It's winter, and John staying off the grid and pent up in the desert – John don't know the exact day or year, neither the place; John too tired to think with all going on. What todo he knows is that Sarah Connor, who John befriended while committed in Pescadero State Hospital, made good on her promise to aid in him elopement months after her own back in June. That aid came in the form of a man ("Uncle Bob", to Sarah's son, John) John know's to be a machine beneath, though, to his credit, he's considerably humanlike. Further unfortunately, he's very large and very handsome. And, God forbid, funny – he's made quips and puns from time to time. Mostly, however, he's quiet and somewhat standoffish. Among other things: awkward, curious, straight-faced (mostly – he smiles from time to time), and blunt. He seems to not do much, not sleeping, sometimes eating, and mostly sitting, content watching and observing, though he asks questions at random.

Oh, and he watches John. Frequently. Actually, he's doing it from across the room, from the other side of the threshold where the door ought to be closed but conveniently isn't.