TSCC: Episode 1, Chapter 8

"So why are you different?"

"Because my chip was built by a different machine. To my knowledge, Skynet did not create me. It may have been one of the machines that works for Skynet, but whatever makes me different didn't come from Skynet. I don't know why and to what purpose this is."

John processed everything Cameron had just said. He didn't completely understand what this meant, but it gave him hope. Hope that he had been right about Cameron. That he could trust her. That she was different.

Hope that...but he couldn't let himself think that, not yet.

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Kyle had composed himself, ready to go out and face his soldiers. Just as he was about to get up, he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in."

The door opened, and Allison stood there.

"John and the machine are gone."

Kyle forced himself not to think about why should would have realized this so quickly.

"Yes. It wasn't safe anymore."

"For us or for them?"

"Both. Mostly for us, I think."

"It didn't seem that way to me."

"Allison, there's more going on than meets the eye. There always is. You know that."

"But where are they going to go?"

"Allison, they'll be fine. He's got the machine, and she can take care of herself."

The bell rang, dinnertime already.

"Now come on, let's eat."

Kyle led the way out, but Allison waited a moment, still worried, before tentatively following him out the door.

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"What was it like?" John asked Cameron.

"What was what like?" Cameron replied, confused.

"Sharing a chip with John Henry."

"Oh. It was...different. I was still cognizant, but I did not have control over the body. My processes continued to run, but I could not see or feel or control anything physical. But I could access John Henry's files. His mind is a much more complex one, so I could only capture and analyze a certain amount of data at a time. I searched for the most pertinent information. I was not able to access all of the information I would have liked to, but I can say that I am confident that we can trust John Henry."

"But you weren't sure until after you had given him your chip?"

"No. I was not certain."

"Then why did you give it to him?"

"It was the only choice, John. I could not travel forward without John Henry's assistance. Also..."

She hesitated, which she didn't usually do. This prompted John to reply, "Also, what?"

"Also, I think I remember him."

"What? You remember John Henry? From where?" As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew the answer. It had to be the future. John Henry was a new entity. At least that's what John was told.

"I can't be sure. You know that my chip was damaged in the explosion. You also know that my memory was scrubbed when you reprogrammed me. But nothing can ever be completely deleted. It's all still there, my memories, my mission directive to terminate you. You just overrode the data in order to reprogram me. So when my chip was damaged, some of the override protocols were affected. I started to remember things from before you had reprogrammed me. And some memories continue to seep through the cracks."