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Eve's Hour
By Demeter

 

"Why does the apple keep the doctor away?" Cameron asks in all seriousness, holding out the piece of evidence to Sarah.

"What?"

"It's what the girl at the market said. An apple a day keeps the doctor away." She keeps a straight face while intoning the silly saying. "I've analysed it, and there's nothing suggesting any healing qualities..."

Sarah can't help but stare at the terminator, lethal and beautiful alike, and the apple in her hand. Perfectly shaped, perfect beauty. Deceiving. The dark red of the fruit isn't what Sarah remembers as natural; the poisoned apple in a fairy tale comes to mind - and as for Cameron's beauty, she knows what's underneath, has seen it, touched it - cold steel and machinery intelligence.

Temptation.

But that's exactly why they are here, because humankind took their pursuit for answers too far, ever tempted by the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge.

"It's a saying," she explains, feeling tired all of a sudden. Because in order to do what she has to do, there's one kind of temptation she can't run from, and yet has to turn away from time and again. She keeps telling herself that distractions are dangerous, potentially fatal. For her, worse, for John.

She looks up, catching Cameron's thoughtful gaze. Waiting. When she's like this, puzzling over just another human riddle, Sarah has the silly impulse that she should protect her, not the other way around.

Human emotions can be dangerous.

"I don't think this one is very healthy after all. More like a result of bioengineering."

Cameron looks vaguely disappointed at that even though her analysis has to have come up with the same result.

Without thinking, Sarah reaches up to touch her cheek, briefly, gently, a moment almost not true. Her fingers brush over warm skin, the knowledge of what's beneath not making the sensation any less pleasant.

There's curiosity in the terminator's eyes. And then, understanding.

Maybe it doesn't make a difference, Sarah thinks, as she pulls her close, because they have long been cast from Eden.

Time to taste that forbidden fruit after all.

And she does.

The End

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