Chapter 32
Salvation
John was ready to pull out. They'd just blown the building up. It seemed prudent to clear the area. They did not know what other Skynet forces were around there.
"We need to clear out." John said.
Sarah and Allison hesitated. They didn't want to leave without Cameron. They knew Cameron did not want them to say anything about her being there. They knew she went to check on the suspected tunnel that the patrol must have come out of. She was probably about to face a hostile force alone.
John was unsure why they hadn't moved.
"Mom, it's time to go." John said.
Sarah tried to buy some time.
"Get everyone loaded." Sarah said. "I want to watch that tunnel entrance a little longer. The patrol came from there. There may be more."
John thought that was an even better reason to leave.
"We need to go." John said. "As soon as we are loaded, it's time to go. That's final."
John walked away to get the vehicles ready and load the captured Terminator.
Allison made sure John was out of earshot. She leaned over to Sarah.
"I can't leave Cameron there alone." Allison whispered. "I won't."
Sarah knew Cameron would never leave them and go.
"Until I know she is out we won't go, even if I need to tell John." Sarah said.
Allison felt like they were running out on Cameron.
"I was going to do the same. I can't leave her. I can't." Allison said. "I won't abandon her."
Allison read Cameron's poems about feeling alone and abandoned. She was not going to add to her mental trauma.
Cameron advanced into the tunnel. There was more going on here than she thought.
She encountered another guard. His lifeless body was now stuffed behind some crates.
There was some type of machinery ahead that was running. Cameron placed a C-4 charge on the electric motor junction box. Ahead she spotted a series of computer banks. More C-4 was placed.
She heard someone approach from deeper inside the tunnel. She looked to see if it was another guard. It was not.
Cameron stepped out in front of a man in a lab coat. He seemed very surprised. He cringed at the sight of her face.
"Who are you?" The man asked.
The man took a step back as he took in Cameron's face in detail. It was stitched together with several slightly different skin tones. It reminded him of a quilt.
"I'm death if you do not tell me everything that is going on in here." Cameron said. "Don't lie to me."
The technician explained they'd received a contract to establish a super computer in the underground facility they were constructing. It was an old mine shaft. That kept excavation work to a minimum and greatly sped up the process.
Cameron wanted some more specific information.
"What was with the armed men?" Cameron asked. "What was the warehouse for?"
The technician wondered about where the men were. This patched together girl should not even be here.
"The men provide security. The warehouse was to be converted into a factory for building some type of large appliances. They never said what. I heard some talk about military contracts."
Cameron knew that those 'appliances' would most likely be. They would be Terminators or HK drones, maybe both. It might even be HK Tracks. If Skynet was able to get a production line set up in the present. They would be one up on the future when Skynet took over.
Cameron placed some more C-4 around the cavern. She wanted to collapse it.
The technician looked around as Cameron worked. She kept him within her reach.
The technician noticed the foot of a dead guard behind the crates.
"Are you going to kill me?" The man asked.
He looked as if he were about to bolt.
Cameron touched his shoulder to stop him.
"Do I have to kill you too?" Cameron asked. "It's your choice."
John saw no need to wait any longer. The chances of them getting caught grew every second they waited.
"Mom, we need to go." John said.
Sarah tried to buy some more time. She thought the vehicles were in a good place not to be detected and make a clean getaway.
"I want to go down and check out that tunnel before we leave" Sarah said. "We are already here and no emergency equipment has arrived yet. I can't hear any."
Allison was used to operating over rough terrain.
"Let me go." Allison said. "Bob can come with me."
Jim stood guard over them.
"I will stay with John and Sarah." Jim said.
Allison did not know what they would find. She wanted to cover all the bases.
"Get the vehicles ready in case we stir up a hornets nest." Allison said. "We can hightail it out of here."
Allison and Bob started to go down. Allison was glad Bob was along in case Cameron was immobilized and Bob needed to carry her. She doubted she could carry Cameron on her own but she could drag her if necessary. Bob's presence would make that dilemma easier to deal with if it was necessary.
Cameron told the technician to walk out of the tunnel. She followed him as she placed the last of the C-4 she carried. The last charge would collapse the tunnel entrance. Cameron knew when she hit the detonator that this place would be rubble.
The technician saw Cameron look away to place her last charge, he tried to pick up a pistol lying on the ground from a guard that Cameron terminated. She drew her Glock and fired one shot.
Sarah heard the shot and spotted Cameron walk out a few second later. Cameron looked up at Sarah and gave her a 'thumbs up' and motioned for them to leave. She quickly disappeared from view. She wanted Allison and Bob to return and not go any farther. She did not think they spotted Cameron from their angle.
"Allison, everything is good." Sarah said. "You and Bob can head back to the SUV."
A loud series of explosions and a rumble deep in the ground could be felt.
John ran up.
"What is that?" John asked. "I heard a shot before the explosions."
Sarah thought of a quick answer.
"It was a secondary explosion. There was probably some underground connection between the warehouse and tunnel." Sarah said.
John looked over at the destruction they'd created. He was satisfied they'd hurt Skynet.
"Let's roll." John said.
Cameron watched them return towards the two vehicles. She then moved up the hillside and saw the small caravan depart. She started on a steady run at her fastest speed as she followed them. She watched as they slowly pulled away from her. She continued her fast pace and followed them anyway. She would not be able to catch them.
John decided to ride with Sarah and Allison. He was curious and wanted some answers. He wanted to know why they were there. Something seemed fishy to him.
"What were you two doing here?" John asked.
Sarah did not want to be specific. She stated the obvious.
"We came to back you up." Sarah said.
Allison did not want John to think about it too much.
"It looks like it was a good thing too." Allison added. "You could have ended up in a jam if not an ambush."
John did not look happy about it.
"John, we all need to work together more. We can't leave Cameron to fight this war on her own. You know she is trying to protect all of us." Sarah said. "You know she is taking a lot of punishment."
John did not need to hear what he already knew.
"Mom, I KNOW that. I wanted to do something on my own to help. You think I don't know that when Cameron avoids me that she is shot up or damaged? I know that is what it is. It makes me sick. I can't push the issue or she will avoid me even more. She is trying to insulate me from her destruction. I try not to question her about it. I KNOW she is trying to protect me. She is going to be destroyed protecting all of us and she knows it. I can tell. She is trying to keep her distance from me because of that. I feel it is so it will hurt me less when not if it happens."
Allison thought that was a heavy statement. They all knew it to be true.
"She is protecting all of us, John." Allison said.
John looked at Allison a few seconds before he spoke again.
"I know, Allison." John said. "I would like to also apologize for the 'cheap feel' earlier."
Allison swallowed hard. She knew they'd been made.
"You knew?" Allison asked.
John was a little upset it took him until a short time ago to figure it out.
"It was only when I felt your heart beating at about a hundred and fifty beats a minute. It did not register until later on. I knew something was off but it took a while to hit me. I know Cameron can simulate a heartbeat but your heartbeat was racing. It was when I was waiting for the Terminator in the warehouse to pass me that it hit me. I felt my heart pounding and my heartbeat was racing. Then I KNEW. Everything was visually convincing. It was a nice double play I might add."
Allison was upset she blew it. She could not help that and control her heartbeat.
"Damn." Allison said.
John hated to ask but he needed to know.
"How bad is Cameron damaged?" John asked. "I know it has to be cosmetic or one of you would have told me the truth."
Sarah did not want to get into the details.
"John, she is very concerned you not see her." Sarah said.
John swallowed hard.
"It's that bad?" John asked.
"Yes." Allison added.
Allison and Sarah knew it was time to end this charade.
"Stop the car." Allison and Sarah said in unison.
Bob turned his head back.
"Why?" Bob asked. "Is there a threat?"
Allison laid it out.
"So we can pick Cameron up." Allison said.
That was a surprise to John.
"She's here?" John asked.
Sarah pointed out the obvious.
"That was the 'secondary' explosion in the tunnel." Sarah said.
Bob flashed his lights and pulled over. Jim caught the signal and did the same.
John thought about what he wanted to do while they waited.
"You two ride with Jim. I am going to have a discussion with Cameron." John said. "Let's wait here a few minutes before we start back to look for her. If she sees us stopped and sitting here she will come to investigate."
John was afraid if they went looking for her she would try to elude them.
Three minutes later a figure emerged out of the darkness.
"I guess the cats out of the bag." Cameron said.
"Cameron!" John said.
"John!" Cameron said.
Cameron held her hand to her face. She tried to hide the repaired area from John.
"Please, don't look at me." Cameron said.
They embraced.
"Cameron, you know I love you no matter what you look like or whose chassis you are in." John said as he glanced at Bob.
Even in the moonlight John was still shocked as she kissed him when he saw her damage. John gently moved her hand and gave the damaged area a kiss.
"Let's go home everyone." Sarah said.
It seemed like a happy ending to Allison.
"Our family reunited." Allison said.
John snickered a little and then it turned into a laugh.
Sarah was a little upset by it.
"What's funny about any of this?" Sarah asked.
"A human being replaced by an infiltration cyborg and then the cyborg being replaced by the human it was sent to replace." John said.
"I guess that is a 'triple play'." Allison said.
They all laughed.
Any animosity or worry was gone, at least for now.
Salvation
It would be a beautiful world
If it was filled with joy and elation
It seems soon enough that everything
Is strained and becomes a vexation
To be kind to each other
We should bestow adulation
Instead things soon turn into
Suspicion, scorn and accusation
It is something we can experience
With feeling and sensation
To share peace and harmony
Should not need a translation
To know right from wrong
Does not require litigation
All should be able to expand and grow
To fulfill destiny's propagation
There is still much hope
With a little reciprocation
The future can be bright
It can be all of our salvation
Nobody