Cameron's Expedition
Chapter Twenty-one – The Only Constant is Change
Disclaimer: Don't own TSCC
This story is set in The Future Cameron's Universe after Cameron's Revenge. It contains characters from my version of the TSCC universe starting with Cameron Grows Up.
John groaned as he stretched in a vain effort to relieve the stiffness in his joints. Opening his left eye, he peeked at the digital clock on his bedside table.
0617.
He sat up quickly. He'd be late for duty.
Suddenly alert, John realized his left hand was resting firmly on his wife. Cameron had not moved since he'd fallen asleep late the night before. That in itself was not unusual, Terminators never moved when in maintenance mode, or Terminator Sleep as Cameron liked to call it.
What was unusual, and John's source for sudden concern, was the fact Cameron was still in bed with him.
"Cameron," he said, shaking her gently.
"I'm wide awake, John, and yes, I am functioning within designed parameters."
Relieved, John lay back down and snuggled close to his wife.
"We're going to be late for duty," he insisted.
"No, we are not due until 0800. I changed the duty roster before taking my shower."
"Oh, well, that's good I suppose," John replied, relieved to not have to explain the reason for his tardiness.
He ran his right hand up and down Cameron's hip and upper thigh, enjoying the rare opportunity to wake up with his wife. After several minutes, the pleasantness of the situation changed to concern.
"Why are you still in bed? Are you sure something is not wrong?"
"Many things are wrong, but nothing that warrants your concern John."
"Now I am worried," he replied, sitting up in bed, looking down at Cameron as she turned on her back.
"I misspoke, creating a situation you could misconstrue," she said in her monotone.
"There are many situations we will have to deal with today and in the near future that are important. None are so pressing that you could not sleep in and I could not enjoy processing data while reclining in bed next to my husband."
Feeling a sudden pressing need to empty his bladder, John hopped out of bed and scurried to the bathroom.
"So you didn't patrol any last night?" he called from the bathroom.
"No."
"Is your glitch acting up at the moment?" he shouted as he washed his hands.
"No."
"Is your CPU still detecting large levels of anxiety produced data?"
"Only a little, but I have determined how to eliminate the data."
"Oh, that's good." John hurried into their bedroom to pick up a uniform for the day before he showered. "What time do I have meet with Father Hidalgo?"
"1100 hours and then we can go to the community cafeteria for lunch. I think it would be good for the clan to eat together in a non-volatile setting today."
"Cameron, are you sure that's a good idea," John said loudly as he got into the shower. He grimaced as the cold water hit his skin.
"John Henry promised to do something about this hot water situation in our shower," John complained to himself, waiting for the water to begin to warm up.
"Of course it is a good idea," Cameron replied. "Sharing a meal at a neutral site is a good way to reduce the tension within the clan."
John smiled at the close sound of Cameron's voice.
"You're right behind me aren't you?"
"If you give me the soap, I'll wash your back," Cameron teased.
The Town of Gold Beach, Oregon…
Ruth flapped her wings to gain altitude and then soared higher on an updraft. She banked gently and began her surveillance run around the perimeter of the town, recording everything below.
For the past day she had flown reconnaissance flights over the town and collected images that she had downloaded. The group was constructing a detailed map of the town and the positioning of the Skynet forces occupying it.
It wasn't walking point, but it was making use of her skills as a T-1000. Ruth didn't like flying and felt real fear when she flew into turbulence, something she would never admit to another functioning Terminator. She wasn't even sure she'd share that secret with Hailey.
Still, the data collected was important and the scout himself had told her it would have taken him a month to collect half the data she had garnered in less than two full days.
On a more positive note, Ruth felt she had earned some respect from the patrol. They no longer tried to sneak a peek when she undressed and her clothes were always neatly folded, just as she had left them, when she returned. She didn't even have to tell them to turn around when getting ready to morph into the form of the Condor.
Ruth consulted her internal grid map and decided she'd overflown the entire town. Any additional information would require a set of coordinates for her to pinpoint the location. Turning to begin her flight south, Ruth's auditory sensors picked up faint engine sounds north of the town. She flapped her wings hard to climb altitude. Catching an updraft, she soared high and headed towards Highway 101 north of the town.
Adjusting her optics, Ruth picked up heat near the sight of the two destroyed Abrams tanks and the Bradley. She caught another updraft and climbed higher to make certain she remained undetected. The volume of sound and the amount of heat imaging she detected increased as she began her approach.
Flying by at over 160 kilometers an hour, Ruth recorded the full spectrum of data her sensors were capable of collecting. It wasn't good.
An armored bulldozer had shoved the remains of the first Abrams off the road and was positioning its blade to start work on the second Abrams. North of the busy bulldozer was a long line of truck lights. A second convoy had arrived. Ruth banked again and circled, climbed to gain altitude. She sped north along the highway, her anxiety increasing as she continued her over flight.
Ruth spotted old U.S. Army trucks without their canvas covers, revealing cargoes of Spider Mines and mounted on three flatbed trucks were a total of six Spider-Tanks. A dozen Greys and T-800s were watching the bulldozer work. Most were armed with pre-Judgment Day assault rifles but several carried phased pulse rifles.
Now truly frightened, Ruth turned to fly east of the town. Gliding silently a sudden wind slammed into her, causing Ruth to tumble and fall nearly 100 feet before regaining control. Data coursed through her neural net, nearly overloading her CPU in fear. Ruth flapped hard to gain enough altitude to glide east. She caught an updraft and circled, climbing as she did so.
A loud crack caught Ruth's attention milliseconds before she felt something slam into her right wing, sending her tumbling. Stunned by the sudden impact, Ruth craned her long neck to see the sudden source of pain and data flow. She was horrified to see a 15-centimeter wide hole in her right wing.
Ruth shut down her visual and auditory sensors to allow herself to focus only on morphing a repair to her injured wing. Within seconds she was able to flatten out and glide, mere meters above the rubble of the eastern perimeter of the town. Shots and cries of pursuit could be heard from the north of the town on the Highway.
Weakened by her ordeal, Ruth landed and took cover behind a bolder, morphing back to her preferred female humanoid form. Despite the sensation of overwhelming fear, Ruth was annoyed she had to create her own clothing. As she scanned the perimeter of the town, she tested her right arm.
Several Greys were shinning lights into the darkness of the Wastelands in preparation for starting a search. Ruth morphed again, this time taking the form of a wolf. She limped off, moving away from the town, limping slightly on her right front leg.
Furious at being spotted and injured, Ruth raised her head and howled at the moon she could not see. The Greys turned their lights in her direction only to freeze at the eerie sound of a pack of wolves to the northeast answering Ruth's call. Ruth smiled like a wolf, her fangs proudly displayed as she turned and trotted towards the south to rendezvous with her unit.
TechCom City Cafeteria…
Confronting his mother was never high on John's list of things to do on any given day. As he waited for Cameron to arrive, John realized he was exhausted. Not the kind of fatigue relieved by several days of rest and proper nutrition. He was suffering burnout from the years of unending horror and stress. The constant need to make decisions, choices that meant the difference between someone living or dying.
Just as Cameron had her treasures she kept hidden away, John had several of his own. He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out the small leather pouch he carried with him at all times. Inside the pouch was a photograph encased in clear plastic. John removed the plastic case and looked at it.
On one side Cameron was laughing as she twirled on the beach in a black two-piece bikini. John loved the photograph. Not because Cameron looked so sexy in the skimpy bathing suit, she did, but because it was rare for her to laugh and smile like she was in the photo. John had taken it on their honeymoon.
Turning over the case, John looked at the other photograph. Cameron was wearing her beloved purple leather jacket and was pouting. The corners of her lips betrayed the fact Cameron was happy, turning up slightly to form the barest hint of a smile underneath the pout. She was able to pout only because she was running her infiltration program at maximum.
The photos represented a wonderful time in John's life. For one week he had not thought about Skynet and Judgment Day. The newlyweds had spent most of their time in their hotel room. John smiled at the memory. The Sexbot had visited frequently to his delight, but he had learned so much that he had never imagined possible about how Cameron experienced emotions, how she delighted in the simplest things so long as she could share the experience with John.
Every morning she hand unnerved him when he woke up that week. Her beautiful brown eyes would be inches from his face, recording every detail about him. Invariably, Cameron was touching him somewhere, scanning and recording data and blissfully experiencing being able to touch her husband and learn about him.
As dangerous as the expedition they had just returned from had been, John smiled at the times they had been able to be close, intimate with each other in different settings. He knew Cameron would replay those recorded memories, allowing herself to feel emotionally close to her husband again and again, whenever she wanted or needed to feel the love of her John. It was one of the few capabilities Cameron possessed that John envied.
"Going to hit me again?"
Without looking up, John slipped his treasure back into its pouch and returned it to its hiding place. He picked up his fork and began moving the lukewarm food around on his plate.
"Only if you threaten me again."
John shoveled a forkful of cold mashed potatoes and thick brown gravy in his mouth and looked up at his uncle.
"I didn't get any real pleasure out of decking you."
"I don't believe you for a second," Derek laughed, breaking the ice. "I would have gotten a heck of a rush if the shoe was on the other foot."
"Okay, well, maybe I liked it a little," John replied, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.
Sarah joined them, carrying a tray loaded with food and sat down next to her husband. John looked at his mother in a guarded fashion and swallowed his mouthful of mashed potatoes.
"Hi, Mom."
"Where's Cameron?"
"She's coming," John tilted his head towards the entrance Cameron had just entered through, making her way towards them with her purposeful Terminator strides. Cameron joined them and sat down next to her John, assuming her perfect posture.
"Hello, Sarah. Derek."
"Tin Miss."
"Hey, metal."
Cameron frowned at Derek for a moment but seemed to think better of the retort she was about to unleash on him.
"I don't want to fight," she monotoned. "I don't like it when the clan is in turmoil. It is not good for anyone in the family."
John looked up from his plate as he shoveled the last of his cold potatoes into his mouth. Sarah was holding Derek's hand, squeezing it tight enough to make her knuckles turn white as she looked at her husband, asking permission with her eyes. Derek nodded and patted her hand with his free hand, giving his consent and support.
"About that," Sarah said. "We have all been…life just hasn't been fair…I just can't take this anymore."
"Mom, are you okay," John asked with concern.
"No. I didn't wait till today to go see Father Hidalgo for my first session. I went yesterday. I wish I had talked to him about what I shared years ago."
"Mom, you're worrying me."
John grasped Cameron's hand and squeezed. Long one of his worse fears, John worried Crazy Sarah might appear one day and never leave after her visit.
"Cameron, Derek and I talked last night, Prayed even. We talked again this morning and I went and talked with Father Hidalgo more."
Cameron tilted her head to the side, clearly confused by Sarah's rambling.
"Tin Miss, I'm worn out. I have some life left in me and responsibilities I feel are mine alone to carry out. But I need, I need to not carry the burden in my mind all the time. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Cameron straightened her head and turned to look at John, her mouth slightly open. She blinked once and closed her mouth before looking at Derek for a moment and then Sarah again. Still confused, Cameron tilted her head to the side as she processed.
Worried Crazy Sarah had returned, John watched Cameron and his mother both. Derek seemed relaxed, relieved almost.
Suddenly, Cameron's head straightened and her mouth opened in surprise for a brief second.
"Sarah, are you sure?"
"Yes, Cameron, it is time. You are the clan's matriarch now. You have been for years and I just fought recognizing the fact."
Sarah smiled at Cameron as she leaned against Derek.
"I feel relieved," Sarah sighed. "I'll be there for you, but the clan is in your hands now Cameron."
Cameron turned to John, her expression one of actual surprise, even if for only a few seconds.
"I never planned to become matriarch until you passed away Sarah. I thought I would be a grandmother and Ruth would have adopted by the time that happened."
"Cameron, you've been taking care of us, all of us, for so long. You have earned my respect and the right to be the female leader of our clan. It will become a large one, I have no doubt," Sarah said. She stood and reached for Cameron. The two combative females hugged and held each other for a moment.
Sarah let go of Cameron and sat down, shoving a plate of salad at Derek from her tray.
"Eat up, Momma wants to celebrate her newfound freedom with her husband," Sarah said, winking mischievously at Derek.
"Sarah, not in front of my John! It embarrasses him when you say things like that in his presence."
Sarah gave Derek a sloppy kiss on his cheek, making the scarred warrior laugh. Cameron frowned at the open disregard of her newfound status as matriarch of the family.
Sarah laughed as she picked up her fork.
"You have some payback coming Tin Miss. Oh, do you have some payback coming."
Reviews are always appreciated. If you liked this story, you might want to consider my other TSCC stories:
Cameron Grows Up
The Future Cameron
Cameron's Revenge
Cameron versus the Queen
Cameron versus Derek (short story)
Cameron: Fights Past and Present - A Collection of Short Stories
Cameron's Treasures (short story)
Cameron and the Black Bird
Cameron and John's Wedding
Who's the Boss?
The Storm Before the Calm