DISCLAIMER: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and its characters are the propert of James Cameron and Fox. No infringement intended.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is my first story, I hope everyone enjoys it. It is unbetaed, because if I wait to post it, I might not post it.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Time Loop
By wkgreen
Cameron walked into the command center of John Conner, the leader and savior of mankind in their war against Skynet and its robot armies. She was carrying the still body of Sarah Conner, the mother of John Conner and her lover for the past 20 years. Cameron's face was absolute still, showing no emotion as she walked up to a desk. Balancing on one foot perfectly, not disturbing Sarah's body, she used her other foot to sweep clear John's desk of all its important files. Cameron then gently laid Sarah on the desk, reverently arranged Sarah's body as if she was sleeping and softly caressed Sarah's hair for several moments.
John looked on in shock and sadness as she saw his mother's dead body laid out on his desk, unable to act as he took in his lost and unwilling to interrupt the sad and utterly reverent scene of Cameron caring for his mother's dead body. The way Cameron had laid out Sarah's body hid the gaping wound in her belly. John looked around at his command staff and notice them all staying quiet in a moment of respect for the greatest combat team of the Resistance. The only human/cyborg team that has accrued more honors then any other unit, that has gone on more suicide missions and come out alive then any other team in history. Tears in everyone's eyes at the lost of Sarah and empathy for Cameron and how she was coping with her loss.
Cameron looks up at her friend and son of her lover, "Send me back John," her voice the dead, all emotion drained from her from losing her other self.
John shakes his head, "We agreed to make a copy of you to send back.. " John starts to gently remind Cameron, but doesn't finish when Cameron interrupts him
"NO! You will send me back NOW!" Cameron's cybernetic eyes flash red in anger at John before she gets herself back under control, going back to dead, "Without Sarah there is no reason for me to stay. I will go back NOW!!" Cameron tells John with vehemence, her eyes flashing back and forth between red and blue.
The entire command staff flinch at the raw pain in Cameron's voice, shocked at the emotion coming out of the cyborg, all of them glance away, unable to take the show of naked loss that crosses Cameron's usually passive face. John gestures for them to leave and they all scamper out of the uncomfortable situation, not knowing how to console the cyborg and afraid of what Cameron would do if she was denied her request.
John looked at Cameron, the cyborg he saw as his sister and the one who made his mother happy, "You could die, Cameron. We have to send a Cameron back to preserve time, but we don't know what will happen when two Cameron's appear at the same place" John tells Cameron softly, gently.
Cameron looks at John thru dead eyes, unable to cry anymore, "Life isn't worth living without Sarah. I will join her in the past. I will preserve time and protect her better this time. She will live her full life!" Cameron hisses in pain, loss and desire to save the love of her life. The woman that gives meaning to her existence.
John nods softly, "You realize that you are entering into a time loop. You are the only one who this has happened to. Everyone else we sent back in time are human and have died of various reasons before they could loop their time lines."
Cameron looks at John with dead, uncaring eyes, "send me back now", her voice cracking with raw emotion that she has no idea how to process or understand as she repeats her request mechanically.
John nods in acceptance, "I will call and by the time we get there, the machine will be set up and waiting for us." John looks at his mother's body, letting tears of sorrow flow down his cheek, "I will make sure she is laid to rest with all honors."
Cameron caresses Sarah's hair softly as she ignores John as he makes calls to set up the time transfer. When John nods to her that it is time to leave, she gently, lovingly picks up Sarah's body.
John starts to speak, "Cameron…", but stops immediately as Cameron's eyes flash red. John nods his head in acquiescence of Cameron's inability to leave his Mother behind. Cameron carries Sarah's dead body gently and lovingly, hugging her gently as she flows her friend/brother thru the command center. Everyone in their path clearing the way and an impromptu honor line forms to witness Sarah's passing.
John and Cameron enter the ultra secure room where the time machine is used from. Cameron carries Sarah to table and again with perfect balance uses one leg to sweep the table clear of all its important equipment. She lays Sarah's body out gently, reaching behind her to yank a sheet off a table, uncaring what it was covering as she lays it over Sarah's old but still fit and beautiful body, hiding the ugly wound on Sarah's belly.
As Cameron is caring for his mother, John is gesturing at the technicians to get the time machine ready and making sure no one interferes with Cameron. As soon as the technicians nod at him they are ready, he turns to Cameron, "It is ready Cameron, I am sending you back to the exact same time as when you first appeared. You know your mission. Take care of yourself and I hope Mother will fall in love with you again." John offers as he lays a gentle hand on Cameron's still shoulder, her body utterly still, like only a cyborg can be. If you couldn't see Cameron's loving caresses of Sarah's hair, you would think she was emotionless.
Cameron turns to John, "She will, we are meant to be together, we complete each other. We are a team." Cameron leans down and gently kiss's Sarah's cold lips, and then walking backwards, keeping her eyes on Sarah, her passive face still as death, she stops in the exact center of the leaving zone.
John makes a gesture, the machine fires, blue lightning engulfs Cameron's body and she disappears in a flash of light. John crumples to the ground as he allows the loss of his mother and best friend/sister release finally. Everyone leaves the room to leave their leader and savior time to mourn in solitude before he has to return to the fight of saving mankind.
Cameron appears back in time, her vision doubling for a half second and getting an after image of herself walking away as she steps forward to find her future, Sarah Conner.
Some time in the future….
Cameron is holding Sarah in her arms gently, the old woman gazing up at her cyborg lover as her breath slowly rasps in her throat. Cameron is unchanged, still looking like a teenager as she gently kisses the lips of her lover's cracking lips.
Sarah smiles at Cameron, "Well girlie, we made a long run of it. It is time for me to sleep the final sleep." Sarah reaches up with her strong, but old hand to caress Cameron's cheek weakly. "My body is giving out on me."
Cameron nods sadly, "Yes," as she softly caresses her lover's grey, long hair with one hand.
"You told me you would tell me how many times you have gone back for me when I was ready to die." Sarah reminds her cyborg lover softly, "Will you tell me now?"
Cameron nods, "This time will be our 100th reunion." She rubs her cheek against Sarah's gently, afraid to hurt the old woman.
Sarah's eyes grow wide with shock, "You love me that much?" Sarah voice is getting weaker and weaker with each passing moment.
Cameron's voice is soft and gentle as she nods and says with absolute conviction, "Yes."
Sarah reaches up to pull Cameron's mouth down to hers for a soft kiss, "I love you. I am going to rest now Tin Miss, all this talking has tired me out. Wake me in a couple of hours." Sarah sighs tiredly as she closes her eyes, secure and safe in Cameron's arms.
Cameron holds the sleeping Sarah softly, staring at her with absolute concentration, monitoring her vital signs as they slowly decrease and at the last moment, right before Sarah's breathe stops, Cameron leans forward and softly kisses Sarah lips. She holds Sarah's body gently for several hours more before getting up and arranging Sarah's body reverently on the bed. Cameron walks to the time machine control center, "She is gone John. I am ready to go back. Take care of yourself." She smiles and hugs her best friend/brother.
John looks tired and old before his time from carrying the weight of the resistance on his shoulders for so long, but with a satisfied air, since the war is over and humans survived and are in the recovery efforts. "The upgrades we added to your memory will fix the storage problems you were having. It should be good for centuries of more use and the nanobots will keep your body in better repair then ever." John looks at Cameron for the last time, "Will you tell me how many times you have gone back to join Sarah?"
Cameron tilts her head and nods, "This will be our 100th reunion," she states simply and with complete acceptance.
John's eyes open wide in shock, "You have gone back 99 times! You are keeping yourself in a time loop!"
Cameron nods her head impassively, "Yes and I will stay in it to be with Sarah. I will stay with Sarah until I am destroyed."
John looks shocked and aghast, unable to comprehend a love this strong, "It may not be possible for you to be destroyed anymore, Cameron. How can you keep doing this, don't you get tired of fighting the war over and over?"
Cameron tilts her head at John, "I am a cyborg, I do not feel ennui. And each time is different, Sarah always surprises me." Cameron smiles softly, "I wonder why she is going to toss me out of a window this time?" Cameron winks at John, "And it is always fun to tease you about getting into her pants." Cameron steps into the leaving zone.
John waves good bye to Cameron as she disappears in a flash of light and then turns to take care of his Mother's funeral, silent tears of loss for his mother and the endless time loop his best friend/sister has committed herself too.
The End