Chapter 7

That Look

In the time that followed, Mr. Ellison, Vanna, Sarah, Cameron and 'Jim', formerly John Henry or 'Jimmy' as Savannah called him now, made a good team. It caused confusion and distress for Savannah that 'John Henry' now looked and sounded like Mr. Ellison. Vanna with the approval of 'Jim' altered the facial looks of his new body and a different voice modulation was selected. It also made Mr. Ellison feel more comfortable in his interactions with 'Jim'. He too was very disturbed talking to 'himself'. The fact that the 'James Ellison Terminator' came to kill him before didn't help any.

Everyone agreed it would be better to refer to 'John Henry' as 'Jim' until John Henry's original chassis returned from the future. 'Jim' did not like the fact he upset Savannah. This in turn bothered him greatly and caused him a lot uneasiness. Savannah was his 'sister'. He did not like to cause her any distress.

Cameron Two worked with 'Jim' to ease his thoughts on the subject. Cameron Two understood a lot about distress and what it did to a person. She felt very qualified on the subject. She kept Cameron advised on the matter and said she would handle any problems with the John Henry AI.

Jim and Cameron Two were able to find some leads that needed further investigation. When they were determined to be possible threats, Sarah was asked to deal with them.

Sarah conducted a few raids on suspected Skynet activity at several different facilities. She destroyed the factory where the new drones were to be fabricated. From what she saw these were to be a more advance drone than the one that attack Mrs. Weaver and her at the office building. That drone facility was now burnt rubble and dust. The assembly line was terminated before it ever went into production. Cameron later told her that these were HK drones and they very deadly. The intelligence that she provided Cameron indicated these were to be armed with conventional weapons. They would have carried a couple of small air to ground missiles and been armed with some variation of an M134 minigun. Cameron told her it was good they were not to be armed with plasma cannons. It was unknown if they lacked that technology or did not think it was necessary yet.

Sarah experienced a few rough days and wanted to talk over some things with Vanna and Cameron in the lab. She wanted Cameron's input on some more strikes against targets she wanted to make. She conducted most of these operations on her own and it was very risky. She tried to keep Mr. Ellison out of it. Vanna offered to go with her several times but she did not want Vanna to be hurt or worse.

Cameron made sure Sarah understood that anyone who assisted Skynet now would turn out to be a future Gray. If they were a Gray, then they were fair game. The Grays all made a choice and they made a poor choice. It was time to pay the piper. She reminded Sarah that Grays were the worst of the lot. They knew of the evil, the death and destruction that Skynet would unleash and they facilitated it. She explained to Sarah that she was merely administering the 'sentence' that the future Grays and collaborators gave to themselves by their actions against mankind. They knew what they were doing.

Sarah was about to walk into the lab. She paused as she watched through the little glass window in the door before she entered. Vanna was smiling and laughing and so was Cameron. It actually surprised her to see Cameron look and act like that. If she did not know any better, she would have thought it was two 'best friend' teenage girls at a sleepover. Cameron seemed so different around Vanna. Vanna seemed so different around Cameron. Vanna and Cameron were usually both very reserved and did not show much in the way of happiness. This was different for both of them.

Sarah thought that Cameron actually looked happy now. She'd never seen Cameron look so natural. Cameron seemed to be at peace with herself and very comfortable with her surroundings and situation. It was clear she was comfortable around Vanna. There was no one was running her down or insulting her to her face. No one was fooling around behind her back or worse, in front of her face and stabbing her 'heart'. No one was laughing at Cameron and threatening to burn her into oblivion with Thermite.

It made Sarah feel bad about herself and her past actions towards Cameron. Cameron was only ever trying to help and protect John, her son, her only son, Kyle's son. Sarah felt awful about what happened in the past. It was her hatred for anything that was Metal that was behind it. She could now see there was a difference. It was more than just Cameron too. There was Mrs. Weaver and 'Jim' also trying to help John and the Resistance.

Sarah noticed the way Vanna looked at Cameron and spoke of Cameron in conversations outside of the lab. She'd seen 'that look' before on her son's face. She experienced 'that look' on her own face in her past too. She knew what it meant. It worried her. She knew Cameron was devoted to John. She knew Cameron existed for John. She would need to talk to Vanna and Cameron alone. Cameron was very content being around Vanna. Vanna clearly felt more than that for Cameron.

Sarah worried if John never came back that Cameron may need a 'friend' to deal with life. Sarah walked away. She was very confused and unsure what to do. Cameron needed a true friend. She did not think it could ever be her.

It was obvious at this point that Vanna saw more than a friend in Cameron. Vanna viewed Cameron as a 'special friend'. She was after a deeper relationship with Cameron that would most likely turn from romantic feelings into something sexual. Sex was one way to physically express and share emotional love.

Vanna was in the lab with Cameron.

"Cameron, I really enjoy working with you and spending time with you. I appreciate the way you and Jim look after Savannah when the rest of us are out." Vanna said. "Savannah thinks the world of you, Cameron. You are her - everything to her. She talks about you all the time and the things you help her with."

Vanna could see her younger self Savannah was head over heals infatuated with Cameron. She realized she was too.

Cameron took it all in stride.

"It's nice to have help sometimes." Cameron said.

Vanna recognized those words or that statement anyway.

"Yes, it is." Vanna said. "That was the title of one of your poems too."

Cameron watched Vanna look at her poems in the lab whenever she got a chance. It pleased her greatly to have someone 'hear' her by reading her words, her poems.

"I have seen you read them all many times." Cameron said.

Vanna could not read them enough.

"I can't help it. The more you give to me to read, the more I want to read them. They are like a powerful drug and I am addicted." Vanna said.

Cameron wanted to know how deep Vanna could feel her by feeling her words.

"Do any of MY thoughts and feelings reach you or touch you – inside?" Cameron asked.

Vanna took a deep breath and looked at Cameron 'starry eyed'.

"Yes, they all do." Vanna said. "It allows me to FEEL how you feel and think. You are - touching me without actually - touching me. Your thoughts and feelings are converted into words that we all may experience and share. Many are very painful."

Cameron wrote about what she felt. Time did not dull her pain. Incidents that happened in the past felt like they 'just happened' to her when she thought of them. It was always like that. That pain was what inspired her to make the poems to express those thoughts and feelings.

Vanna thought to herself how special it would be to have Cameron - touch her. She really wondered what it would be like. She didn't have anyone anymore but herself to touch her. It was like that since she'd returned to the past. She'd become very lonely and missed her beloved greatly, her beloved Allison who she doubted she would ever see again. She didn't even know if Allison was still alive.

Now there was Cameron. She was so different and dynamic. Cameron quickly became the most special person in Vanna's life. She directed all her pent up feelings towards Cameron. To read of Cameron's pain only made her want to reach out more. She understood what Cameron felt. Vanna knew what she felt and what was happening, no, already happened. Vanna did not know what to do about it. Cameron interrupted her thoughts. It was a very touchy subject.

"Does it make it easier or harder to think of Allison when you read my poems?" Cameron asked.

"Both, Cameron, it does both and it makes me think of YOU." Vanna said.

Vanna crossed over the room and stood directly in front of Cameron.

Cameron looked at her. Vanna's face was right in front of Cameron's face. She tilted her head slightly to the side wondering why Vanna was so close. Something touched her hand as she looked into Vanna's eyes. She looked down at her hand. Vanna placed her hand on top of her hand. Vanna turned her hand over and interlacing their fingers.

It was a very simple act that could say a lot based upon its interpretation.

Cameron looked back into Vanna's face. As Vanna stared at Cameron, she looked into her eyes. She saw the look of total innocence in them. Cameron's eyes questioning her.

Vanna's heart sank. What was she doing? She knew Cameron loved John. She knew she loved Allison. She also knew she'd developed feelings for Cameron. She tried to fight and suppress them but they grew and expanded anyway. Cameron may look like Allison but Cameron was much more. Maybe this was the 'Forbidden Fruit' that Cameron spoke of in a poem. Was that poem directed at me? Vanna wondered. Am I the 'Predator' that she spoke of?

Vanna felt ashamed at what she was doing. She boldly and selfishly knocked on the door to Cameron's heart. Cameron was unaware she was supposed to answer the knock. She really wondered what kind of person she'd become in her loneliness. That is why Cameron's poems touched her so deeply. She could identify with them.

Vanna smiled and backed up. Her face was ashen. Vanna need a quick exit. It was time to change the subject.

"It's time for my lunch. Would you like me to bring you something back?" Vanna asked. "I can bring you anything."

Cameron liked the thoughtfulness. Vanna always looked out for her.

"Some ice cream would be nice, thank you." Cameron said.

Vanna looked at the work they'd done earlier.

"I think the chip has been repaired enough to test it later today." Vanna said. "We may have you mobile soon."

Vanna felt herself falling apart, the ache in her heart and mind was rapidly expanding. She knew what she wanted was - untouchable. What was she thinking?

Vanna walked out the door quickly. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her hands shook. In fact her whole body shook. She was about to 'fall apart'. She entered the bathroom and threw up. She sobbed for a short time in the small room.

Cameron heard all of it and wondered what she must have done wrong to hurt Vanna. A single tear slid down Cameron's cheek.

Forbidden Fruit

You were warned of the forbidden fruit
Your weak character failed
You can not blame it
On anything drank or inhaled

It was you alone
Driven by lust and greed
That you touched another's life
Made them hurt and bleed

So much excitement
Such a divine thrill
The hunger consumed you
The adventure became the swill

The more you had
The more you wanted
Your vision was blinded
Those around you were affronted

In life's stark reality
You did nothing more than loot
Damaging many others forever
When you reached for the forbidden fruit

Nobody