Chapter 6

Nobody

Cameron wanted a chip to copy her program onto. She needed it so she could go into the future to find John and bring him back. Cameron Two and John Henry gathered all the information they could to find some Metal, either active or deactivated.

Sarah and Mr. Ellison went to the military base where they'd locked a Terminator in a blast proof hangar before. That was when they took the Coltan away from him. There was now a hole in the wall, so they looked no further. He evidently was able to escape. That was one more Skynet related threat that was out there. He probably returned to his mission to obtain Coltan for the future. He would also be on the lookout for the three of them that interrupted his original mission.

Sarah and Mr. Ellison along with the help of information provided by AI John Henry and Cameron Two were able to recover two damaged Terminators. The first one was the one that looked like Mr. Ellison. The second one was one that was found hidden in the basement parking lot at the old building where they were attacked by the HK drone. That Terminator had major damage from heavy electrical trauma. They did not know that Mrs. Weaver had inflicted that damage but Sarah suspect it was from her. That was based on her previous encounter with a Liquid Metal Terminator.

Both of the damaged machines were now in the lab with Vanna and Cameron. The plan was to try to assemble one functioning unit, much like John Henry's original chassis. AI John Henry asked to have the chassis of the Mr. Ellison Terminator. It was less damaged. AI John Henry was also pleased with Mr. Ellison himself and would be proud to look like him with his new chassis.

The chip in the electrocuted Terminator was toast. The chip out of the Mr. Ellison Terminator was damaged. AI John Henry asked if Vanna could repair it and let Cameron have it since she'd already sacrificed so much for everyone else. If Cameron's chassis hadn't been so severely damaged, he could have downloaded his program into her chip and used her chassis.

That is what Cameron wanted too. If John's ill thought out idea to free his mother hadn't gotten her shot up so badly, her chassis would have been fine. It was because of that foolish decision on John's part that Cameron relinquished her chip for use in John Henry's chassis to complete the mission.

Cameron wondered how John could sacrifice her so easily. All they would have needed to do was wait for Sarah to be transported back to the mental institution and break her free then. It would have been like they did with Derek when they freed him from custody.

Vanna touched Cameron's hand. She gave it a slight squeeze as she heard the message that Cameron might get a chip soon and become mobile. Cameron looked at her. Vanna smiled and looked away. She then went back to work. Cameron felt something inside of her. She could feel the compassion and caring that Vanna felt and expressed towards her. There was nothing spoken but it could be 'felt'. It was very strong and overpowering.

She stopped and looked at Vanna as she wondered and thought. Vanna was her first true friend. She was a person who accepted her for who she was and for what she was - a Terminator. She was first a computer program and then a machine. There was never any ridicule or rude comments. Vanna never made fun of her or insulted her. They'd become 'friends' while Cameron was still in her server. It was the purest form of friendship based on what she actually was - her program.

Cameron knew she and Allison shared the same appearance but Vanna saw more than 'Allison' in Cameron. Cameron experienced feelings she was unfamiliar with as well. Being around Vanna all of the time had its effects. Vanna interrupted her thoughts.

"That is great news, Cameron." Vanna said. "You will be free and independent again soon. You will be able to be yourself again."

Vanna seemed as excited as Cameron felt.

There was one underlying factor that was unchangeable.

"I need to go find John in the future and bring him home." Cameron said. "I need to protect John. John is not supposed to be in the future. Everything will be different."

Vanna wondered why John didn't seem to have that same concern about Cameron. She saw the mess that John left behind. Vanna knew that Cameron was special. How could anyone do that to Cameron?

Cameron did not look at ease. Vanna could see something bothered Cameron greatly.

Vanna wondered about Cameron's poems. They all seemed to indicate that Cameron was deeply troubled. She was something much more than a computer program or a machine. Clearly Cameron had expanded far beyond that. Her program was designed for her to develop and become a better infiltrator.

It slipped out without Vanna really wanting it to. She needed to know. How could someone so dynamic and special 'feel' that way?

"Why did you sign every poem with – 'Nobody'?" Vanna asked.

"That is how I felt." Cameron said. "No. That is how they all made me feel. They treated badly and made me feel like nothing. They made me feel like - NOBODY."

Cameron did not want to bring up all the things that John - did.

Vanna wanted to know more.

"Do you mean when they made fun of you for not understanding something?" Vanna asked.

Cameron knew it was much more than that.

"There was that and about how I was only a 'machine', like a toaster or dishwasher. They said I was a piece of junk or scrap metal and should be burnt with Thermite and terminated."

Vanna could not understand that. How could they not see Cameron's beauty in her construction and function? How could they not see the individual that Cameron was? Surely John would not have treated her with disrespect or made fun of her.

"What about John?" Vanna asked. "Was he this cruel to you also?"

Cameron heard all of John's snide comments about her being 'dense' and so forth. Events beyond her control led to further problems.

"After I went 'bad', things were never quite the same." Cameron said. "Even when I tried to reach out to him, he sought comfort - elsewhere. I think that is what hurt the most."

Cameron thought of how she came to John in his bedroom and 'offered' herself to him. She wanted him to touch her so they could share with each other. She even changed her clothes to make herself more 'presentable' to him.

Vanna caught the drift of Cameron's meaning.

"Do you mean he replaced you with another girl?" Vanna asked. "He did it right in front of you? He did it right in your face?"

"Yes. It was a real girl made of flesh and blood. She was alive and living. Not a - Nobody." Cameron said. "She was not a machine or a pile of junk. She was not scrap metal."

Vanna could see how that would hurt. It hurt her just hearing that.

"Cameron, you are not junk. You are the most magnificent individual I have ever met." Vanna said. "Everything about YOU is dynamic and unique."

Cameron looked at Vanna. There were tears in her eyes.

"I still feel like - Nobody." Cameron said. "I will always be - Nobody."

"Allison told me she felt like - 'nobody' until she met me." Vanna said. "That is, met me again a second time. That was a little later on in life after the first time."

Vanna made a few more adjustments to the Mr. Ellison Terminator. She looked over his entire sheath. She smiled at one area even though that was not her 'thing'.

"John Henry will find a few 'upgrades' on his new body." Vanna said.

Cameron looked at the Mr. Ellison Terminator. It appeared like any other male Terminator to her.

"What upgrades?" Cameron asked. "I don't see them."

Vanna knew that Cameron did not see John Henry naked.

"This one is – complete and appears fully functional." Vanna said.

Vanna lifted the towel covering the groin area.

Cameron looked and raised one eyebrow in surprise.

"Impressive." Cameron said.

By that response, it made Vanna wondered what Cameron's sexual experience was. She was complete as a 'human female'.

"Cameron, have you…?" Vanna asked. "I mean…?"

Vanna was unsure what to say or how to say it. It was a very personal subject.

Cameron knew what Vanna was asking her.

"Are you asking if I have ever been intimate?" Cameron asked.

Vanna blushed a little.

"Yes, I am embarrassed to ask but am curious to know." Vanna said.

Cameron answered quickly.

"No." Cameron said.

That answer was a little vague to Vanna.

"No, you don't want to say or no, you have not?" Vanna asked.

"Both. The answer is no, to both." Cameron said. "That is unless that part of my life was erased before I was sent back. I have no files related to that subject. Many things were erased from my program before I was sent back."

Vanna knew that meant part of Cameron's life was erased. That could be good in some ways and bad in others. She wished there were parts of her life she could erase.

"I'm sorry." Vanna said.

Cameron still contained 'memories' from her 'Neural Interface' with Allison.

"I have memories of such events but they are not my own." Cameron said.

That was an interesting prospect to Vanna.

"Do you have Allison's memories from your future?" Vanna asked.

Cameron remembered when she thought she was Allison. She did not know she was a cyborg during that time. She thought she was a human female. She thought she was Allison Young.

"Yes, I have some anyway. Sometimes I thought they were my own." Cameron said. "I even called her mother once when I thought I was - Allison."

That idea intrigued Vanna.

"You spoke with Allison's mother?" Vanna asked.

Cameron looked a little uncomfortable now.

"I was confused. John found me and said he would fix me. I said, 'Fix me? Why would you fix me?' I was actually happy for once." Cameron said. "That didn't last long."

Cameron knew what happiness really was then when she was 'Allison'.

Vanna wanted to know more.

"How much of you is 'Allison'?" Vanna asked.

Cameron wondered about that herself the more her 'feeling' developed and influenced her.

"I don't know." Cameron said. "After I went 'bad' it was more and more. My emotions and feelings expanded greatly after my accident and the 'Allison incident'."

Vanna could see Cameron loved John.

"Is that when you knew you loved John?" Vanna asked.

Cameron still contained some of those memories. Most of them were erased.

"No, I loved John - Future John before he sent me away. I loved John even more when I met his younger self." Cameron said. "He reminded me of - me."

There was a nagging question in Vanna's mind. It was something important to her.

"What happened to your Allison?" Vanna asked.

Cameron looked at Vanna and then quickly looked away. A sense of guilt and remorse flooded her. She did not want to get into details.

"I don't know. The last time I saw her, she was - unconscious." Cameron lied. "I don't want to talk about her right now. Maybe we can talk about your Allison?"

Vanna exhibited a far off look on her face; her eyes were red and puffy.

"Maybe we can later." Vanna said as a single tear slid down her cheek.

Cameron reached over and gently wiped the tear away.

Vanna smiled at her.

Cameron went back to work on the Terminator. She finished and inspected their work a final time.

"There, John Henry's new body is ready." Cameron said.

"Let's get Mr. Murch in here and get this 'new' and improved 'John Henry' hooked up in the computer room." Vanna said. "I hope he likes his new chassis."

Several hours later Mr. Ellison walked into the computer room and saw 'himself' sitting at the table. He was slightly stunned to be looking at himself.

"Hello, Mr. Ellison." John Henry said with a smile on his face.

It sounded like him too, Mr. Ellison thought. After a long pause he took a breath.

"Hello, John Henry." Mr. Ellison said.

He felt very uneasy.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

.

Poems

In creating a poem for you
A picture is painted in your mind
My consciousness and heart are shared
Expressing sensations intertwined

Emotions, thoughts and feelings
Are converted into words to send
Transferred from one mind to another
To you they have been penned

I have always tried to communicate
In the only way I know how
It keeps the statements honest
As into your brain they plow

Each poem is something special
Conceived in that moment of time
May two true hearts align
That is never ever a crime

Nobody