16079/Techno monster from Hel...err the future.

Techno monster from Hel...err the future.
Date of Scene:	22 February 2024
Location:	Apple Park - Salem Center
Synopsis:	Jacen ran into Sarah in the park. Cameron came by and not long after a Terminator arrived and hijinks ensued.
Cast of Characters:	Jacen Masters, Sarah Connor, Cameron

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Jacen Masters has posed:
Parks are good. It is difficult for Jacen to find his way to anything that feels like home. Currently, he is just walking around and enjoying nature. It isn't something he is able to do often so he takes advantage when he can.

Sarah Connor has posed:
It's just past the dinner hour, which means in February, it is getting dark.. fast. And with the dark, the warmer than average temperatures are dropping. Leaving the few people enjoying the outdoors shivering and quickly bailing for their warm homes.

Not so Sarah.

Everyday, whether she felt like it, rain or shine, in sickness and in health- whether she had worked or not, Sarah always does her exercises. Whether at a park; whether out in the country doing cross country, or availing herself for target shooting. Or at her home.. She always does something to keep herself in tip top shape.

Today she was doing her own exercises - taking advantage of the warm weather,and running circuits interspersed with cardio and flexibility activities. She was on the monkey bars doing her sit ups, each time she let herself go upside down, and then had to touch her knees forcing herself to sit up, and then do it all over again.

"Forty.. nine.." Relax. "Fifty.."

Jacen Masters has posed:
Darker or not, it is difficult to miss someone hanging from the monkey bars. There are lights and a moon. Whatever the case, Jacen slow his steps to get a looks. He smiles a little when he recognizes Sarah, but he doesn't interupt her.

Divided between moving on or being the weird guy watching from the shadows, he starts to step away and work down the path,"Hey Sarah." he calls in that distinct mid western accent. That might tip her off so she doesn't just suddenly see movement.

Sarah Connor has posed:
Sarah is generally aware of where she is in space and the people around her. It was vital that she be aware. Or else..

"Jacen." She lowers her body down until she was looking at him upside down. "I'm beginning to think that you've got a crush on me." She doesn't crack a smile. But neither does she sound serious. As though she could mean it either way. And furthermore could be waiting for his response to know how she was going to play this out. "Should I stop?"

Jacen Masters has posed:
He pauses and looks back at her,"Terrible crush. Doncha know a man always wants what he cain' have?" he quips back and smirks a little. He walks a little closer to speak easier with her.

A shrug and he replies,"Nah. Y'r good. I jus' didn' wanna interupt ya too much. Jus' sayin' hi so ya knew I w's close't hand an' didn' think I w's some kinda creeper."

Sarah Connor has posed:
A laughs issues from her at his response. "Probably just as well. I don't date." Though these days she can't even blame it on John, not that he has grown. And lately with him off working for the beginnings of the Resistance? She was in need of an excuse.

Then again. Jacen didn't sound like he was harbouring a secret crush. And Sarah was very adept at sussing out lies.

"I'm almost done." Well.. not really, but she says it. "Get me to 60 and I'll be done."

Sixty out of this set of one hundred. Yeah, she'll be here later.

Taking her time to crossover elbows to knees, she finishes, and hops off.

"So, what has you walking around a park after dinner in the middle of winter?

Jacen Masters has posed:
"Prolly easier that way." he replies when she mentions not dating,"Datin' puts labels on ya an' sets expectations o' others f'r you ta live up to."

Nodding, he waits for her to do the rest of her workout and watches the park a little. Not actively looking for trouble or expecting it really, but mindful. They are in New York after all.

"I've been on th' ambulance t'day'n needed ta get back ta Earth. Sometimes I need ta get back ta nature'r at least's close's possible."

Sarah Connor has posed:
"Nothing to do with labels." Sarah doesn't explain further than that.She returns to the situps once more, making them look easy. Which is odd. If you weren't aware of what goes into a physically fit individual - not a weightlifter, or a gym rat, you might miss her subtle signs. She doesn't have much fat. Her balance is exquisite. Every move that she makes is deliberate - even when she pretends otherwise.

Not to mention, beyond fitness, she situates herself between an exit and herself, and she always keeps her body ready to be reactive.

This last set she makes it harder - crossing her body over her knees to make each push up. Soon though she is done, and flips herself upright on the ground. "I'm sure you don't want to jog with me."

Jacen Masters has posed:
He nods and parially watches her work out and partially stays aware of the surroundings. Not paranoid, but also wary of his surroundings. His body, what she can see or has seen, is that of a devoted athlete. He is in peak shape. Not military level maybe, but certainly pro athlete levels.

A shake of his head and he tells her,"No prolly not joggin'. If I had some sweat pants'n an some decent runnin' shoes, sure. I could show you some things we do when we're trainin' f'r state wrestlin' competition. Might show ya somethin' new, might not."

Sarah Connor has posed:
"I can do the jogging later." Of course, unusually a bit of a chortle escapes from Sarah. "For some reason, I feel you would beat me." Whether she means it or not is another thing altogether. For the average human she would put herself against one. With powers? That is another thing.

"I don't really get up people's faces." Which is partly a lie. "I like to keep my body toned. For me. I really don't like public places where they watch you. You know." She shrugs.

Jacen Masters has posed:
"Maybe, maybe not." he replies with a shrug when she mentions him beating her. He smirks a little and admits,"Somehow I get th' feelin' someone sets you off ya ain' gonna have no kinda trouble all up'n their face." he tells her,"I understand th' not likin' public places though. I met a guy wrestlin', tought strong an' a national champion. He could be out wrestlin' in front o' people no problem, but get'm in a group on his own. Didn' like people at all. It's funny."

Sarah Connor has posed:
Sarah grows quiet. "I think that people was brag about being able to punch out someone's lights aren't really the ones you have to look out for. Sure they can beat you into a pulp, but you know about them. They advertise."

A light, easy shrug then.

"Not funny at all. The wrestling was a job. It comes with parameters. Way you behave. But when he was somewhere else? He wasn't a wrestler. See?"

Jacen Masters has posed:
"I think y'r right." he agrees,"An old friend o' mine tol' me that if ya go'n a bar and there are several men talking loud and obnoxious they ain' th' problem. Th' one'n th' corner drinkin', keepin' ta himself, an' not bein' obnoxious, that's th' one ya don' wanna part of."

He nods as he considers,"There is a big difference between on the mats and walkin' 'round people like normal true enough. Justa farm kid like me otherwise. Well cept f'r th' part he's rich b'cause he's gone on ta world fame's a pro wrestler and a champion MMA fighter."

Sarah Connor has posed:
"Sometimes you make more of a difference by not being well known."

Sarah says it to him. But there is a hint of truth to that for herself.

"Now that we've waxed philosophical.. Am I keeping you from something?"

Jacen Masters has posed:
A shrug and he replies,"I think y'r right. I ain' mad 'bout fame I've had, bu' sometimes it's easier when folks don' know ya."

He looks through the park and shakes his head,"Nah. I w's just passin' through on a simple nature walk. I miss th' woods'n back country. This's close's I c'n get right now."

Sarah Connor has posed:
Sarah smirks. "I don't know about your fame. I like you anyways."

Jacen Masters has posed:
He smirks a little and shrugs,"I don' talk 'bout it a lot. It paid f'r m' schoolin' an' then some. I figger ya don' watch a lotta television since ya hadn' recognized me. Not like I'm an actor'r nothin', but been on tv a few times. I'm glad ya like me not knowin' though. Prefer that."

Sarah Connor has posed:
"I haven't paid attention to tv since.. oh god.. say since I was in University? I got pregnant. Dropped out. Needed a job. The usual."

Sarah shrugs and with a half smile. Nothing about that was a lie. Except why she didn't have a tv. And living off the grid in South America, working for gun runners didn't make it to her story for obvious reasons.

Jacen Masters has posed:
"You're probably better off." he replies in regards to the TV comment,"Corrupts th' mind'r pollutes th' youth. Grandfather used ta say somethin' like that anyway." A shake of his head,"I don' think th' one at m' place's been turned on f'r more'n th' weather an' traffic situations."

Cameron has posed:
And that's when there was a figure approaching. A familiar face to them both, though obviously moreso to Sarah. Cameron was dressed comfortably in a tank top with a scooped neck and narrow straps. It wasn't long enough to reach her waistband on her black jeans. There was a matching black belt with silver rivets. Her feet were hidden away in a pair of heavy black boots that rose to just below her knees, the jeans tucked into them neatly. Over it all she had a grey hoodie, unzipped and hood down. This way the gun at the small of her back wouldn't be easily visible to anyone.

Such a paranoid family, if people were to realize.

"It's you again." It was a general observation with nothing added to the tone to make it approving or disapproving. Just voicing something that didn't really need to be voiced. She looked from Jacen to Sarah then back to Jacen. "Good to see you again." She can play nice too.

Sarah Connor has posed:
Cameron has the worst timing.. or the best timing..

"Jacen was walking around the park, while I was doing my exercises." Seeing as the monkey are *right there* Sarah was probably doing sit ups while hanging upside down. Given that? Either she wasn't armed, or most likely, it was in her boot. "Is it time to get home?"

Funny. But then again, they were a weird family.

And maybe Jacen would think about it: Sarah hadn't said she'd gotten pregnant a second time. She could have gotten pregnant again?

While the trio were talking, a female walked by on the nearby path. Stopped. And slowly walked on with precise steps. Almost as if in marching, only slower.

tSlower..

Slower..

Then silence.

Jacen Masters has posed:
Jacen's attention shifts from Sarah as they are approached by Cameron. His eyes measure and identify, recognition flickers in his eyes. A nod to her finally and he replies,"So it seems." He gives her about as much tone as he gets, but warms a little at the end,"Good ta see you's well."

Movement. He might not be a machine, but he's been a hunter all his life and even in low light conditions he notices movement or unusual sounds. The woman gets a,"Huh." as he notices the slow walk,"Ya reckon that one's been drinkin'?"

Cameron has posed:
Her eyes moved first, turning toward the approaching sound then her head following that movement as she focused on the woman. Her internal HUD was quickly evaluating the woman. Height, build, movement, analyzing every detail. And what she came up with was not good. It didn't prove what the woman was but the telltale numbers did match. Of course, there were women of all sizes and builds in the world so it could be nothing. But that movement and precision?

Better to err on the side of caution.

"You should leave now." And her friendly tone was gone. Only, again it wasn't a negative tone. In fact it was nothing. Flat. Her expression had fallen into a neutral expression and she never looked back to the duo.

Instead, she took a step forward, placing herself between where the woman had stopped moving and where Sarah was standing. She was not approaching or pursuing the unknown woman but she certainly wasn't going to leave Sarah in the open either.

"Small of my back," she stated, words that Sarah would know meant that there was a weapon there she could grab if she needed it before making it back to her vehicle. Then Sarah took a step backwards, to go with them but keeping her eye on the target.

Sarah Connor has posed:
Fuck.

The woman had tweaked Sarah's alarms. But when Cameron reacted the way that she did? Sarah knew. 100% knew. The woman wasn't a drunk. Far from it.

Taking the gun from Cameron, she tossed her keys to Jacen. "In my truck. In the gun safe. Bring them" To heck with being polite. Or even the polite..ish family. It was kill or be killed, and unfortunately Jacen was a bystander who would be nothing for the terminator to mow down as she tried to get Sarah.

The woman had stopped. Very definitely stopped. And turned her upper body around at Cameron's words. With the same eerie sense that she wasn't real. Not really. "Two of you. Not the third. Interesting."

She opened her coat, and looked to be taking something out.

Definitely a gun. Unusual in its make. And bigger than the one that Cameron had offered Sarah.

Jacen Masters has posed:
Guns and tension. Jacen catches the keys tossed and looks at the other two,"What?" Movement gets his attention and the woman pulling a gun makes him spout something in a Native dialect that about has to be a curse. He'd noticed the truck, notices the weapons the women have, and his solid lack of weapons. He produces something from the medicine pouch and looks towards the truck,"Fine."

Not that anyone can see, but a spectral moutain lion appears before Jacen, the cat screaming into the void noiselessly. He isn't the Flash, but the speed he leaves with is better than a world class sprinter and then some.

Cameron has posed:
There was a quick scan of the weapon being drawn. Admittedly, she no longer had a weapon but she had no doubt that Sarah would be taking a few shots. Her purpose? To keep Sarah Connor safe. John already was. Thus she would do everything in her power to keep his mother that way.

Which she did have quite a few gifts of her own. Though with Jacen being unaware of that, it would probably be quite the shock for him as this played out.

Though the words from the terminator machine had been filed into Cameron's memory. This was not the one the Resistance knew of. Not the one that was hunting for Sarah to use her to find John. Though, the machines all would think that way potentially. If they didn't just have kill-all-on-sight programmed. This terminator was here for some other purpose, some other reason to be sent into the past to perform something needed for Skynet to ensure its future. It could be something simple like buying something at the right time or more complex like killing someone that was important to the fanatical machine in some way.

No time to think about it right now though. That weapon wouldn't kill her but it sure as hell would cause some damage. Having no weapon of her own to fire, she instead rushed the figure, trying to close the distance before she could bring the weapon to bear on Sarah. At least, she presumed she would be trying to shoot Sarah. If the terminator opted to shoot Cameron, at least it would give time for Sarah and Jacen to escape hopefully.

Though one thing about Sarah. She was a very stubborn woman. Very. Capital V. To the point that sometimes she would fight when she should flee.

Sarah Connor has posed:
Of course, Sarah was stubborn. And frankly with Jacen right here as a sitting duck she didn't think of getting away. Which might have been a mistake.

Still she drew her gun on the woman and fired.

From where Jacen was he could have sworn that Sarah had hit the woman right between the eyes.

The woman staggered a bit. And then put her feet the right way and took a step towards Cameron. And, essentially, Sarah.

Searching.. searching..

Without warning the woman fired with her gun half out-half in her coat. "Where is the boy?"

Jacen Masters has posed:
Jacen grabs the door and pulls it open. He grabs the safe and then starts to turn. A frown and he looks behind the seat. Sarah is always prepared and so she would have the fluids for the truck. Brake fluid. He nods and grabs that too before turning back towards the mess he left behind. Again, speed way faster than natural carries him to Cameron and Sarah. The woman shoot at the other women causes a stop, then another burst of speed after the shooting pauses. He drops the safe and goes past them towards the swimming pool not too far away. The magic cowboy is crazy or in panic or something.

Cameron has posed:
Unfortunately, terminators had really good aim. Thus when the weapon was fired, Cameron took the shot right to the gut. Not that it slowed her down in the slightest. She acknowledged the damage, began running a diagnostic, even as she reached the point where the woman stood. She reached out to grab the gun even as it was brought up higher in an attempt to shoot her in the face. With a crunching sound, the weapon was destroyed with the tightening of her fist.

Not that it ended the fight. This was far from over. Her analysis showed this model was much like her own. Which meant they would be equal in most everything. The only plus is that Cameron was programmed by John Connor. Well, his future self. And thus, she had tricks up her sleeves that a terminator wouldn't and thus she might have the advantage.

If she could keep the humans from getting killed.

She brought up her free hand and fired a punch directly at the terminator's face. Full power. No holding back with the killing machines.

Sarah Connor has posed:
That bought some time for Sarah to switch out her hand gun for one of the guns that Jacen had dropped and took off in such a hurry.

Damn him, a quick peek showed him at the pool. Doesn't he know better?

Of course not. Sarah hadn't told him *what* she was up against. The woman wasn't a woman. And her gun, though a downgraded one, was not an usual gun. And what was he fiddling about with the pool anyways???

Cameron closed the distance, which normally would have made it very difficult to shoot at such a point blank range.

Not so.

The woman fired one last shot before Cameron began hitting her in the face. Over and over. Eventually she managed to break the neck of the woman! Until her head was at a 90 degree angle to her body.

Then..

A bone shuddering *Crunch!*. The woman just cracked her head back into place and carried on. As though nothing was wrong with her!

Jacen Masters has posed:
What indeed. What is the crazy man doing ripping the door off of the supply closet and grabbing chloring tablets? He dumps about half onto the ground and then looks back to the disaster above. It's a good thing he's seen some super baddies or the off duty medic might actually be scared as it appears.

"Holy..." he starts as he sees the bone crunching head back in place. A shake of his head and he looks at the two chemicals in hand. Whatever she is, she isn't normal so this might or might not work. He touches the tooth necklace and for a few seconds the spirit bear appears as well. What the purpose nobody knows except him as the bear rises and roars in silence. He pours the brake fluid into the chlorine tablets, shoves some nails into it, racing out again around to come in behind the shooter and closing the lid on the tub of chlorine and brake fluid.

Cameron has posed:
Once that head was tilted, Cameron shifted her stance slightly. She knew she had to get the limbs of the machine out of commission if they were going to be able to get to the port in its head and disable it completely. As the head began to snap, crackle, and pop back into place, Cameron was about to sweep the leg of the machine to try to get it down to the ground.

Which is when she saw Jacen approaching rapidly. Having been occupied with the machine, she had missed most of his antics outside the original exit toward the truck. Seeing him now was a surprise, though one would never know it by her expression. Or lack of expression was more fitting as she seemed simply calm. Nothing. A blank slate, despite being in this situation and fighting the other woman.

She scanned him and what he was carrying, nothing the rising temperature of the item in question. She slammed a kick at the knee of the terminator machine, intending it to drop slightly at least so that Jacen could do whatever he was doing.

It computed that it was likely an explosive of some sort though she wasn't sure the compounds involved precisely though it was a container for chlorine. And was that a drop of brake fluid on the exterior, soaking into the label? That would make...

This was going to likely cause a lot of damage.

"Get clear." As though she really needed to tell him that. "Make Sarah move to a safe distance." Not ask. Make. Because that stubborn thing. Interesting she didn't even bother trying to call her Mom at this moment.

Sarah Connor has posed:
Even as Sarah yells "Get the CPU out for fucks sakes!" Figuring there was no need to hide anymore what Jacen was up against. "The left side of the head, below the ear - Sarah figured either Jacen or Cameron could do it. She saw the flames at Jacen's hands.

Oh fuck. He's got a homemade bomb. Usually Sarah would be appreciative of just such a thing. Not at this moment, though. Without knowing what the blast radius is, this could be a problem. Namely for her. And maybe Jacen.

Cameron and the woman were going the be damaged now matter what.

Camaron's little secret was going to be out.

"Huh?" Sarah could hear Camorewn order Jacen to get her into safety.

The woman had two fronts to worry about: Cameron whaling on her, and Jacen with the bomb. Trying to hit Jacen, she picked up Cameron to attempt to throw her on him.

Jacen Masters has posed:
Jacen approaches the Terminator from behind at a high speed. He jams the makeshift bomb into the collar of the coat. A hesitation hearing Cameron's words causes him to pause and change course.

The Terminator backhands him and sends him flying. The bear appears and absorbs the majority of the impact, though he goes flying. He hits the ground just in time to look up and see the bomb go off against the head and neck of the machine and see the metal skeleton below,"What th' hell?" he mutters and tries to get to his feet again. He releases the bear before all the power use drops him faster than the machine and tries to see where Sarah is to make the grab and dash if he can stand steady enough.

Cameron has posed:
Cameron was having none of that. As the woman grabbed her coat and shirt then tried to lift her, Cameron wrapped her limbs around the terminator machine. To keep herself from getting thrown and to try to limit any damage she might do. Sadly, she didn't get that one arm contained and thus Jacen did his Superman impression. Though not as gracefully as the Kryptonian. And probably with more bruising.

The woman tried to pry her off but it was only a moment before the explosion rocked the pair. Cameron was actually knocked off the woman, bringing down a leg quickly so she wouldn't fall herself.

Most of the skull was exposed. The metallic rounded exterior with only a few bits of hair still around the front. The right half of the face was slagging off, leaving that glowing red orb, that was a terminator machine's eye, visible. The machine's jaw had been displaced, hanging at an odd angle. It staggered and fell forward, dropping onto its knees.

Cameron could see the port. She dug her fingers into the metal around the circular spot in the skull of the machine. Enough pressure to bend the cover enough she could pop it off. Even as the machine was trying to grab her arm, knowing what she was doing, Cameron grabbed the chip and yanked it free.

The machine went still, the red glow from its eye fading to nothing.

Cameron took a step back, still holding that chip in her hand. In her skeletal, metallic hand. With her hands at the back of the terminator when the bomb went off, they had taken quite a bit of damage though they were functioning. A few nails and bits of shrapnel had hit her arms and one of her legs. And sadly she didn't realize some had ripped open her left cheek. Revealing the metal underneath. Which was revealed to Jacen and Sarah when she turned to assess if they were damaged. "Are you both alright?"

Sarah Connor has posed:
Jacen is, too late, a bigger threat than the woman had thought.

With that, the bomb was placed. Cameron manages to get the woman away from her, even as she gets herself mostly out of the bomb blast. Other than her hand, that is.

Holding the CPU, Cameron breaks the silence.

Sarah wipes herself off, and mutters, "Other that him acting as a shield for me, yes." Sarah could say thank you. Should say thank you. But doesn't.

"Get her body into the back of the truck." She looks around, and thankfully, there were no witnesses. With the CPU detached, the woman is literally junk. But if someone had an extra CPU? That would be bad. "We'll burn it. And before you ask, yes, that was what I was burning before."

Jacen Masters has posed:
Jacen shakes his head and looks at the two of them. He studies the body and Cameron. The power he has been using fades and again he looks between them all. He ignores the bit about her complaining he tried to shield her.

He scowls thoughtfully and looks at the machine on the ground, the machined standing there, and back to the ground,"What in the hell?" is what he finally manages before kneeling to look at the downed machine and only peripherally watching the two women. He isn't one of the great thinkers of the world or the most eloquent of speakers. He knows what that bomb should do and sees what it did,"The hell?"

Cameron has posed:
That seemed to sum up everything. And sadly, Cameron wasn't really the smooth talker nor the one that was up on politeness. Thus she wasn't going to be reminding Sarah she should be thanking Jacen for caring. And even Helping!

"Your assistance was well timed." That being about as close as Cameron comes to a thank you under most circumstances, unless she's in full hiding-what-she-is mode. Which was moot now with Jacen. She slipped the CPU in her pocket for now. It too would end up on the pyre in the end. But for now...

She allows Jacen a moment to examine the body but then reaches down and easily hefts the machine carcass over her shoulder. It was carried to the truck and dumped into the bed unceremoniously. A tarp in the bed was used to cover it. Then she looked to the pair of humans. "We should go before the authorities arrive. The sound of that explosion no doubt will have been reported." And she was scanning the area for anything that might give away the terminators themselves. Just shrapnel and a bit of skin material. It wouldn't matter if the authorities found those. They would lead to nothing.

"I'll drive. You can explain to him on the trip," she stated, looking at Sarah then at Jacen.

Sarah Connor has posed:
"Fuck." When she was herself? She wasn't very much better than the two of them. "I suppose that you will want an explanation? Come on. We've got to get out of here before the police come. I'll try to answer your questions somewhere else."

To Cameron, she nods. "You know where."

And they are off..

Jacen Masters has posed:
When Cameron picks up the remains of the machine, Jacen watches and then looks around the area. He takes a feather from the medicine pouch and a spirit hawk appears before. He studies the area for a moment silent and mutters,"No cameras, no recordin' d'vices..."

He blinks and the power releases,"Responsible parta me says stay here'n try ta cover this up, but I ain' got that kinda interest'n dealin' with dumb assed questions. Let's get outa here."