could not hate you. It tore you apart, it compromised your judgement.”
“But isn’t that what everyone keeps saying makes me this great leader? The fact that I care? How could I just cut myself off from everyone?”
“You had to. You had gone too many years without anyone to turn to, and it was taking a toll on you. You never said this, but I suspect that you sent myself, and Derek to some degree, back to you in hopes of having someone during those dark times. By the time I met you, you were too far gone. The nightmares had taken root in your mind and nothing I or anyone could do could keep them away. At least not for long.”
This new information was overwhelming to John. After awhile of contemplating everything Cameron had just told him, something occurred to him.
“Did we ever…were we…did we kiss or anything?” He knew how lame that sounded, but he wasn’t exactly sure how to broach the subject.
“No, John. Though there were rumors about that too.”
He scoffed, “I’m sure there were.”
“You never would have taken advantage of me John. And you know as well as anyone that I was not ready to understand what any of that meant back then.” Cameron took a step towards John, who was still sitting in his desk chair. She ran his short hair through her fingers, cradling his head in her hands.
“But you understand now?”
“I understand more.” She bent down to place a chaste kiss on his lips. “I understand enough.”
And that was good enough for John. He slowly stood up and leaned her against the desk, which she obligingly moved to sit on. He hungrily consumed her lips with his, rediscovering the heat from earlier that had not entirely disappeared. It had been hiding, and John easily found it in her kiss. His hands roamed up and down the sides of her body, wanting to touch every inch, but finding it impossible to do so.
He was pleasantly surprised in her response. She moaned quietly into his mouth. He was sure she had picked that up from watching the romance movies she had mentioned before, but he told himself that it was a genuine reaction that he had summoned from her. When his hand glided over her left breast, it elicited another groan, this one louder than the first. Not wanting to waste any time, he picked her up as she wrapped her legs around him and he carried her to the bed. He vaguely and momentarily registered the fact that the bed was probably the most comfortable bed he’d ever laid in, but the thought instantly vanished as she began to pull his shirt off.
As her hands began working on unbuttoning his pants, the full realization hit him that he was going to have sex. For the first time. With a cybernetic organism.
And he wouldn’t have it any other way.
#########
A/N 2: Sorry guys, I’m keeping this PG-13/T. For updates on my stories/projects, check out my blog: pullofbrokenshadows .tumblr .com
DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters or this show.
##########
After being excused, Allen instantly went in search of Weaver. He found her in the lobby downstairs. He didn’t even try to hold back his anger.
“I’m a decorated Colonel in the United States Army and you expect me to respect a teenage boy who hasn’t even been alive as long as I’ve been in the military? This has to be a joke!”
“I assure you, Colonel Allen, that this is not a joke. And yes, I do expect you to respect General Connor.”
“Oh, so now he’s ‘General Connor’.”
“Well, obviously, you respond to the title of a man, so yes, he is now General Connor. I warned you the job would be difficult and at times out of your comfort zone, but you agreed nonetheless. You have signed the contract as well as the confidentiality agreement, so we are currently at a standstill. I cannot allow you to rescind on our agreement. So if you’d like, I could reassign you. We could use a maintenance and janitorial man. You could be that man. The agreement was that you would work for us, not that you’d work for us as a Colonel.”
Allen shot daggers at her, but she didn’t back down. After a long, agonizing silence he replied bitterly, “That won’t be necessary. I’ll meet with the General now.”
##########
“How long will we be gone for?” Savannah asked Ellison as she placed a pile of shirts in her suitcase.
“Um, I’m not sure Savannah. But your mommy said that you should just bring your favorite clothes and toys.”
“Oh. Okay.” She shrugged and picked out two pairs of her favorite tennis shoes. “I really liked playing Monopoly with John Henry. Do you think we could bring that with us?”
“I’ll make sure it makes it to wherever you are. In fact, your mommy said that John Henry would be coming with you, so maybe he’ll bring it with him.” Ellison made a mental note to himself to not depend on John Henry doing so.
“Oh! I didn’t know John Henry was gonna be there! Then I better bring more games to play with him. And books. He loves when I read to him.”
“Do you read to him often Savannah?”
She nodded her head. “All the time. First I read Wizard of Oz to him because mommy read it with me and she said it was one of her favorites. I’ve been reading Alice and Wonderland to him though lately.”
Hearing the details of the relationship that had built between the little girl and the AI was intriguing to Ellison. He had known that they had spent time together, but he hadn’t really thought about how the two were relating to each other. The idea that they were teaching each other things and actually spending quality time together was a foreign idea to Ellison. Sure, he’d spent time with John Henry, but that had been for research purposes only. Admittedly, he found that he enjoyed some of his conversations with the AI, but more often than not, he’d left with an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. Perhaps knowing what the future held and that John Henry could possibly play a part in that had blinded him to seeing the potential in John Henry. He had always been insistent that his interest in working with John Henry stemmed only from the belief that in order to defeat the machines, you needed to understand them. Somehow along the way, though, his work had become more about teaching John Henry and preparing him for whatever Catherine Weaver had planned for him. This disturbed Ellison in more ways than one.
“Mr. Ellison? Mr. Ellison?”
Ellison realized that Savannah must have been trying to get his attention, which he aptly gave as soon as he came to his senses. “Yes, Savannah?”
“Can we go by the bookstore on the way? I want to get some more books. We’re almost to the end of Alice in Wonderland.”
“Of course, Savannah, of course we can.” Ellison patted her on the back in assurance as she returned to her packing.
##########
Allen had been instructed to meet John in his quarters. The door opened immediately following his knock upon it and he was surprised to find no one there. Instead, he saw John sitting at his desk directly across the room working on the laptop that sat in front of him. There were two empty chairs located on the side closest to Allen, facing John. The girl, Cameron, was standing beside John watching over his shoulder at whatever he was doing. No one said anything, so Allen took a chance and walked into the room. He stood slightly behind and in between the two chairs, not presuming to be allowed to actually sit.
Without glancing up John said, “At ease, soldier. Please sit.”
Allen sat down on one of the empty chairs and waited for John to speak or for a cue to speak himself. He had decided on the way over that he would study this young General closely. He’d find a weakness and use it to his advantage. He figured it wouldn’t be that difficult. He’s young, he must have a multitude of weaknesses just ripe for the picking.
A long while passed as John continued working on whatever it was he was working on. Maybe five, ten minutes later, he finally closed his laptop and looked up at Allen.
“I apologize for that. I just arrived today, so there’s a lot to take in. Thank you for coming to meet with me.”
Despite the politeness in his words, John’s voice conveyed a tone of authority and almost...boredom. Great. This kid doesn’t even want to be here.
“For now, I just wanted to introduce myself personally and give you a general overview of what we’re doing here and what to expect. First off, expect to be surprised. A lot. There’s no exact job description here. For any of us, really. I guess you could say we’re like the C.I.A., Black Ops division, of course. We obtain information and act in accordance. We eliminate threats as they arise. There’s a bigger picture, I assure you, but that will be revealed within time. We have access to some of the best and state-of-the art resources. Have you met John Henry?”
“No. Who’s he?”
“He’s what you might call our Research and Information Technology guy. He can find almost anything out for you. Often in his research he’ll stumble upon something that he deems necessary to follow up on. If he asks you to do so, I expect you to listen. If his request clashes with an assignment I’ve given you, though it shouldn’t, come to me and I’ll determine which takes precedence.”
“Why wouldn’t it clash? If you don’t mind my asking...you just seem awful sure of that.”
“John Henry knows everything. Or at least more than anyone or anything else in the world. He knows the name of your second grade teacher. He’ll know if you have been given an assignment from me.”
“Well then, I look forward to meeting this John Henry of yours.”
With a slight smirk, John said, “I’m sure you do.”
There was a long pause before John spoke again. “I’m sure you’re wondering why someone my age has been put in charge of this division.”
Allen didn’t respond, he merely stared expectantly at John, waiting for him to continue.
“I thought so. The truth is, at this point I can’t give you a satisfactory answer. Let’s just say that what we’re doing here, I’ve done this my whole life. It’s ingrained in me. I am one of two people who are able to do this job, and unfortunately it falls to me. I assure you, Colonel Allen, this is the most important thing you will ever do in your life.” Until now, John had been staring, unblinkingly, at the Colonel; but now his head is turned to the side, as if he’s trying to make a decision on whether to continue or not.
Without turning back, he simply says, “You’re dismissed Colonel. I’ll send for you once I’ve established a plan of action.”
Allen considered asking him whom the plan of action was directed towards, but instantly thought better of it. Instead, he got up from his seat and headed out of the room. Before he reached the door, however, he turned around and asked John “Who’s the other person?”
“I’m sorry?” John’s attention was now back to the older man.
“The other person who is able to do this job.”
“Oh. My mother. She taught me everything I know.”
With that, Allen left the room even more confused than he had been before he entered it.
##########
Weaver returned to Zeira Corp to meet with Alex and Xander Akagi. They were waiting for her in her office once she arrived. “Gentlemen, I apologize for my tardiness. I was at the Ark, and my work there took longer than I expected. I hope you weren’t waiting for too long.”
“No, not too long,” Alex assured her.
“Good. Now down to business.” The terminator sat down across from the father and son. “I promised you a transfer to Project Babylon once Project Ark was completed. You’ve held up your end of the bargain, not it’s my turn.”
“Project Babylon?” Xander questioned.
Weaver turned her attention to the younger man. “Project Babylon is a project dealing in artificial intelligence. Is that not your primary interest?”
“It is, it is,” Xander confirmed.
“Then if you gentlemen would follow me, I’d like to introduce you to someone.”
The two men followed Weaver down to the basement into a room they’d never been in before. Sitting at his table in the middle of the room was John Henry.
“John Henry,” Catherine said, capturing the machine’s attention.
“Hello, Ms. Weaver,” he said with a grin, “Mr. Alex Akagi, Mr. Xander Akagi, hello to you both as well.”
Without so much as a glance in the two men’s direction, Weaver introduced them. “Gentlemen, I’d like you to meet John Henry. Our very own artificial intelligence being.”
##########
As soon as the door closed and locked behind Allen, John breathed a sigh of relief. He hated being the calm, collected leader. But he knew that in order for Allen and the rest of his team to trust and respect him, he had to be just that.
“It’ll get better,” Cameron said, seemingly reading his mind.
“What’ll get better?”
“Soon you’ll be able to relax around them. The whole point of John Connor leading the Resistance is that his soldiers and civilians alike can relate to them. They feel like he truly cares. Like you truly care.”
“Cam?”
“Yes?”
“In the future, what is it like between us?”
“What do you mean John?”
“I mean, how close are we?”
“I spent much time by your side. More than any other human or machine. We were often quite close to each other.”
“I don’t mean physically.” On second thought… “I mean, did I talk to you like I do now? Do I ask for your opinion a lot?”
“Yes. You ask for my opinion a lot. I am a highly advanced strategic and infiltrative unit. I am a useful resource.”
John, still not satisfied with her answer, pushed further. “But do I talk about things with you? About my day, about what I’m thinking?”
“Yes John, you did.” She tilted her head slightly. “I think I understand now what you mean by asking me if we were close. We were. In fact, before I left, I was the only one you were talking to anymore. There were rumors that you had died, that I had possibly killed you.”
“Why didn’t I talk to anyone?” John was alarmed, hearing this for the first time.
She took a moment to answer, which was always suspect to John. He knew it didn’t mean she was formulating a lie. She could easily and quickly respond if she was lying. No, when she paused like this, she was contemplating whether to tell him the truth or to simply tell him that it’s one of the things that he can’t know.
“It was difficult for you to deal with the war. You cared so much. And every day, soldiers were dying. And every day you had to face the family of those who had not returned. Yet they still followed you. They still believed in you. And most days you couldn’t understand how they could possibly continue in that belief. You couldn’t understand how they could not hate you. It tore you apart, it compromised your judgement.”
“But isn’t that what everyone keeps saying makes me this great leader? The fact that I care? How could I just cut myself off from everyone?”
“You had to. You had gone too many years without anyone to turn to, and it was taking a toll on you. You never said this, but I suspect that you sent myself, and Derek to some degree, back to you in hopes of having someone during those dark times. By the time I met you, you were too far gone. The nightmares had taken root in your mind and nothing I or anyone could do could keep them away. At least not for long.”
This new information was overwhelming to John. After awhile of contemplating everything Cameron had just told him, something occurred to him.
“Did we ever…were we…did we kiss or anything?” He knew how lame that sounded, but he wasn’t exactly sure how to broach the subject.
“No, John. Though there were rumors about that too.”
He scoffed, “I’m sure there were.”
“You never would have taken advantage of me John. And you know as well as anyone that I was not ready to understand what any of that meant back then.” Cameron took a step towards John, who was still sitting in his desk chair. She ran his short hair through her fingers, cradling his head in her hands.
“But you understand now?”
“I understand more.” She bent down to place a chaste kiss on his lips. “I understand enough.”
And that was good enough for John. He slowly stood up and leaned her against the desk, which she obligingly moved to sit on. He hungrily consumed her lips with his, rediscovering the heat from earlier that had not entirely disappeared. It had been hiding, and John easily found it in her kiss. His hands roamed up and down the sides of her body, wanting to touch every inch, but finding it impossible to do so.
He was pleasantly surprised in her response. She moaned quietly into his mouth. He was sure she had picked that up from watching the romance movies she had mentioned before, but he told himself that it was a genuine reaction that he had summoned from her. When his hand glided over her left breast, it elicited another groan, this one louder than the first. Not wanting to waste any time, he picked her up as she wrapped her legs around him and he carried her to the bed. He vaguely and momentarily registered the fact that the bed was probably the most comfortable bed he’d ever laid in, but the thought instantly vanished as she began to pull his shirt off.
As her hands began working on unbuttoning his pants, the full realization hit him that he was going to have sex. For the first time. With a cybernetic organism.
And he wouldn’t have it any other way.
#########
A/N 2: Sorry guys, I’m keeping this PG-13/T. For updates on my stories/projects, check out my blog: pullofbrokenshadows .tumblr .com
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