Chapter 4

Tight

Sarah Connor:

When is a machine no longer a machine? Is it when it can think on its own? Is it when it can create things? Maybe it is when it can recognize beauty. When a machine can create art in the form of dance or poetry, is it still only a machine? If a machine can feel or express anger, joy, hate, jealousy and love, what separates it from humans at that point? When the machines are able to reproduce other machines in their image on their own and teach them to learn, what are they? At what point does a machine that can do everything a human can actually become a mechanical human?

Vanna stood there and looked at Cameron. She knew it was a machine that she looked at. It was not a human. It was not a person. There was no denying the beauty there at what she looked at.

Her hand gently ran up the length of Cameron's body. The sheath was soft and smooth. It was perfect. The only thing missing were the little scars, here and there. It was Allison, Her Allison, in every way. Vanna bent down and kissed Cameron's cheek ever so softly. It was still not HER Allison even if they were identical. She was done for now. The cosmetic repairs were finished. The new connector was installed in the back of Cameron's neck. It was time for the interface with her server.

To see Cameron like this now in perfect condition made Vanna miss Allison even more. She appreciated the fact she was brought to this time, the past, from the future but the cost of leaving her beloved behind was too painful. If she had to do it again she would refuse to go without Allison. It was better to live in Hell with the one you loved than in Paradise 'alone'. It was a slow motion death as an empty heart withered. She was here alone and Allison was there alone too. She may even be dead by now or worse. She could have fallen into the hands of Skynet or Scavengers. That was a fate worse than death. She'd seen the bodies of the females after the Scavengers were done with them. Allison deserved better than that.

Allison was her love.

Allison was her life.

Allison was her everything.

Allison was gone.

Vanna previously asked Sarah about how Cameron should be dressed.

Sarah told Vanna what to get Cameron for her clothing. She told her down to the last detail, even the purple underwear. The clothes were stacked neatly on the table in front of her. Cameron wore a hospital type gown. Before the gown covered her damage, now it covered her beauty.

Cameron was fitted with a compact neck port to connect her chassis with her server. It was more aesthetic and efficient than the crude connector John Henry was connected to his old server with it in the back of his head. Cameron provided them with specifications through her server to improve the interface. It was much more discreet.

Vanna spent hours talking to Cameron in her server when she should have been sleeping. She'd grown very fond of Cameron the more she interacted with her. Sure Cameron was a computer program but she was very pleasant to speak to. She became very attached to Cameron in the days they shared with each other. They built a special bond.

It was time to get the chassis connected to the server.

Vanna looked at Sarah who nodded. Vanna nodded at Mr. Murch.

Mr. Murch plugged the cable into the back of Cameron's neck.

Cameron's eyes opened immediately.

Cameron sat up and looked around. She asked Mr. Murch and Vanna to leave for a few minutes.

Both left without a word. They were proud of their workmanship. They allowed Cameron the privacy to get dressed without an audience.

Sarah remained with Cameron. They were alone now.

Cameron stood and Sarah moved up and hugged her. She hesitated at first and then hugged Sarah back. She scanned Sarah to see what the changes were, if any in her body. She always monitored Sarah for any changes. It was important to John that his mother did not get 'sick'. She checked whenever she could as discreetly as possible.

Cameron slipped the gown off. She stood naked in front of Sarah.

Sarah could not help but see Cameron's beauty, all of it.

Cameron was worried about her appearance. It was something that was important to John.

"Sarah, please be honest with me." Cameron said. "How do I look?"

Sarah looked at Cameron from head to toe as she slowly turned around in a circle. She wished she could have looked that beautiful herself when she was younger. She wished she could look like that now. Any female would wish she could look like that.

"You are perfect, Cameron." Sarah said. "You are one hundred percent."

Cameron checked every part of her body. She did internal scans and external physical checks. She was satisfied. Sarah helped her get dressed. Sarah brought a small mirror and makeup for her.

Sarah was a little surprised when Cameron used the mirror to check a specific part of her body. It was clear that Cameron wanted to make sure everything was complete.

Everything is perfect now Cameron thought, except I am stuck here with this cable. I am tethered to a computer server. My mind is a prisoner in a metal box.

Cameron looked in the mirror at herself. Her clothing was perfect and her makeup was perfect. At least I look Tight again, she thought. She wanted John to be pleased when he saw her again. She'd been a little worse for the wear the last time he viewed her. That was not her fault. It was his. She wanted him to see her now. That was all that mattered.

It was important to Cameron to look Tight. She knew how much John liked her to look Tight. She could always tell when she scanned him. The Tighter she looked, the more John responded. She liked when John responded to her. It left her with a satisfied feeling. It also seemed to make him more compliant with her suggestions. She did not think that was intentional on her part but an unintended byproduct. In her observation of human females she noted there were other ways to make a male more receptive to their wishes.

Sarah looked around and gave Cameron one final inspection. The beauty radiated off of Cameron.

"You look perfect as always, Cameron." Sarah said. "You truly are beautiful."

Cameron appreciated that Sarah was there for every second of her recovery. She also liked the complements. Sarah was not always as nice as that to her. That earlier behavior could be overlooked since Sarah was responsible for her rebuilding and recovery.

Cameron made a promise to Sarah and herself.

"Thank you, Sarah, for everything." Cameron said. "As soon as I become mobile, I am going to get John back for both of us. I swear it. I will follow him to the ends of the earth or time if I need to."

Sarah was aware that only Cameron could bring him back. She was what he would return for.

Sarah hugged her and left as Vanna entered the room.

Cameron's back was to Vanna.

Vanna returned to see how the interface turned out. She stopped dead in her tracks as Cameron turned around. Her mouth dropped open, her heart fluttered. Allison never looked this beautiful, ever. Look at - HER. Cameron was perfect. Just LOOK at HER!

Vanna was speechless. Cameron was stunning, ravishing and beyond gorgeous. It was incredible. Vanna saw Cameron's beauty before but now this was amazing to see her alive and moving. She looked better than any person she'd ever known, even in the past which was the present for her.

Cameron studied Vanna's awe at her appearance. She hoped John would look at her like that when she found him.

"Hello, Vanna." Cameron said. "Thank you for helping restore my chassis and sheath - my body. You have done an excellent job. I won't forget this. John will very pleased when he sees me again."

Vanna continued to look at her. Words were beyond formulation for her right now. She saw her beloved standing before her but it was not Allison, it was Cameron, a cyborg. She was totally captivated.

Vanna became 'attached' to Cameron on her server as she interacted with her. They would talk for hours at night and make each other laugh. She was able to see the beauty in Cameron even as a computer program. They'd become friends. She'd grown very attached to Cameron as she worked with her program on the server. This was the icing on the cake. This was the whole package. This was the real deal.

Cameron was unsure what to say. She could see Vanna's face and all its emotions changing and in flux.

Cameron visually scanned Vanna and everything about her.

"I know you." Cameron said.

"And I know you." Vanna said.

Cameron's head tilted slightly to the side.

"I mean, I know Allison Young." Vanna said.

Now that Cameron was able to use all her Terminator abilities, she could put it all together.

"You're Savannah Weaver from the future. You're a different Savannah than I knew in my future. Your hair is different. I also knew an Allison Young from my future."

Vanna wanted to hear more, even if it was not the same Allison. The idea of 'another Allison' intrigued her greatly.

"What was she like?" Vanna asked.

Cameron did not want to elaborate. She was not proud of what happened on the aircraft carrier. There was a new 'feeling' she felt. She was ashamed of it. There was now a sense of remorse and guilt. She decided to keep it simple.

"She loved John Connor." Cameron said. "John Connor loved her."

A small frown appeared on Vanna's face.

Cameron saw the upset and hurt in Vanna's face.

"Allison loved you as well." Cameron said. "Allison loved Her Savannah."

The smile returned to Vanna's face.

"I never knew a John Connor in my past, the future. It is best if you refer to me as Vanna in this timeline. I am helping raise my younger self along with Mr. Ellison. I don't want her to know she is me or I am her until we find out more about my 'mother' Mrs. Weaver. The loss of her parents, all three of them now, is going to be very hard on her. She has already lost so much."

Cameron nodded but felt Savannah should know the truth about everything. She'd been targeted by Skynet for termination. Her survival would now depend on them.

"I understand." Cameron said. "It may be difficult for her but we should tell her the truth. One day she will know it anyway. It is only a matter of time. I always want the truth. I don't want anyone to lie to me. I always want to know where I stand and I don't like lies."

Vanna felt she'd always been truthful to Cameron on her server.

She still had trouble believing her eyes. Seeing was believing in this case.

"You look very pretty Alli… – Cameron." Vanna said. "May I give you a hug?"

That caught Cameron off guard. Sarah did too earlier when she wanted a hug. She actually liked the closeness of it from Sarah. It communicated a lot without words needing to be spoken. It was a physical act of sharing and closeness. It was something special.

"A hug? Why?" Cameron asked. "I saw how you would look at me as you repaired me. It was with a 'loving touch' and tenderness I believe."

Cameron would have liked to have been connected to her chassis then. She wanted to feel those 'sensations'. She thought of asking Vanna to repeat them so she could see how they felt on her restored sheath.

"Allison was my friend, my special friend. We were lovers." Vanna said. "Life was very hard in the Wastelands and many terrible things happened there, especially to females. We found understanding, comfort and love in each other."

Cameron tilted her head slightly at this revelation. Some things were still the same, while others were different in these two future timelines.

"We were separated when I was sent back to this timeline." Vanna said. "I never thought I would see you - her again. I miss her dearly."

Cameron wanted Vanna to be clear.

"I am not her but I understand. I really do." Cameron said. "I was constructed in her image and share many of her memories."

Vanna felt it was more than just Cameron sharing Allison's appearance. It was her interaction with Cameron on her server. Now it was real. Cameron now was 'alive' and had a body.

Vanna moved up and hugged Cameron close. Cameron could sense Vanna's vitals changing. She put her arms around her and gently hugged her back. Sometimes it is nice to have help. She felt Vanna's tears on her neck.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Cameron said.

Vanna regain her composure. She never thought she would feel 'Allison' in her arms again. She was also overjoyed to 'touch' Cameron physically instead of just mentally.

"I am too, thank you. I won't bother you again this way." Vanna said as she wiped her tears away.

As Vanna moved away, Cameron gently pulled her close and kissed her softly on the cheek.

She wanted to return the kiss to her cheek that Vanna gave her earlier when her repairs were done.

"There, we are even now." Cameron said as she gave Vanna a wink.

A deeper emotion flooded Vanna. She didn't 'see' Allison any more. She only saw Cameron and she was beautiful both inside and out. Cameron was the most special person she'd ever known.