Cameron didn't answer right away. She needed to think of an answer that was honest, but at the same time she didn't want Sarah to experience despair at finding out that the future and Skynet had not been kind to her son. Shortly after she met John she told him that he had many friends in the future. If by saying he had friends she meant he was surrounded by people who looked up to him and would gladly sacrifice themselves to protect, then yes, John had more friends then anyone could ever dream of having. If having friends meant having people around that you could feel close to and confide in, then her son was one of the loneliest, most isolated people you could imagine.

So she started "John has encountered many obstacles and challenges during his life, but he's managed to overcome all of them. He has also witnessed numerous personal tragedies and suffered many losses including, but not limited to his wife Kate, and Allison Young. Despite everything that's happened to him, he's still the man people rely on and trust."

As tough as Sarah could be at times, she was still a woman and a mother. Once Cameron mentioned John's wife, and this other girl Allison, she became focused on that. What mother isn't dying to know every detail about the woman her only son chooses to marry?

"What do you know of his wife Kate?" was the first question Sarah had.

"Kate was the first girl John ever kissed. That was in middle school. He reconnected with her several years later, after you died and they found themselves trapped together during Judgement Day. Kate's father was an Air Force officer who told them of a secret location to hide in while everything happened. John was vague about the immediate aftermath of Judgement Day, but her skills as a veterinarian were useful since dog medicine is almost the same as human medicine. The early days were hard on both of them as they both felt alone and overwhelmed by the task of fighting back. But they stuck it out together. Each taking turns picking up the other's slack when needed. Kate was a strong woman. She was more then a complement to John, she was his equal."

"How do you know all of this?"

"John told me."

"He confided in you a lot didn't he?"

"Yes."

"What happened to his wife?"

"Skynet discovered the bunker they were using as their base. They made a positive ID on John and launched a full scale assault. John wasn't even there when the assault happened. Their bunker was sustaining heavy damage from Skynet so they were forced to abandon it. As the people left, Kate attempted to quickly go through the bunker to make sure that everyone had evacuated. Witnesses said she tried to rescue two small children she discovered. They were sitting and crying next to the bodies of their dead parents. None of them made it out."

"So I assume he didn't cope with that very well?" was Sarah's reply.

"John was devastated over her death. That was the point at which he started distancing himself from others. Skynet knew the one weakness all humans shared was their concern for others. Knowing that, they realized they could hurt humans indirectly by killing or hurting those they cared about. But since John knew that too, he felt that he was safest by minimizing his interactions and relationships with others. For a while it worked out well. John was able to focus more time, learning about Skynet weaknesses, how he could fight them better. But then Allison Young and a handful of others from the suburb of Palmdale turned up on his doorstep."

Curious, Sarah asked Cameron "who is Allison Young?"

"She's the reason I exist" was Cameron's prompt reply. And then she quickly followed up by saying "perhaps we should discuss that some other time since we will be back home soon?"

"No" said Sarah. "You're not getting out of that one so easily. Look at the traffic. We have plenty of time."

Sarah was right. The truck came to a halt in a vast sea of red brake lights. Apparently there was an overturned tractor-trailer a few miles up the road. Despite the stifling heat earlier in the day which was unusual for late autumn, the temperature started going down quickly as the afternoon had worn on. By now, it was down to the mid 80s which was downright comfortable compared to earlier. Cameron could hear the sounds of engines shutting off so she followed suit and shifted the transmission into park and shut off the engine. They were going to be sitting for a while.