Author's Notes

The quote at the end of Chapter 10 is from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. I know, the quote comes from a rather comedic context, but when the words stand on their own, I think they work here. Besides Cameron might not understand the more subtle nature of Shakespeare ;).

This story kept growing as I wrote it. At first I thought I could write it all in around 3 or 4 chapters, but the more I wrote Cameron's perspective on things, the more I realized how slow she would have to develop. Perhaps this is the intention of the show's writers, to slowly develop her character as she learns to handle emotional behavior.

I wanted to show that Cameron need not be too humanized, for lack of a better term, in order to feel. A cyborg such as her would be sentient, a learning computer, self-aware and able to come to terms with her own desires and needs. They need not be human desires and needs, however. She need not feel precisely human emotions, but rather a different, yet still similar, repertoire of emotional responses. Thus she is a machine, or cyborg if you prefer, but she can still learn to love, to hate, to feel sadness, pain and pleasure, even if her expressions of such emotions are often wildly different than a human's.

John is a difficult case as well. Given how he's never led a normal life, he's much more machine-like than his fellow humans, he's almost as clumsy socially as Cameron, in many ways. This is, of course, why he can relate to Cameron at some level, even why he could relate to "Uncle Bob." This is probably why he defeats Skynet as well. Maybe the show will hint at this.

I wanted to portray him as teenager, inexperienced with his own feelings and desires, despising the future he will inevitably lead, but still with a hint of the man to come. His battle scene with Cromartie was written to show that he isn't just some angsty kid ranting and raving about the general crap of the world. His dream sequence was there to remind us that he knows his future, and fears it deeply. He's a great man who has yet to come to terms with his destiny, who has yet to even understand that he has that in him. I wanted to portray Cameron as more than his protector, more even than his 'girlfriend.' She is there to remind him of his own strength.

I'm not sure if I really pulled off all of my lofty goals with this story, but I made my humble attempt in any case. I'm thinking I might write a sequel for this at some point, there's still a lot more I'd like to explore. And of course, I am eagerly awaiting the second season, supposing it is renewed.

In the meantime I'd like to thank everyone who read this story, especially those who left reviews (reviews are pure gold to a writer). You were all a great help, and gave me many ideas with which to further the story. I'll write more stories for TSCC in the future, and I hope you'll give them a read.

Until then, this is Xeal, signing off :).