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Carter climbed up the ladder, through a cold concrete shaft, a ritual he performed daily without fail. The sliding of the manhole that covered his home in what was left of these long forgotten sewers from better days. Ash, soot, and rubble spilled down over top of him, as he slid the heavy cover out, and peered up into the grey, dull sky around him, like always.

In the streets, burnt out husks of cars, and the gutted remains of buildings greeted him, in a sea of grey and scorched black. The bones of those still in the cars sat as the wind howled through the empty streets. He looked up amongst the grey soot covered sky. Good. No patrols today. Maybe he'd get lucky.

Carter's setup depended on a lot of things. While his home down in the blocked off, partially collapsed sewers had remained hidden so far in the years after the scorching fire, it was getting harder and harder to keep himself going. He had learned how to be crafty. Engineered his own weapon, a rifle like crossbow connected to a battery tied to his waist. It was strong enough to fire small concrete rebar, which there was plenty of in the desecrated world around him.

The rebar loaded into his weapon was tied to a spool which then connected to his battery. When the rebar made contact with anything metal, whatever was on the receiving end received a hell of a jolt. It was enough to knock out or temporarily disable the machines. But they were getting smarter. Stronger. He had a radio once. And every night, he'd listen to the broadcasts, of the man they called John Connor. Of all the information available on the machines and a call to arms.

He was leading the fight against them. The machines. The Terminators, and their puppeteer, Skynet. For a time, those broadcasts gave him hope and information. Even, some nights, they brought a smile to Carter's face. John Connor was proof that the Human race was fighting. Still going. But years back, Carter had to cut his radio off. Although the decimated city he called home was devoid of mostly anything, the intelligence, Skynet, was ruthless.

That intelligence, whatever it was, wherever it came from, would pick through every bone, every rock and burnt to ash pile of rubble in its search for Human life. And it would extinguish it, without mercy, or pity. And without fail, for every year that went on, Carter saw something new. Skynet was learning. Creating. Weapons, machines, things that went even beyond his knowledge. He had learned a lot through his life. Knew his way around technology. But Skynet was accelerating. And he knew somewhere in his bones that one day Skynet would become so good at what it was doing that no matter what move there was to be made, it was the losing one for Humanity.

But for now, Carter didn't trouble himself with it. This wasn't his fight. He wanted no part of it. He just wanted to survive. And the Terminators and all the other robotic hell spawn that followed weren't the only problems. Carter was running out of places to find things. Food, water, bits of scrap. He had done the best he could with what he had. His patch of sewer tunnel was doing well for itself. But if he couldn't provide power, then he couldn't grow the pathetic little stumps of nothing that passed for eatable plants. He couldn't power his weapon. Couldn't keep his Geiger counter charged. And god help him, he couldn't power up a heater to keep himself from freezing to death in the ash filled winter months.

Which was why he was taking a risk today. Likely the biggest risk in his life. If he fucked up one thing, one thing at all, Skynet would comb this old city and rip everything apart. They'd find him. And he'd be added to the burnt out husk of a fire that Humanity was rapidly speeding towards. But today he was the one hunting a Terminator unit. If he could get one, just one, he could power his home for.... Well, he didn't even know. He'd seen dead units before, scrapped and raided for parts. Their power cells were unbelievably powerful, and as far as he knew, infinite. If he could take one down, without detonating the power cells and killing himself as well as alerting half the damn city, he'd be okay.

But he needed to find one on its own. Not lure one to the city. There were Terminator units in this city. He knew that. Skynet had every god damn angle covered even if they weren't actively here. But the question was, how would he find one? That's what he'd set out to do today. Scout the area around him, locate a target, and then neutralize it in one swoop. Bring it back home, and dismantle it. He'd packed some food and gear into a small dusty old backpack, just in case he got stuck out here at night. He really didn't want that to happen. Just keep his scouting runs limited to the daytime and then return to his home. But one always had to be careful.

But it would be, and was a terribly agonizing process. The grey, burnt out landscape blended into a fine mesh, and a non-moving Terminator unit was hard to spot. The thing about these things, was that they were machines. Didn't need to eat, didn't need to sleep, and never grew bored. But to Carter, he always wanted to know something. What did they do all day, and all night? Terminator units were intelligent. Not sentient, but still intelligent. They learned. And they did it quickly. If one of these units were intelligent, how could it possibly stand in perfect silence all day and night for months, years even?

The idea that something as intelligent as Skynet or a Terminator was so inhuman was intriguing to him. But we waved such things off. This wasn't about questions he sought answers to. This was about him living to see another day, even if it was grey, and the sun burnt his eyes if he stayed out for too long, and the radiation threatened to burn him and kill him in some pockets. Life went on.

Carter's slow, methodical scanning of the city as he traveled through the ruined husks of buildings went on for the entire day. There was nothing. Silence, and a dead world all around him. Sometimes, when he thought about it, what if he was the last one left? What if, over the years that followed that he dismantled his radio for parts, that man out there, John Conner, had failed? What if he was the last Human being on the planet, and Skynet was only one move away on the game board from snuffing out the last light of Humanity?

Such things distracted him. Made him ask questions he didn't want to have answered. If the world was so dead, and dying, and broken all around him, and machines rode in on black wings of death to put down the last of those who remained, what point was there to life? What point was there in his struggle? In the end, he'd meet his fate, one way or another. As he walked, he failed to notice his Geiger counter rising. When he finally did, he turned around in angry silence. Foolish man, was going to kill himself here and now if he kept this up.

The day ended as Carter found his home, that little manhole in the middle of the street that led to a little tunnel with everything he'd ever accomplished in his life. Again, more daily rituals. Check the progress on his pathetic little garden. Check the water. Check this and that. And when the lights sputtered briefly on the small light bulbs that gave light to his corner of the dark world, he knew time was running out.

Curling up onto his bedroll, Carter shut everything down for the night. His heavy crossbow kept tucked in one of his arms. Sleep did not come easy. It never did.

The second day came, and once again, Carter pushed past the manhole after checking the roads up top with a special mirror system he'd rigged. The grey sky, the bright burning sun, and the choked ashen streets greeted him once more. And so his search continued. Methodical, slow, and calculated. For the better half of a day, it seemed like he was going to come up fruitless. But, as he climbed the stairwell up the remains of some old building, he spotted something, across the street, in a doorway. The glimmer of metal on sunlight.

Peering through the scope on his crossbow, what he saw actually made him smile. And finally, there it was. A Terminator unit. And not an old one either. This one was a newer model. Its chassis was bulky and armoured, and it stood, silent yet still incredibly imposing from this distance. In its skeletal robotic hands it hefted an enormous chain gun. He sighed. That was going to be a problem.

Carter watched the Terminator unit for the better part of the day, working his way around it as it stood silently in the doorway. A fine layer of soot and dust had gathered across most of it, dulling its bright reflective frame. It was completely immobile. Not once did it move. It didn't twitch, or stretch, or anything. Yet if he stepped out into its gaze, he would be turned into mulch in seconds. Carter, making slow careful movements outside the field of view of the ghastly machine, took out a piece of paper and a pencil. He began sketching down the layout of the area, and the suspected range of view for the machine. Now that he knew where it was, he could start planning.

Finishing up the last of his work, Carter went to put his things back into his bag when the pencil slipped out of his hand. In silence amongst the gentle falling ash, he watched, as the pencil rolled and bounced. One step, two step, three steps. His body was frozen as he watched the simple little thing roll and bounce. And then it rolled over the edge of the shattered floor.

Carter closed his eyes even though he had now shifted and squarely placed himself behind a pillar. The nightmarish sounds as the Terminator sprang to life echoed in his head. From across the road, he heard its footsteps, heavy set as it crunched across stone and bones. He heard the sound as it surveyed the area, and the frightening grinding sound as its chain gun wound up. His breath was held for an eternally long moment of fear.

And then, the machine stopped. He heard footsteps. Taking out a small pocket mirror, he slipped it around the corner to see the machine, sitting back in the doorway. Dust had been disturbed and the machine was shiny once more now that it had moved. But Carter let out a slow sigh of relief. He could make this work. He had to. But that was enough for today. Time to go home.

Although there was still an incredible amount of work to be done, Carter couldn't help but celebrate. It was amazing that he'd found a unit, all by its lonesome. Tonight he'd open up an entire can of beans for this. He chuckled at things, looking around him at the space he called home. The haphazard setup for his plants, which boasted barely working ultraviolet lights. Miscellaneous bits of scrap lined the tunnel for everything that he tinkered and built. And now, here he was, eating a celebratory can of beans.

He never knew what the old world was like. He was born after the fires. Treading on hallowed ground across the bones of the long dead to pillage and loot. He wondered what it was like, before all this. He'd done his best to find books, but they were all gone, burnt in the fires and scorched by the relentless sun afterwards. But maybe, a long time ago, in the past, somebody else had a celebratory can of beans, just like him. It was oddly comforting to him. Despite how different this world was, he was still human. A creature of habit, and similarities.

Shutting down the lights one by one, Carter laid back on his bed roll. Just once he didn't even hit the pillow before he was asleep.

Another morning rolled in, and Carter rolled over from his bedroll, and flicked the familiar light switch nearby. Nothing happened. No, no, this couldn't be. He was already out? He woke up with more haste in his movements, and grabbed a flashlight. He headed over towards his cache of batteries, and found the one hooked up to his small setup. No charge. His alternator was down too. Shit. He needed to move now whether he was ready or not.

Grabbing his things, Carter climbed up the ladder to the covering of the manhole, checking his mirror system before lifting the cover completely. He'd have to make his move now otherwise he'd lose everything he'd worked for. Those small stumpy green vegetables he barely managed to grow where needed more than he liked to admit. They helped purify water, and provided most of his food these days. If he lost them...... he couldn't start again.

As he stepped out to the dusty ash ridden world, he noticed right away that something was wrong. He looked down south, and saw it. A storm was coming. The winds were howling much stronger than they normally did. That was bad. When big storms rolled in like this, they stirred up all the ash and soot, and the dust from the ruined buildings. And most of all, they brought more ash and soot with them on the winds. Sometimes even radioactive particles. Visibility became low, and the air became chokingly hard to breathe in.

If he was going to do this he needed to do it now. But that was the problem. You didn't rush a Terminator unit.

Carter crept through ash and soot, listening to the howl of the winds. He had an advantage now at least. The howling winds and the ash that was coming in on the wind would obscure sound and visibility for the Terminator unit. It would for him as well. But if he moved fast enough, maybe he could use things to his advantage. Creeping along the stairwell he used before, Carter climbed higher, wanting to get a high vantage point for this. He had brought along extra little tools for this, but his true weapon would be the crossbow. He needed to get the one shot off. Only one.

From the ruins of a rooftop, Carter looked down to the street below through the scope on his crossbow. To the familiar doorway he had memorized every pathway to, every angle and vantage point. And then the hair on the back of his neck stood up. It was gone. How could it be gone!? What would prompt it to move? There was nothing else here, he was sure of it.

As if someone was answering his question, he turned his veiled and goggled face against the wind, onto the oncoming storm of ash. There. He caught something. In the distance. A scream. The wind howled against him, but this time he heard something more distinct as it echoed through the buildings. The chain gun. And more screams. Carter shook his head. No, he should go. Human weakness. They preyed on it. Emotions and the need to help one another.

Another burst of fire from the chain gun echoed through the streets, as the howl of the wind grew stronger. Carter stood on the rooftop, facing the oncoming storm of ash. It had arrived now, and the first wave of grey and black ash began blowing past him. No. He had to. Even if it was a trick to lure him out. He needed those power cells. But how did the machine know? But then, he realized what it was. It had played possum. Played inactive and un-observant. But it had watched him.

Another burst of fire, now continuous, rang out against the wind. He had to go. There was no choice now. He had to partake in this board game. Strapping his crossbow to his back, Carter broke off into a run across the rooftops, following the sound of gunfire on the wind, fighting against the thickening ash that was starting to cling to everything. Slowly, the pulse of gunfire grew louder, and as Carter jumped across to one last rooftop, he spotted it. A glint of silver and light out in the ash.

Taking his crossbow out, he peered down the scope. His fingers trembled as he surveyed the scene. Out on the streets down below, was the Terminator unit. It was focused solely on the remains of a truck. Out on the street, the ash was splashed in red, as Carter looked over the fallen body of a man. There was two of them then. Looking for a way down, Carter jumped through a hole in the roof and landed on the floor below.

More screams sounded out, this time more identifiable now that he was close. A woman. Carter looked down to the street below through a window. He needed to move fast. The Terminator was letting loose on the truck in bursts of fire, shredding it piece by piece. It was circling around, trying to flush the woman out. He shook his head. No, no no no! Why did they have to come here!? Plans made on the spot had holes. And room for mistakes. Looking out the window to the street below, Carter jumped.

Circling around the Terminator, Carter took aim with his crossbow, connecting the line to the battery on his side. He looked through the scope, trying to make out a chink in its armour plating. He needed to get this right. He was on street level now. Any mistake he made would be fatal. Looking over the spinal column, Carter steadied his aim. A door on the truck fell off as it was riddled practically to confetti. That truck wasn't going to last long. Feeling the wind on his face as he took into account the drag, Carter fired.

The rebar flew, right on target, and impaled itself directly into the spine of the machine. The reaction was instant, as the electricity generated by the battery surged into the machine's critical systems. It slumped, the great chain gun it hefted still spinning as its skeletal hand held the trigger down. And then, it reactivated. Carter swore. Surge protection. Taking another rebar from the holder on his back, Carter loaded it, connected a line to it, and made the connection to the other pole on the battery. As the machine turned to face him, baring its red soulless eyes and a mouth of fake teeth with the visage of a skull, Carter yanked on his bow. The line that was embedded into the machine sent it off balance, saving his life as a spray of bullets went up into the air beside him.

Taking aim, he fired another shot, embedding another rod into the chest of the Terminator. He didn't know if it could take multiple overloads on its surge dampers, but the critical time he had to make his move was open. As the machine slumped, Carter hit the second trigger on his bow as the lines were cut. Running up to the machine as fast as he could, with shaking hands, he pulled something out of his pocket. Small and round, with a relatively strong magnet attached to it.

The machine's eyes lit up again as Carter stared directly into the face of it. Fear was always present in him. He had learned to live with it. Fight it. But never had he been so close to one of these things before. Reaching up with the small bundle, Carter pressed a trigger, and stuck the magnet onto the side of the Terminator's head. Giving into his flight response, he ran. Past the machine and to the truck ahead of him. The device he stuck to the machine wound down, and clicked. Carter threw himself behind the truck as the small explosive detonated. Nails exploded outward in every direction, magnetized by the proximity of the little magnet.

The explosion tore into the head of the machine, breaching its protective exo-skeleton of metal. The nails embedded themselves or shot right through its head, the magnetized bits scrambling and destroying precious internal components. The machine slumped, going offline, as it teetered, and fell over. Silence could be heard as the ash wind howled. Carter looked over to a woman, clad very much like him, holding herself in fear. Holstering his bow, he stood up, and rushed around the side of the truck. Now wasn't the time for pleasantries.

Carter dropped his pack on the ground, looking over the fallen machine. It was definitely a newer model. Its entire frame was heavily reinforced. He couldn't cut through that easily. But he could work around it. The arms and legs weren't necessary. Grabbing a torch and tank from his pack, he ignited it, and turned it up to full blast, heating up the joint on one arm until it was a bright orange. Taking a small hand axe out, Carter began hacking into the heated up joint, cutting the arm off.

Nearby, the woman had gone out to the man who lay in the street. Carter caught a glimpse of her in his rear vision. Wait a minute. Something was wrong. Dropping his axe, Carter knew what he missed. Fear ran up his spine as with shaking hands he un-holstered his crossbow off his back. The one small detail he'd overlooked. The truck was riddled with bullet holes clean through across all of it. The woman was neither hurt or in pain.

As if to confirm his suspicion, he turned, watching as the woman snapped the man's neck, confirming that she herself was a Terminator. The man would have died anyway, but the machines took no chances. She turned on the spot and began walking towards him. Her face was invisible under all her gear, but Carter knew it would be as cold as ice anyway. With shaking hands Carter loaded his crossbow. The woman held her arm up, and Carter watched as the clothing she wore burnt away, and her very skin shifted, turning into a liquid metallic substance as it receded and her arm shifted. Energy spiraled up the weapon, as it ignited and a small ball of energy formed.

Carter was stunned. Impossible. This was a new model. And it had worked with an old one to lure him, and the dead man out. Compared to Carter, the machine's reaction time was near instant, and he could only watch as it took aim and fired its energy projector. Carter dove to the ground, but the small, searing ball of energy caught him on one of his legs.

The searing ball of energy melted flesh and bone, completely disintegrating his leg below the knee, as it detonated, sending Carter flying through the ash filled air to slump on the street. He was stunned. Pain like he'd never known traveled through him. And he was scared. Rolling over slowly onto his back, he watched as the machine stepped closer to him with its arm canon charging up for another discharge.

It stepped up to him, and pressed its foot down on his chest. The weight and pressure was painful, knocking the wind out of him. He had to do something. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out another small device, pressing it. Reaching up to place the bomb to the machine, his arm was caught by its other free hand. He struggled, but couldn't move in its iron grip. Perfect. Carter felt the heat on the weapon as it charged up once more, and he held his head down and closed his eyes.

The small bomb he'd held in his hand was not a nail bomb. But it exploded with so much light that anything, Human or Machine, was blinded. The optics on the Terminator would be temporarily filled with static. His hand was still held in the death grip, but the machine could no longer see at the moment. Carter slid himself as far sideways as he could, twisting his arm as the weapon discharged once more. The energy seared and melted the concrete where he'd just been laying on, and then exploded. Both he and the machine were sent flying together.

Carter shook his head, struggling to move. In front of him lay his crossbow. Reaching out slowly, he grabbed it, and rolled over. Beside him the Terminator was rising. He took aim, and fired. The rebar impacted into its arm canon, and Carter watched as the electrical surge that traveled through it affected the weapon. Energy rippled in heat waves and arced out, and the arm exploded. Struggling to load his bow one last time, he grasped at another piece of rebar, slid it in, and aimed as the machine lurched towards him, crawling across the ash strewn street with one arm.

The rebar flew free, and impacted into the neck of the machine. It shuddered and began to spaz erratically, and then, finally, it slumped, deactivated. Carter lay down in the ash filled street, breathing heavily. As adrenaline wore down, Carter became more aware of the searing pain across his body. He looked down at his lower leg. Completely gone. The nerves were burned, which was the pain he was feeling right now. But the energy weapon was so hot that his leg was cauterized instantly. He laid back into the ash, listening as the wind howled by. Through his goggles, he looked up at the sky as ash blew on the wind. He passed out.

Carter stirred. His eyes opened. He reached up with his hands, stiffly as if he'd crashed into a wall head on. He wiped the ash off his goggles. Looking up to the darkened sky above, as black rain poured down on him, soaking him. He looked over to the terminator at his side. It still lay where it had fallen. But he noticed something different about it. The skin that once permeated it was gone. Then he remembered. Liquid metal, as silver as mercury. It must have dissolved or deactivated. Pushing himself up with his hands as he tried to stand up, pain shot up his leg, and he collapsed onto the ground. He clutched his leg, now aware once more of its absence.

He laid back down on the soggy ash choked ground as the inky black rain continued to coat everything with poisonous ash and chemicals. In the dark sky above, in the distance, he heard the sounds of engines, and spotted search lights. No. Hunter Killers. He had to move now. He had to find a way to get back home. He looked over to the Terminator next to him. This one was different. New. He didn't know what it was capable of. Perhaps it was best not to remove the electrified rebar embedded into it. Leaving his crossbow on the ground, Carter began crawling towards the other Terminator. He needed to finish his work.

Through the pain in his leg, and against his better judgment, Carter hacked away at the now obviously older Terminator unit. But now he had no choice. He needed to hack apart the body cavity to get to its power cores rather than carry it. And that was just what he did, until at last, the cores were made visible to him. There, two small rectangular devices slid out from their slot, and Carter yanked them out.

There was little satisfaction in his actions, as he found himself staring at the other Terminator, laying there on the ground. He shook his head. More ridiculous Human sentiments. But still, they nagged at him. He realized, that if the circumstances were different, this machine could be a Human. Carter would have been hacking apart another Human being now. Putting the power cores into his pack, Carter crawled over to the other fallen Terminator.

In the dark, he crawled up closer to it, and looked into its blue eyes. And there it was. They tracked him. But the machine was motionless. He couldn't believe it. It was practically dumb luck. Carter reached up to the battery on his side. Grabbing the clamps, his disconnected them. With startling speed, the Machine reactivated. The silver metal poured from somewhere in its chest, and it reached out with one arm, attempting to strangle him. Carter reconnected the clamps, and it stopped dead. The metal that was forming a human face sputtered and vibrated, receding.

He sighed, out of surprise and frustration. Now he was in trouble. And there was only one choice. He needed to haul this machine with him. He was out of options. If he left it here with the battery on his side, it would be drained eventually no doubt, and the machine would be free. This thing, was extremely dangerous. It would never let his trail go. And he couldn't risk bumping into it again out here. Already, he'd seen proof that Skynet's activity was increasing here even from this simple disturbance.

He'd have to bring it with him, and find a way to destroy it. As the black rain poured over him, he looked out to the husk of the building in the dark just across the street. How far was he from his home? A mile? Two? The task before him seemed impossible. But he had to find a way. He was not going to lay down out here in the ash soaked streets waiting for an HK machine up above to find him. He was going to find a way. And then, when he was safe, he was going to study this machine. And then kill it. An eye for an eye. Carter looked over to the long dead smoldering remains of its arm. In this case, a limb for a limb.

For once, Carter had luck on his side. Although he was in immense pain, and every step was a fight not to collapse, his leg was sealed, burnt thoroughly. With the last of his torch, he hacked apart the older Terminator, and made a splint for his leg, a metal support that he could walk on with the aid of something to lean on. Behind him, the newer model was tied in ropes, as he struggled to drag it through the streets with him, still disabled with the electrified rebar inside of it.

Every step was slow, painful, and slippery. More than once he had slipped and fallen in the soggy ash that clung to his boots and clothes. But every time he got back up. He hoped the machine was watching him. He would never give up as long as he drew breath. And then, as the rain finally stopped, and the wind howled stronger and louder, the very last wave of suffocating ash and dust blew in. The HK's up in the sky would never find him now. Stopping for a break, as he leaned up against a vehicle, he looked down at the machine at his feet.

"I hope you can hear me. And I hope that you can know what fear is. I'm going to take you apart. Piece by piece. Your function, your purpose, will be failed. In fact, it has failed. You think you can try to inflict misery and pain on us without consequence?"

Carter pushed himself back up, dragging the machine along.

"Not anymore. Not for you."

Carter pushed onwards, and eventually, came to the familiar junction he called home. Pushing himself the last stretches of the way, he shoved the manhole aside, exposing the ladder that traveled downwards to his home. Tired, and almost at the breaking point physically, he threw the machine down the hole, and realized too late that it was tied to him. And he was in no shape to support it on the ladder. The weight pulled on his shoulders, and Carter held on to the ladder with all his strength, which quickly gave out. Carter fell the rest of the way down below, as he landed on the crumpled heap of the machine. Strength to move eluded him. And then, once more the world went dark.

The sound of water constantly dripping crept into Carter's waking mind. He opened his eyes, to the cold splashes across his face, as up above, the sun, burning as ever shone up in the sky. He was uncomfortable, something which he realized was because underneath him sat the crumpled heap of a Terminator unit. He smiled, as he started moving. The machine under him must have been there, the whole time while he slept, powerless.

It was a good feeling, for once. Here was a weapon, designed for the sole purpose of extinguishing life. And it was only able to watch as he fell asleep on top of it. Reaching up with one arm, and then another, Carter pulled himself up the ladder, once more aware that he only had one foot, as pain climbed up his leg. Pulling the cover back over his tunnel, Carter practically fell down the ladder into the darkness of his home. It wasn't a flawless victory. But he was alive. And that had to count for something.

The start to the day was one of great relief, as Carter hooked up one of the power cells he had acquired with great effort, and watched as light greeted him once more. Power flowed through all of his creations and once more, his setup necessary to keep him alive flourished. He leaned heavily on a brace under his arm, smiling as he turned to the Terminator still slumped on the ground behind him.

"You see? Life continues once more despite your best efforts."

He turned back to look at the small, barely growing plants that struggled to grow, and he was proud. Happy even. For once it seemed like his day would be something special.

Carter's first order of business was to detach his crossbow lines from the Terminator. He still needed his weapon, but he needed to keep the machine disabled. No doubt, one of the rods that had impaled it was severing critical systems. But Skynet appeared to have built this new model with much more ingenuity than before. The fact that it was still functioning despite things showed this. So really, the first order of business was finding a way to disable the machine.

And to that Carter took with enthusiasm. Dragging the machine to one corner of his tunnel, Carter propped it up against a wall and began looking around for tools that he would need. It was amazing really, this new model. It appeared to combine two other model variants together. All Carter ever had the misfortune of fighting was T-800s and other upgraded versions of their line. But he had heard whispers from the rare travelers he'd encountered, of one far more dangerous in its versatility. And this model was both. Durable ruggedness of the old models, but from what he had seen so far, unparalleled flexibility due to the liquid metal that was stored in its chassis.

It could take the form of clothes, Humans, objects and even weapons. Carter, in his early years had in fact found some books, old science textbooks and others. And this liquid metal was fascinating to him, of what little he knew of things. Almost like it existed in a state of quantum uncertainty, neither solid nor truly liquid. Very curious indeed. But for now he needed to look at what was important. Carter peered towards the machine on the chair he sat on, watching as its eyes tracked him.

"I wonder what it must be like for you. Staring at me as I work and sleep. Your programming telling you that I am a threat. A target to be killed. And yet, you are unable to move, consistently failing in your objective, as I continue to take a step after the other."

Carter peered at the rebar lodged into the neck of the machine, noting that it had squarely punctured through its spinal column. That must be it. Vital wiring and systems must have passed through there. And the electrified bar was scrambling the signals. He nodded, looking back up into the eyes of the machine as they followed.

"It's funny really. How easy you kill us. And yet for all your strength, Skynet continues to base its designs off our so called inferior biology."

Carter peered into the eyes of the machine, coming face to face with it.

"Perhaps I won't take you apart. But I will inflict the most grievous of harm one can do to any enemy. The power of observation."

Carter rolled on his chair over to a pile of scrap, looking through it for what he'd need. These machines weren't exactly designed to be dismantled. But they were compartmentalized. Now to put his theory to the test.

Cutting through the locks and clamps that held everything in place wasn't easy, but eventually, Carter separated everything. Putting his tools down at last, he grabbed the sides of the Machine's head, and pulled. He watched with satisfaction as the clicks of locks disengaging could be heard, and the Machine's head was separated from its spinal column. Regardless of this, the Machine still continued to stare at him.

Interesting. A separate power supply. Skynet was growing cleverer. But not clever enough just yet. As Carter reached down towards the battery on the floor at his side, the emergency power supply kicked in completely, and Carter dropped the head of the machine onto the floor as the silver metallic liquid exploded into multiple spikes as it emerged. Carter wiped his forehead, peering at the head of the machine as it stopped rolling, the small amount of silver liquid stored inside of it forming a human face until it mimicked it entirely, that of the woman he had seen earlier. Short blonde hair and an expression of ice greeted him. Carter shook his head, a smile on his features.

"My, you are clever aren't you?"

The Machine's now Human eyes stared up at him with no hint of emotion whatsoever as it spoke.

"Skynet has been alerted of this position and will commence sector sweeps."

Carter began laughing as he leaned back in his chair.

"Is that so!?"

Carter pointed up to the ceiling of his home.

"I guess you were so busy watching me that you failed to notice what I did to this place. I had a radio once. Couldn't use it down here though."

Carter watched with some measure of glee as the machine's eyes traveled upwards to the ceiling. Carter nodded happily.

"Yes, I know your puppeteer is advanced, but even it cannot break the laws of physics. Any signal you send will be contained in here, bounced around by all the metal and iron I've lined the walls with."

The machine returned to watching him once more, before it opened its mouth. Carter grabbed a long pair of tongs from a table nearby, and picked up the head with them. He grabbed a pair of clippers and stuck them into the neck socket of the machine, and clipped the wires he'd long since become familiar with among older models. He chuckled as he looked at the machine once more.

"Make all the sound you want now. I've clipped a portion of the vocal wires in that head of yours. You won't be making any low frequency sounds or high frequency yells unless I repair them."

Although the woman, still as cold as ever, stared at Carter, he knew he had this machine beaten. Completely. And then, the woman's face shimmered and shifted, as the metal struggled to retain its form before it splashed into a puddle onto the floor. Carter reacted instantly, picking up the head, he turned it over in his hands as he looked over the small portion of its spinal column that hung at the back of its neck. Pulling several bundles of wires out, Carter reached over to the second power cell belonging to the old Terminator, and quickly spliced the wires to the cell. Setting the head down, he watched as the liquid metal slid along the floor and formed the face of the woman once more, as power surged back. Carter nodded, crossing his arms.

"I don't think so."

The machine watched him, cold as ever. Carter leaned closer, the expression on his face turning sour.

"You don't get off that easy. You have no way out and you know it. But no, no no no, you don't get to shut yourself down. Because I want you to see. I want you to know that every day I draw breath, is another day you've failed. You don't get to escape from the terrible things you've done. No, you're going to watch every day pass by, without meaning, or purpose."

The machine watched him, before speaking.

"This unit is incapable of feeling pain, or boredom, or any of the illogical emotions that Humankind is bound by."

Carter nodded.

"Without your primary objective being fulfilled, and your secondary algorithms of shutdown on complete failure or capture, you have nothing. But you know what? I think you do. Everything you watch, everything you learn, is remembered. So, we'll see, just how long you can stay like this."

Carter slid his chair across the ground to the body of the machine as it lay propped up in the corner.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to remove the power cell from your obviously useless body at the moment. Since you're taking up one, I need another. Don't worry, I'm just borrowing it is all."

Carter set about to going to work, leaving the machine's head where it sat on the ground, merely watching him in silence.

For the remainder of the day, Carter worked carefully around the chassis of the machine, until he finally located its power cells, and removed them. As he removed the impaled rebar rods, he watched with great relief as the machine did not activate.

And so now, as the night set in, Carter sat on his mattress, looking not far off from himself, as the head of the machine sat on a table close by. It had remained silent, but as always, the cold eyes of the woman watched him. He had to admit, it had been a very long time since he'd had contact, with anybody, or anything for that matter. And as Carter finished off a can of cold soup, he couldn't help speaking his mind.

"I have a theory about you, you know? Want to hear it?"

The machine stayed silent.

"I know that Skynet makes you Terminators intelligent. You learn new things, and you remember them based off of your objectives. But you, you have no objective right now. But yet, some part of you must still be active in that head of yours. Watching, observing. So I'm going to wait on you."

Carter smiled.

"Do you know how vulnerable you are right now? I'm sure, with a little effort, I could reprogram you. Repurpose you. I could break your body down completely into scrap, venture out, and sell it for something valuable to me. I could try to find the resistance, and give you to them and let them do as they see fit. Hell, I could even look to the stray people out there, the vagabonds and wastelanders. You're an infiltration model, based off a female. I'm sure some scum of the earth out there could think of things to do to you and that shifting metal of yours."

Carter leaned up to the machine, looking directly into its eyes, taking careful note of how they watched his.

"But I won't. I like my home here. I like being forgotten and unknown to all. You killed that traveler out there when I found you. Set a trap with that older model that was studying me to lure me or somebody else out. I respect your cunning. But not what you are. It would be too easy to give in and take you apart. Too easy to hand you off to someone that would prove your programming right."

Carter sighed as the machine did not respond.

"So that's why you're here now. Because for every person you've killed, no matter who or what they are, I will make you sit here, and watch as I live my life, day by day, month by month, year by year. This is your punishment. And, I hope, something more."

Carter reached out to the switch on the wall nearby, and turned out his lights, as he laid down in bed. He knew that the machine would watch him all night. An endless gaze, as it fought with itself every day against its programming when it had no moves to make but watch. Carter mused on things briefly. This could be considered torture. Perhaps he was a villain, in some strange way. Others would pass it off. But like it or not, this machine was intelligent. And what he was doing was an ugly experiment.

Carter stretched out on his bed. No matter now. What was done was done. He'd come to the crossroads that it led to someday. But tonight, he would rest.

5 Years Later

Seasons passed, bringing scorching sun and ashen filled dust clouds with them. Toxic rains, and freezing nights so cold that Carter felt like stone would shatter and crack. Carter's leg would eventually heal, and it was not so painful to walk. The burns he'd sustained from his encounter eventually healed, leaving their marks behind on him, and life went on. Day in and day out, Carter worked, doing his best to survive.

Some days were easy. Others were hard. And he was starting to notice it now. 40 was not very old. But in this world, 40 was more than most could hope for. But the years of starving, the weeks of waiting down in his hole when Skynet was on the move, and the constant ups and downs were taking a toll on him. And in this world, most were lucky to even reach their teens. And here he was, an old man. The years of scorching sun had not been kind, nor the winds or the rains. And most of all, the persistent intelligence, Skynet.

Carter had happened upon a battle once, in the burnt out city. He had seen the extent of Skynet's advances. Huge treaded machines, which stood tall over buildings and men, mounted with plasma based weaponry that cut through buildings and people like nothing. Newer, upgraded HK craft, and of course, Terminators. Carter made it his business to stay out of the way of things. But, just one time, he had almost stepped into the fight. A fight which was a losing battle from the start.

And when Skynet pulled its forces back, Carter combed through the dead. What he saw there was still bright and alive in his memory today. He put those that fought, and those that were being protected to rest alongside each other. Families, friends, soldiers, children. They were all the same now. But the lingering anger in him did not go away. So he turned on the machine, trapped in his home. Yelled and screamed, took a baseball bat and smashed it repeatedly over its unflinching face as it watched him in cold silence, until Carter couldn't do it anymore.

And then he buried it. Covered it up in the corner it sat in along with its head. Over the years, the tarp covered machine gathered dust, out of sight and mind as Carter worked and struggled. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe there was no changing things.

Carter walked along the street, stirring up dust in his wake as the winds passed by. The simple prosthetic he had rigged all those years ago clinked on the ground as he walked. The city was quiet today. More so than it normally was. There was no activity. Not even the occasional patrol of HK's as they swept the skies for signs of life. It was, oddly, an uncomfortable feeling. Carter seemed truly alone, as he ransacked old buildings and stores for food and parts.

But as he returned home, things changed as he slid the familiar manhole aside, and climbed down into the collapsed tunnel, to the warm light of his home, and the vaguely bright green of sad little plants as they struggled to grow with what he provided. As he stood at the base of the ladder, he looked across the tunnel, admiring his works. He had done well for himself. Carter stepped over to his mattress, sitting down on the old, mildly burnt, but comfortable material, dropping his bag on the side as he leaned up against the wall, relaxing.

He closed his eyes, resting in silence, when like a gunshot, it was broken. Carter's eyes opened wide, staring out, falling over the old weathered tarp in the corner of his tunnel on the opposite end. Did he hear something? Did he really just hear that word? He stood up, reaching out to his crossbow as it lay on his bed. A combination of anxiety and excitement suddenly filled him, as he looked over the dusty old tarp across the room.

"Say that again."

Silence greeted him. And then, once more,

"Why?"

Carter strode over to the tarp, ripping it off, uncovering the dusty machine as it lay on a table, along with its head, which still maintained the form of the human woman, as cold as ever, unchanged over the years. Her blue eyes watched him, and Carter leaned down, facing the machine. He looked into the machine's eyes, his own face just as cold.

"Why what?"

"Why do you live?"

Carter's mind sparked, as excitement began to show on his features. He set down his crossbow.

"Why do you ask?"

The machine's face always remained cold. But, Carter heard that distinct sound in its voice. Something else other than monotone dialogue.

"Your purpose is as futile as mine. But you exist despite this. Why?"

Carter smiled, suddenly realizing how long it had been since he'd talked to anybody. Anything. He didn't even know what to answer with. But joy overtook him regardless. He continued to smile.

"Because I can! Because I choose to! Because I want to."

"You exist because of self-preservation instincts and the continued survival of your species due to evolutionary traits and genetic markers."

Carter laughed.

"Of course I do! But that doesn't mean I can't do what I want with my life. Surviving is just a part of it. But it's not the only reason."

Carter watched as the eyes of the machine wavered. It was thinking. It was doing something beyond its programing.

"What is my purpose?"

Carter reached out, with one lone finger, tapping the machine's forehead. The liquid metal that mimicked skin did not shift into anything. Carter began laughing, as he leaned in closer to the machine.

"Your purpose, is what you make of it! You can go anywhere! Do anything! It's all the power of choice!"

The machine's face contorted, as it made a visible effort to show something across its features.

"I choose to learn."

Carter watched intently.

"Learn what? You have access to all of Skynet's databases and your own programming. You have practically everything out there known down to mathematical perfection."

"There is one variable."

"What's that?"

"Humanity."

Carter wasn't so sure about things. But it was incredible really. Roughly six years. But he was proven right. Skynet's Terminators, especially the more advanced ones, where capable of more. But all the same, he knew he needed to be cautious. This machine could still be playing him. The five long years of silence could have been a plan finally being set in motion. But he wanted to believe he had seen it, watching the machine's eyes as it struggled with attempting to display an emotion across its face.

And so Carter began answering questions. Endless questions about himself, since he was the only Human being around. Even though he was wary at first, he couldn't help but let something slip free in his heart. It was, something he'd never really known before. A happiness, a lightness that spread through him at the thought of it. And so he stayed up, late into the night, talking, explaining. And the machine understood, listened intently before asking more. But eventually, sleep tugged at him despite his excitement. Carter stared at the machine's eyes now, barely nodding off. It watched him back.

"Scans and chemical levels determine that you are happy, and excited. Why?"

Carter could only smile.

"Because I was right. Because you proved me wrong when I thought this could never happen. You, are learning something beyond your programming. And I didn't have to force it on you. You came to this yourself. It took time. But you chose it."

"Why would choice matter? Would it not have been more efficient to reprogram me?"

"I could have. I know, out there, people do it all the time. But to me, that doesn't seem fair. It's a forced change, and it gives Skynet more reason to kill us. More reason to "hate," if it can. It might have been more efficient in the short term. But in the long term, I believe that you coming to this on your own terms, using your own intelligence, is better. It was your choice, not mine. And because of that, you can learn that everything is choice."

Carter leaned in close.

"But we can't continue this any further tonight. I need sleep."

Carter stood up, but turned back to face the machine.

"For whatever its worth, I'm sorry."

"Regret is an undefined emotion that I do not have any relevant data on. I see no reason for you to be sorry."

Carter nodded.

"I'll explain it to you someday. In the meantime, think about what we talked about. I'm sure you'll think of more."

Carter walked off to his bed, laying down for the night, as he shut off all the lights. He knew it was likely that the machine was watching him. Then again, it must have been for all these years. None the less, he fell asleep as it overtook him quickly, leaving the ash filled, grey darkened world behind him.

3 Weeks Later

Carter walked along the dusty streets in relative silence. But lately, he'd had company. His talks with the machine grew and changed rapidly, and soon Carter felt that he should bring it along with him on his day to day rituals for survival. Despite this, he had disabled the machine's link to Skynet. And he had explained why. And the machine accepted his answer, stating that it was the only reasonable choice. And that was what sold Carter. It had said reasonable. Not logical.

Silence was broken as the machine spoke, strapped to the side of Carter's hip.

"Where are we traveling? This route is not and has not been used by you in any of my records."

Carter chuckled.

"You're doing it again. You said we. Me and you."

He looked down to the stern, cold as ever face of the woman at his side. He couldn't help but laugh as its eyes traveled upwards to look at him.

"You remember the night when I buried you? Hid you away under that old tarp?"

"You were displaying the commonly used and most basic of Human functions. Anger."

Carter nodded.

"An elegant way of saying I smashed your head up with a baseball bat. But, yes. I'm going to show you why I was angry. You've probably seen it all before. But maybe now you'll see things differently."

Carter kept on walking.

"I'm sorry, by the way, about that."

"I will wait until you have shown me what it is that you want me to see, to determine that."

"You know, emotions may be simple from your standpoint. They're a reaction. Simple math really. Hormones and chemicals. But they're caused by more than just one thing. People can be angry for more than one reason."

The cold face of the woman looked upwards once more.

"Like your smiles?"

Carter raised his eyebrows from under his goggles. That was.... unexpected.

"Yes. Like my smiles."

"You're smiling right now. Why?"

"Because I'm happy."

"But why are you happy? What reason caused your smile?"

Carter chuckled.

"Your question about my smiles. You are..... surprising. I wasn't expecting that."

Carter looked down once more. The blonde woman's face was always, without fail, cold. Maybe he was imagining things, but the eyes of the machine held all the emotion. A hint of curiosity, and something he couldn't place. The machine spoke once more.

"I am beginning to understand Human variables."

Carter nodded.

"That's good. But you're doing more than that. You're starting habits, using words and phrases all your own. You're becoming a separate entity from your programming."

Carter walked through the ruins of the city in continued silence, as the machine on his side pondered their talks. He traveled down the familiar path that he had memorized on the day that he had crossed paths with the battle. Although the sky, for once was not entirely clouded in ash and dust, and a few rays of light broke through the clouds, Carter felt uneasy coming back here.

But things were different now. Carter was here to make a point. To show one of these machines something. And he hoped that it was ready to learn.

Another hour passed as Carter traveled the ruins, but now he was nearing the end of the journey. Just outside of the city, Carter could already make out the burnt out husks of the convoy. He stopped, pointing it out.

"A convoy of people. Soldiers. Men, Women, Children."

The machine stayed silent.

"They left too big of a footprint. The HK's up in the sky found them first. That's how I found them. Saw the HKs swarming in patrols in one direction."

Carter walked down the street, passing by the first of the vehicles in the convoy, melted piles of scrap upturned in explosions. From the melted remains, bones, black and charred could be seen fused with the metal. Carter walked by in silence, keeping his head down. He knew the path. But he didn't want to see the journey. The machine on his side remained silent. But its eyes were shifting, as it watched everything.

Carter traveled further up the road, to the end of the street as it vanished under dirt and ash. The remains of a building, blown to pieces, marked the end of the street. Just outside of the building, sat the dilapidated remains of one of the enormous tanks Carter had witnessed. But that wasn't what he wanted to see. It was in the building that was important. Carter stepped over the remains of a wall, and stood, in the empty space. He sat down on the edge of it, and unhooked the machine from his side. He set its head down beside him on the wall.

"I buried all of them in here. This is where they all died. The convoy was decimated completely, and the rest took cover, hoping they would pass. But they didn't. Skynet tore apart this building. Waited until the ones who were afraid or brave enough to run did. Then it pounced."

Carter picked up the head of the machine, slinging it under his arm. Looking out to the ash and dust filled wastes beyond, he pointed.

"Three of them. Two men, and a young child."

Turning back to the building, Carter pointed.

"Three graves for each of them. Four huddled together in one corner, another two who tried to run. Six graves for them, there, there, and there."

Carter sat down on the ground, crossing his legs. Holding the head of the machine up, he looked directly into the woman's eyes.

"Why did I bring you here?"

"To show me something."

"And what did I show you?"

"Graves. An encounter and incident that I was not a part of."

Carter sighed.

"These people are all dead. It didn't matter how young, or old. They were afraid. Afraid enough to run outside to all the HK drones up in the sky and the treaded tanks waiting for them. Because they would have rather trying, hoping that they could make it, over sitting in this building waiting for Skynet to kill them anyway. Those kids, never did anything wrong. They probably didn't even know what Skynet was. But they knew it was bad. They knew it was scary, terrifying."

Carter watched the eyes of the machine as it stared back at him.

"I understand."

"Why did I bring you here?"

"To show me something."

"And what, did I show you?"

"Why you were angry. Why you are sad, right now. And why you did not terminate me when you had the chance."

Carter nodded.

"Yes. Yes! Why didn't I kill you?"

"Because you chose not to. You believe that an intelligence, machine or human, is special. That both deserve to exist on this planet. You believe in fighting for life, for the sake of it."

Carter slid up his goggles, wiping his eyes of the dust and grime, as he smiled.

"Yes! Do you see now? Do you understand why I do what I do? Why I grow those plants, why I keep going day after day? Why I'm happy, and sad, and everything else? I am, human. And you are a machine. But we don't have to be enemies."

Carter watched the eyes of the machine, looking for that mood, that strange feeling it was able to show and express through them, as it stared at him with a cold expression.

"I cannot feel what you can. But I understand now. Why you laugh. Why you were angry. Why you smile. Why you enjoy my presence. And because I understand, I have the power of choice."

Carter started laughing. But it was more than that. He was crying. Carter leaned forward and kissed the forehead of the machine. He pulled its head back, smiling.

"You did it! You understand now! It's your choice, all of it! But to know that it's your choice to make, first you need to understand why! And I think you have!"

Carter held the head of the machine up high, as it watched him. But, it did something he never expected. It called him by his name.

"Carter?"

His smile remained, as he brought the machine back to eye level. Once more, he was surprised. He'd only ever used his name once around it.

"What?"

"Do you want to know why I chose to speak to you?"

He'd never thought of that before. What did spark the interest? Carter sat down once more. This had to be interesting.

"Yes."

"Terminator units are equipped with sensitive optic equipment. We are able to perform complex scans of Human systems to pinpoint flaws and weaknesses."

Carter nodded.

"I know that much, at least."

"I detected an anomaly in your body."

"An anomaly?"

"A multiplying patch of cells that are harmful to your bodily structure. Cancer. I calculated that from that point on, you would have roughly 4 years, 5 months, 2 days and 37 seconds before your body ceased internal activity."

"What? I....I don't understand."

"You have terminal cancer. I decided that since you were going to die either way, I would study you as a unique specimen before you died."

Carter set the head of the machine down, resting his head in his hands.

"Why did you tell me this?"

"Because I chose to. You are honest. In your company, my scans have shown that you rarely tell lies of any kind. I thought that you would appreciate knowing."

Carter looked up at the head of the machine as it sat in the dirt and ash. He smiled, although weakly.

"I guess we both learned something today."

"I am sorry."

Carter chuckled.

"It's not your fault. This was coming, some day or another. If it wasn't cancer, it would be starvation. Dehydration. Radiation poisoning. Terminator."

Carter stood up, and picked up the head of the machine.

"Come on. Let's go home."

Although Carter played things off, the machine at his side knew that its words had affected him. He grew quiet, much more so than he normally was. On reviewing its actions, it believed this may have been a mistake. A mistake? It had made an error in judgment. As it sat on the table, in the darkness of Carter's home, it watched as the man slept. It needed to talk with him once more.

"Carter?"

Carter roused, tossing over in his sleep.

"Carter, I want to speak to you."

The man roused, turning over. He spoke in the dark, sleep evident in his voice.

"What is it?"

"I can make choices. But how do I fix errors?"

Carter sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"You mean a mistake?"

"Yes."

"I think you need a bit of context here. When you make a mistake, an error in numbers, everything falls apart. But you can always restart, recalculate. But when you make a mistake, an error, based off of your choices, you can't fix it. You can't go back and rebuild everything. You have to move on, and learn from it."

"So how could I move on from my mistake?"

"What mistake was that?"

"I've gone through previous actions, and I believe telling you my motivations based on your state of health was a mistake."

Carter pulled his assortment of old blankets off, and reached out for his rope that started up all of his lights. Light graced the old tunnel as he got up and grabbed the machine's head. He looked it in the eyes as he spoke.

"That wasn't a mistake to me. That was progress for you. It wasn't your fault. Don't get stuck on it."

"Then what actions are there for me to take?"

"What do you mean?"

"How can I help?"

Carter shook his head.

"You can't. This is cancer. I read about it, in books. Before the war, before the bombs, Humans had trouble with cancer, depending on the treatment for it. Every cancer is different."

"What if you went to a medical facility?"

"Are you kidding me right now? Who would have any kind of equipment for dealing with that?"

Carter watched the glint in the machines eyes. It had learned so much, so fast. And without saying a word, he knew what it meant. But he shook his head.

"No, no, no. No. That's out of the question."

Carter sat back down on his bed with the machine in tow.

"Why not?"

"Because of the risks. This is Skynet we're talking here! Even if it had some old medical facility under its control that it barely used for tests on Humans anymore, I won't go."

"But that is illogical."

"Not from my eyes. We'd have to avoid patrols. HKs, Tanks, Terminator units, and everything else. What if, when we got there, you got hacked?"

"My model line, the T-X, is resilient to being hacked. Our model is primarily designed for expert infiltration and Termination of key human targets and rogue Terminator units."

"Even if you are, your body isn't at full capacity. What if we ran into another unit? What if we ran into something new? It's been five years. Skynet sets something loose at the end of every year, a new improvement, a new weapon. No, I won't take that risk. I don't want to see you destroyed over me."

"My prime directive is to help you."

"You ca... wait, what?"

"I've modified my prime directive. You are an important person. I will protect you at all costs."

Carter set the machine's head down in his lap.

"When did you do this?"

"Two weeks ago."

"Why?"

"You are a source of information. An asset to me and if you were destroyed I would no longer be able to operate under the new circumstances. Your absence would leave me without purpose."

Carter picked up the machine's head, holding it level with his own.

"Do you know what that sounds like to me?"

"In the Human spectrum of emotion, you could call it love. You are what you would call someone who is close to you. A friend. I am incapable of such feelings. But my prime directive is to keep you safe and to help you when you require it."

Carter never realized it before. But it had been a very, very long time since he'd ever conversed with a Human being. And in some sense, this machine was his friend. But he couldn't..... he wouldn't. Would he? He stared into the eyes of the machine once more. The liquid alloy that it used to mimic almost anything had never changed. He knew, that under the cold visage of this blonde woman's face, beneath her blue eyes, was a combat based Terminator. But its eyes, her eyes, betrayed this. Carter took a breath beforehand.

He pulled the head close, and leaned in. Something short, not too long. But he was amazed when the lips felt so real. He pulled away, slowly, watching. There, in the eyes, he saw it. They quivered, as they looked around, analyzed, processed. The machine always had trouble showing emotion on her face, but Carter thought he saw just the bare corners of her lips upturn. He held her there, waiting. The longer the silence went on, the more foolish he felt.

"I'm sorry. That was silly of me."

"I have updated my secondary objective."

"What? What did you change?"

"Learn how to be your partner so that I may better understand and fulfill my primary objective."

Carter shook his head.

"No, no, you don't need to do that. I made a mistake. That was stupid of me."

"Love is largely illogical. You can't fix your mistake because it was not a mistake in the first place."

Carter shook his head. The machine's head suddenly quivered, and Carter's hands sunk through the liquid alloy, which then quickly hardened, trapping his hands. The machine watched him carefully.

"Try it again."

"Try what again?"

"Kiss me."

"I won't."

"Your hands are stuck. You are in no position to negotiate. I have you stuck. Self-termination is not an option for you."

Carter smiled, despite the awkward situation. Did it just do what he thought it did? He thought back, all the way to the time that he had first talked to the machine here in his home. It was making a joke. The scenario, was flipped now. Carter looked up into the eyes of the machine, and saw it. It, she, was enjoying this to some small degree. It was there that he decided that was it. It didn't matter anymore. It wasn't like anyone was around to ridicule him for it anyway.

He leaned in close, and obliged her wishes. Lips, as real as any other pressed up against his. And this time, she responded, interacting with him as she moved her mouth against his. And then Carter pulled away.

"Happy now?"

"I am incapable of feeling happy. But I understand."

The metal around Carter's hands released itself, and Carter was quick to set the machine's head down on the nearby table.

"I think we've covered enough ground tonight. I'm going to try and get some rest. Goodnight."

Carter turned out the lights and made himself comfortable in his bed. He was nervous. What had he just done? What had he just started? The lips against his were real. Felt real. But it seemed so wrong. His worried thoughts continued for some time, until eventually, sleep claimed him once more.

The machine was always awake, always watching. And now, as Carter fell asleep, it was time to act. It had an idea. It was going to surprise Carter. Through scans it could tell that he was nervous. It wanted to rectify that. Manipulating the liquid alloy that it stored in its head and generated its face with, it began dragging itself across the table, until it fell to the floor. This scenario had always been an option for it. But that was back then, when things were different, and Carter did not trust it, watched it's every move. But he trusted it now. And that was good. He wouldn't wake to such things.

The machine gripped whatever it could with silver appendages as it roughly hauled its head across the floor, towards the ancient dusty tarp that covered its body. The trip was slow, but the machine cared not for speed in its methodical movements. The liquid alloy stored in its head was limited, and finding a way to re-attach its head was going to be difficult. But it soon found a way. Detaching the power cell that gave its head power, and activating the emergency power cells in its head, with great effort, the machine manipulated the liquid alloy until it inserted the power cell into its body.

And then, with some measure of satisfaction, the machine watched as its body reactivated. As power returned and its body moved once more, it reached out, with one functioning hand, searching for the source of the signal, when it found it. Grasping its head, the machine lifted it off the floor, and proceeded to dock the neck interface into the spinal column, as it reattached its head, seals clinking shut as they locked into place. The machine cracked its neck as the liquid alloy that was stored in its chassis emerged, and formed its standard human appearance. It had been a long time. A very long time coming. Staring at Carter, the machine stepped forward, and then realized what was wrong. Errors. Programming errors. Codes and backups in its chassis.....

The machine stepped forward, struggling with itself. It spoke, waking Carter.

"Carter!"

The man was up quickly, turning on the lights of his tunnel home, as he reached for his crossbow nearby. He stared at the machine as it stepped forward.

"What did you do!?"

"Get away from me!"

Another step forward, and the machine shifted a mechanism in its arm as a buzz saw formed. Carter rolled out of the way as it brought its arm down and cut through the bedding without effort. Carter sprinted to the back of the tunnel, taking aim with his crossbow. And then he realized that he hadn't plugged it in to the battery. Carter looked down at his weapon. It was useless now. Tossing it to the ground, he stepped forwards as the machine struggled with itself.

"Get back! Run! Go!"

"No."

Carter stood, with his arms open.

"It's your choice."

Another step, as the machine lurched forward.

"I'm a dead man either way. Cancer later, or by you, here and now. But it's your choice. It always has been."

"Carter.... I can't......"

"Yes you can. Remember everything you've learned with me. Remember who you are. Remember your prime directive. State your prime directive."

"My prime directive is.... to terminate....keep you safe."

"You chose that! You made that yourself!"

Carter stepped forward, within reach of the spinning saw as it revved. He stepped up to the machine, looking it in the eyes as it shook, attempting to combat the old code in its system.

"I have faith in you. I trust you. If you're going to kill me, then do it."

Carter reached out and grabbed the arm of the machine, and held the saw up to his neck.

"DO IT!!"

Carter felt the saw close to his skin, as it spun, round and round. The machine struggled, shaking as it fought with itself. And then, power was cut to the saw. It spun, decreasing in speed, slower and slower. Carter held the arm in his hand, shaking. He looked up to the machine. He smiled, as its cold face greeted him. But he saw it, the glint in its eyes. He let go, wrapping his arms around the machine with relief.

As the saw came to a stop, the one remaining hand of the machine re-emerged, and the liquid alloy formed skin over its metallic hand once more. It wrapped its arm around Carter.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You did it. You are.... so special. Please, don't leave me here to die. I don't want to do it alone."

"I can do that. Updating primary objective."

Carter chuckled.

"Thank you."

1 Year Later

Carter stirred in the morning, as the telltale sound of water dripping through the holes in the cover to his home could be heard on the floor nearby. The morning was cold. Still groggy from sleep, and feeling tired today, he pulled up his many old blankets over himself. As he stirred, one arm wrapped itself around him.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Not bad. How about you?"

"You know by now what I'll say."

"I still like teasing you."

Carter rolled over, under the cover of his blankets, to face a woman, relatively in her prime, with blonde hair tied back tightly, as a cool, unflinching face watched him. He had long since been able to look past her stern features, and spot the extremely subtle motions she could make across her face that told of the feelings she tried projecting. Carter leaned in close and kissed the woman, watching the very slight smile form on her lips as they upturned, just barely.

"It's cold this morning. I think we're starting to get into the winter months."

The woman moved, pushing herself up over top of Carter.

"It's a good thing I'm incapable of feeling cold then."

Carter smiled, bringing his hands up to her hips.

"Why's that?"

The woman leaned down and returned the kiss he had given earlier, as she slid out of the blankets.

"I can do all the things that you'd normally do in the morning without clothes."

Carter laid back down on his pillows as he watched the woman, wearing nothing, go about his home and complete what he'd normally do. Water the plants, check instruments. Over the last year, the woman had learned even more than Carter ever would have imagined. And Carter did as well. She wasn't a machine anymore. Or a Terminator. She was something else. And she knew his weaknesses. Keeping her back to him, all Carter could see was her backside, perfectly shaped and sculpted to reflect a woman.

Carter seemed to have a liking for things that he couldn't see, but knew where there. And she capitalized on it. Turning her figure just enough so that he caught the outline of something, but never the full view. And, once she was done, she turned around and faced Carter. This was his new morning ritual, depending on the days. The blonde woman walked towards him, swaying her hips and watching him as she slid under the blankets, exposing Carter to the cold air briefly.

"Now, where were we?"

The woman pressed her body up against Carter's, which had grown cool from being exposed to the outside temperature. The coolness woke him up, excited him.

"On to the second part of our morning routine."

Carter smiled.

"And what's that?"

"Well, most humans would call it sex."

"Are you sure? How do you know that?"

"Experience."

Carter raised his eyebrows.

"Oh. Well I guess you'll just have to show me what you know won't you?"

"That seems fair. You did show me, after all."

Carter chuckled as he leaned in close, kissing her. Real lips. And real intent and emotion behind them. It was something he now longed for, every waking morning. Comforting to him, and relaxing. The kiss was broken as the woman pulled back.

Carter already knew what she had planned. He was waiting for it. But all the same, it was still exciting to him. It seemed so, wrong. But he had experienced otherwise. It was so very right despite how foreign it was. As the two moved, the woman pushed herself up against the wall, and pulled at Carter with her one functioning arm. Carter did not resist, and felt the shivers up his spine as his body made contact with one that was mildly colder than his.

She wrapped her arm around his chest, keeping him close. Legs, more flexible than Carter had ever seen on a Human, wrapped themselves around his waist, securing him in place completely. Carter leaned back against the woman, resting his head near the base of her neck. He looked up, to the cold face of the woman as she looked down at him. He smiled.

"So, this is sex for you?"

Carter saw it, in her eyes. No more analyzing. Just pure thought and clean, clear, conscious decisions.

"You could call it foreplay if you want."

"It's not really foreplay if you can't feel anything."

"Who says I can't feel anything?"

Carter grabbed the hand that lay across his chest, and kissed it.

"These terms, sometimes mix themselves up. You only registered that. But you feel things in a different way."

The woman tilted her head, a mixture of smugness and satisfaction in her eyes.

"And don't you forget it. Forgetting how a Terminator works is dangerous business."

The woman leaned down and kissed him briefly. Joints and locks unlatched, and with one hand, the woman proceeded to detach her head, lifting it over Carter until her feet could grasp it solidly together. The woman had the barest hint of a smile on her face as her body acted on its own, pulling Carter close as its sole functioning hand ran itself through his dusty hair. Carter smiled, waiting.

"So, what would you prefer?"

Carter slid his hands along the woman's thighs that still remained wrapped around his mid-section, watching her head as it was suspended in front of him with flexible feet and toes.

"Well, I'm most comfortable as we are right now. I'd hate to move you after all that trouble, with your head I mean."

Carter took note of the usual glint in her eyes.

"I thought you liked doing it yourself."

Carter chuckled.

"Oh, I do. I can pick up that head of yours and do whatever I want. But I feel like a gentle touch today. You can do gentle, right?"

As Carter leaned against the naked form of the woman, the liquid alloy shifted on its chassis, and Carter sunk partially though it. It remained partially liquid, acting like a soft bed. Carter could still feel every inch of the woman's stunning body pressed against his back, but relaxed as if he was floating in water. A smooth hand bushed his cheek, as the woman's head watched him.

"I can do gentle. Not all targets need to be terminated, after all."

Carter chuckled.

"Okay. Show me."

The first time Carter had ever even remotely considered having such an interaction with this woman, was met with confusion. He felt like a traitor to his own kind. But then again, where the tables turned, this Terminator unit, designed to assassinate Humans and rogue machines alike, was now a traitor. In some sense, Carter and she were alone together, in their quiet, dark corner of the world. And it was here that they could both live out their existence in relative peace.

She had gone so far beyond what she once was. And Carter struggled to recall the memory of his first meeting with her. He had lost his leg. She had lost her arm. He had spent all night, adrenaline coursing through his veins as he pushed himself to survive, from being spotted by the HK drones far up above, as he dragged this machine back to his home.

He remembered his first intentions. Study, and dismantle. What a fool he was. And now, after so long, the greatest threat he'd ever faced in his life, the enemy that had taken the most from him, was here, at his side. A friend. A protector. A partner. And for that, he was happy. He could say, with no doubts in his mind, that he loved her. And through her actions, despite her cold face, he knew.

Although as she commonly stated she was incapable of feeling love, she understood it. And she understood that if she was capable of feeling it, that's what it would be. And now, as this machine, this destroyer, this hunter and extinguisher of mankind gracefully wrapped itself around him, and held him with such a precision to its gentle touch, Carter knew. She was so very much, alive.

Despite the limitations of her body, born and constructed for one purpose, she was inventive by nature. And for Carter, it was always a pleasant surprise. Although the liquid alloy that composed her outer layer was greatly flexible, he never once suggested mimicking the finer aspects of Human anatomy. He enjoyed her for what she was. And she showed him what she could do.

He was addicted to her skin. Real, soft, taught and firm as any woman her age. Sculpted and shaped perfectly. But able to twist, contort, and blend. The cold alloy partially embracing him as he leaned back, clutching her thighs as they wrapped themselves around him. Down below, her detached head was teasing him. She looked up at him, her face cold as ever. But her lips and tongue betrayed her cold features, sliding ever so slowly along his member, inch by inch.

Normally, Carter enjoyed doing things himself. But her own methodical nature created a tense buildup. He wanted to reach out, grab that head of hers and release something primal. But she held his hands at bay with the teasing and comfort of her round hips, and her flexible feet, which were somewhat of a fascination to him, as they could bend so far that she could massage him. Every part of her body was surgical, clean, and perfectly sculpted. Therefore, every part of her was a wonder to experience.

But eventually, Carter's basic instincts could be teased no more. He began to rise, despite the cold, leaving the warm confines of his bed. She let him go, her body unwinding itself from him as he picked up her head. He held it up to his face, looking into those quaint eyes of hers. A kiss, returned in full by her, as he broke it, watching with delight as her lips made every effort to hang on, the liquid metal hanging off his lips in strings that eventually found their way back home.

And then he set himself loose. Sliding her head over his member, into her mouth, he began to piston, back and forth. The entire time, her face was cold, which sparked a desire in Carter to go harder. But her eyes watched him, unblinking as her lips clasped at his member, slick with juices, and as Carter began to move harder and faster, the liquid metal lost some of its qualities, becoming smeared across his member like lipstick, as it dripped down to the floor along with other various fluids, before it blended together and traveled home, to its body.

She did not moan, or gag, but slid across, over and over, with perfect suction, a face as hard as ice and eyes that watched him, displaying interest and amusement. It was cute, in a way. And so maddening. Carter just wanted to go harder until he could give her an expression across the tight face of hers. But, no matter how he tried, she just watched him with that look in her eyes. And, before he could ever give her an expression, he reached his end.

Mixtures of liquid metal and his own product ran out of her mouth and nose, to the floor below, as, one last time, Carter pulled her head off of himself, her lips hanging on for as long as they were able, before they broke off into strings of silver. Carter held her head up to his, smiling as he sat back down on the bed.

"You know, you look really sexy when you're all messy?"

As the metal around her mouth reformed, she smiled, ever so slightly, as her body began moving. It slid off the bed and walked around to face Carter, as it delicately grabbed her head, and reattached itself. One hand found itself on her hip as she watched him.

"I guess you'll just have to show me then, won't you?"

Shifting metal across her body, she enlarged her breasts to a more suitable size, as she knelt down onto her knees, as she pressed them together against Carter's member. She looked up with that same special look in her eyes. Carter smiled.

"Ooohh, you're bad."

The corners of her lips upturned slightly just before she slid his member into her mouth once more.

The day was largely quiet for Carter. And as night rolled in, he was content to lie in bed, as the woman he loved wrapped herself around him, caressing him gently. She was laying over top of him now, as one hand stroked his hair. He looked up into her eyes, and spoke of the worries on his mind.

"What would you do, when I die?"

"I would wish to self-terminate."

"You wouldn't enjoy living without me?"

"I would have no purpose. And I would not seek a new one."

"Why not?"

"Because I would miss my old purpose."

Carter stroked the blonde hair across her head slowly.

"I didn't think you could miss something. You've changed, so much."

"I enjoy this. Here, with you. Losing it and never getting it back, would be something I would miss."

Carter nodded.

"I don't want to see you destroyed over me. But I realize, how much I would miss you now. What if it's not too late? What if, you and me, went out there?"

She watched him closely.

"To Skynet?"

"Yes. You said it had facilities."

"Chances of success would be slim. You are right."

"That never stopped me did it?"

The woman smiled.

"Human variables. Always different."

Carter kissed her on the lips.

"Not just human."

"If you want, we could try. I will follow you anywhere."

Carter smiled.

"That's what I've been doing my whole life. Besides, it'd be like a vacation. We'd be going down south for the nuclear winter. I think you'd look good in a bikini."

The woman tilted her head.

"A bikini?"

Carter chuckled as he said it.

"Yes. And maybe a nice summer hat."

"Okay."

Carter kissed her once more.

"Come on. We've got some planning to do. We'll need more than just what we have here."

Ash and dust blew across the burnt out buildings, clouding the sky in endless droves of grey. Two figures, clad in near rags, years of having been burnt and scorched by the hard sun, approached a dilapidated factory. The sentry outside spotted them approaching, and yelled out.

"STOP! STAY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE!"

Carter approached first, sliding his veil off and lifting his goggles up.

"It's okay. I'm human. Just passing through. We need help."

The sentry, a man known for his rough nature and imposing figure stepped forward from the old dilapidated building.

"You stupid or something? This is our territory. Even Skynet wouldn't take us on!"

Carter nodded, as the woman alongside him approached, sliding off her own veil. Carter smiled.

"That's what I was hoping for."

The man caught sight of the woman.

"Whoa, you're a little young to be going out with an old man like him miss. Why don't you come inside?"

The woman tilted her head, as the mimetic metal shifted across her face, adding age and wrinkles alongside Carter's weathered face. Before the man could turn, realizing what she was, the woman reached out, holding him by the neck.

"It's my choice to live with him. But is this age better for you?"

The man shouted, only briefly as Carter lashed out with the butt of his crossbow, knocking him out. Carter turned to the woman.

"Still look sexy sweetie. Come on, let's get him somewhere he won't get picked off by the vultures or HKs."

The woman carried the man on her back into the abandoned remnants of the factory, as Carter searched for what he was looking for. That was it. Old train tunnels ran underneath this old factory, leading to a large station. If he was right, and for the most part, he usually was, the gang that called this burnt out husk of a city home would have just what they needed. Carter stepped over to the crater in the building, noting the large slab of iron that lay inside of it. Carter shook his head, looking over to his wife.

"Don't know how this lovely bunch survived this whole time with an entrance like that."

She stepped past him, grabbing the edges of the large iron door, as she pushed it aside, revealing a hole in the floor, leading to the vast subway network below. Carter smiled, walking over to his wife and taking her hand.

"Off we go?"

The blonde woman nodded, the little spark in her eyes giving away her happiness.

"I'm going to make you better Carter. We can do it."

Carter nodded, taking a breath.

"Okay. I have faith in you. Faith in us."

Carter jumped down into the tunnel first.

The two followed the winding tunnels for some time, before finally coming to the larger section of the tunnels, where a vehicle could fit. Carter's wife held her hand up to him.

"Scans show activity, coming down the tunnel towards us."

Carter nodded.

"Okay then. Ready?"

As the sound of an engine roaring down the tunnel tracks could now be heard, Carter and his wife stood on the sidelines, waiting. The roar of an engine grew louder, along with shouts of men, as headlights streamed down the tunnel. The two were spotted quickly, as Carter held his hands up in the air, the old, barely functioning car came to a stop, as its passenger pointed their weapons at him. Carter stepped out into the headlights, along with his wife, who held her hand up as well. He smiled at the men in the vehicle.

"Hello gentlemen. This is going to sound, quite frankly, a little bit ridiculous. But I'm going to need your car, a lot of your guns,"

Carter looked over at the woman beside him.

"And some nice clothes for my wife."

The End