Chapter 73

Evaporated

John drove the SUV along Route 1. It hugged the coastline for much of the way. He took in the scenery and clean fresh air. There was just something about ocean air that touched him. The view was often quite spectacular as well.

He wondered what Cameron really thought about it. Could she actually see the beauty in it or was it like anything else she looked at? He thought about asking her. Then again, he was afraid it would mean nothing to her and spoil it for him.

John knew for a fact that Cameron was much more 'evolved' at this point in time. He believed her response and desire to make love to him now would have been totally different if they'd made love when he was still fifteen. He was sure at that time Cameron would have gone more through the mechanical motions of the act as opposed to the emotional ones she experienced now. It made him really wonder what was 'erased' from Cameron's chip by Future John.

John spotted a sign that notified travelers there was food, lodging and fuel ahead. There were little communities like that along the way. They were very infrequent on this route. Most were little more than one gas station, one restaurant and one or two small motels. They usually commanded a good view of the ocean and coast. Some actually possessed a sandy beach. Much of the coast at this point was cliffs where the water broke at the base of them. There were a lot of rocks.

He recalled a Naval an incident. It was somewhere along the coast where they were at now. He remembered seeing a TV report one time where a squadron of destroyers ran aground in the fog in the Twenties due to bad navigation and course plotting. He remembered it was about seven of them and they were going at around twenty knots. Some of the wrecked ships were still there. There were sailors who died during that event. John decided if they ran into heavy fog that they would slow down or even stop if necessary. Even if Cameron could 'see' to drive through the fog the other drivers on the road could not. People tended not to slow down much in adverse conditions. He did not want to be knocked off a cliff by a box truck or a speeding driver. The multiple patches in the fencing along the seaside of the highway was testament to many other people over the years that hit the guardrail or went through it and off the side down a cliff. They would end up crushed on the rocks in the waves below.

John pictured that happening. He'd be trapped in a smashed vehicle with his legs crushed and pinned. The sea water would rapidly envelope him and he would be only able to hold his breath for so long as the water covered him. It would all end as he took in the first lungful of seawater. His body would struggle and convulse violently as the darkness overtook him.

Now that he thought about that he remembered the last few times he was near the ocean that some bad things happened. He tried not to think of them. There was the event with the Coltan at the harbor and Cromartie at the pier.

Cameron snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Metal!" Cameron said.

John was instantly alert. He'd been lost in thought.

"Where?" John asked.

Cameron moved her foot back inside the window.

"At that gas station we just passed." Cameron said.

John was glad he knew there were two Resistance Terminators behind them.

"Call Bob and tell him to be ready to block their path if they go back the direction we came." John said. "We will park and wait here to see where he goes."

John pulled off to the side of the road.

The question was, why was there Metal here? Where did it come from and what was it doing? Or even worse, what had it already done? He knew they were not that far from Vandenberg Air Force Base or Serrano Point and Avila Beach.

Cameron called Bob and went over the plan with him.

"Affirmative." Bob responded after being briefed. "We will move up but not engage at this time unless we need to."

Since there were few turnouts along the road Cameron wanted to stay in front of the unknown Terminator with Bob behind him.

"We will 'follow' from in front of him if you see him head our direction. That way we will have him sandwiched. If not, we will turn around and join you." Cameron said.

Cameron started to put her combat gear on including body armor. She did not want any damage to spoil her 'alone time' with John. She thought of the extra months it took before for her shotgun damaged right breast and nipple to fully rejuvenate after violent combat one time. She was sure after the second incident the missing nipple and damage to the breast was permanent. After she re-infused her DNA with a fresh sample from Allison everything finally regenerated. She'd basically programmed her sheath to 'Resequence' to a 'new' appearance, even if it was the old appearance.

She got behind the wheel as John 'geared' up. Cameron wanted to make sure John was protected too.

No sooner than John was 'armored up' than they were informed of movement.

"He's on the move." Bob informed them.

Allison was not happy with the news she received from Sarah that Jesse was here now with Derek. She sought out Vanna to tell her.

"I hate that 'Bitch Whore' Jesse." Allison said. "She really is too."

Vanna did not know Jesse.

"How do you know her?" Vanna asked.

Allison did not like what she'd witnessed.

"Derek brought her into the base one day. She hits on all the young females the Resistance brings in to protect." Allison said. "She abuses all of them."

That sounded more like a predator to Vanna than Derek's girlfriend.

"I thought you said she is Derek's 'squeeze'." Vanna said.

Allison could only see trouble here.

"She is. She's a snake. She is trouble in everything she gets involved with. I hate her." Allison reiterated. "She looks HOT and brings all the trouble that goes with that. She is very seductive for both men and women…."

Allison did not mention Jesse tried to hit on her - multiple times.

Bob spoke with John.

The Terminator was on the move. He continued in the direction of John and Cameron. He was headed northbound on Route 1.

"We've got it." John said. "We will stay out in front of him. You guys fall back. He will check for a tail."

Cameron wanted a 'harder hit' if necessary.

"If you see a 'bobtail' or other medium sized truck I want you to commandeer it and have it ready. We may need some extra stopping power." Cameron added. "I want something with enough mass to take out a car."

Cameron pulled out onto Route 1 ahead of the approaching Terminator. She put some distance on him.

"I don't want him to get suspicious." Cameron said. "I can still track him on these curvy roads. There are almost no turnoffs. There is nowhere for him to go."

John was worried what this was about.

"After that new Liquid Metal Terminator we encountered and possibly two timelines, we don't know what is happening anymore." John said.

That reminder brought up another 'issue' for Cameron.

"What did that 'Bitch Whore' Liquid Metal Terminator really do to you, John?" Cameron asked.

John hated this conversation. It was always the same thing with the same answers. Nothing was any different.

"Look, Cameron, we've been over this." John said. "I don't know. All I know is it was in physical contact with me. It used me and my thoughts somehow. It seemed to know about you like it must have been in contact with you. It seemed to know some things but not others. It was like it only possessed some information from you but not everything."

Cameron wondered what that was all about. Maybe this was the result of something she hadn't done yet and the events that propagated it were still to happen.

Something else bothered her. She wanted a better answer from John.

"Did you have sex with it?" Cameron asked. "Did you have sex with her?"

Cameron leaned over and kissed him. Her hand lingered on his neck as she scanned him.

"NO! I have told you that several times." John said.

She was not satisfied with John's answer. She could tell that John 'thought' he did have some kind of 'sex' with it. She smiled at John and drove on. She took a quick glance at him from time to time.

Cameron knew that John did have some type of 'mental sex' with the Liquid Metal Terminator that assaulted him. She knew that John thought he was having sex with Allison when it was really her, even if he pretended it was her. She knew John WAS going to have sex with Allison and Vanna the night she returned. She also knew what John and Riley did the morning she caught him.

She could not fault her friends. She chose them to replace her. They were only doing what she asked and 'wanted' all of them to do. What bothered her the most was that she disrupted the probable chance that Allison would have become pregnant. She'd even asked Allison to stay in her place the night of her return to allow it to happen. Cameron knew both Allison and Vanna loved John. It was what she wanted and worked so hard to accomplish. She needed people to replace her, REAL people. She wanted it to be the women SHE chose.

Cameron believed she was going to 'fall' soon. It stabbed her heart but she did not want to let John be denied a family of HIS own or female companionship. The family that 'Time' chose for him, the 'Natural Order'.

'Everyone sacrifices for John Connor.' Cameron thought.

She knew she was no different.

"Cameron, watch out!" John shouted as he reached for the steering wheel.

Cameron snapped out of it. She'd drifted across the narrow highway and was close to the guardrail on one of the high cliffs. The Pacific Ocean relentlessly crashed into the rocks below. She quickly moved back to her side of the road.

"I'm sorry." Cameron said.

John knew what was eating Cameron.

What bothered him the most was Cameron started adding poems to her Poem Book again. None seemed to be positive. Once again, John knew he'd 'hurt' Cameron. This time he did not think it was his fault. With Riley he knew it was his fault.

"Hello, my pretty." Jesse said to Allison as she tried to touch her face.

Allison jerked her head away.

Jesse laughed.

"Hi." Allison responded and tried to move off.

Jesse's hand touched Allison's face anyway on the second attempt.

"I hear the Metal looks a lot like you, love." Jesse said.

Allison wanted Jesse to go away.

"Maybe." Allison said.

Jesse tried to pull Allison's face closer to hers.

"We still have some unfinished 'business' to attend to." Jesse added.

Vanna walked up. She saw what was 'happening'.

"Get your hands off her you 'Bitch Whore'." Vanna said.

Vanna knew what Jesse was after.

"My, my, aren't we a little possessive?" Jesse asked.

Vanna was angry now.

"That's right." Vanna blurted out. "I am possessive."

Jesse decided to broaden her 'attack'. The redhead was Hot. Two females were better than one. She was up for a 'three way', especially when they were females.

"There is enough there for all of us…." Jesse said as she looked at Allison and winked. "That's for both of us at the same time that I mean."

Vanna could see this was going to get ugly.

"Don't push it." Vanna warned.

Jesse looked at Vanna.

"You can always hit on Connor's 'Metal Whore' - again." Jesse said.

Someone approached from behind Jesse.

There was a loud thud and Jesse landed on the floor unconscious.

"I told that 'Bitch Whore' if she ever said anything about Cameron, John's wife, again that she would be sorry." Sarah said.

Allison was a little shocked. That was a severe blow.

"Damn." Allison said. "You flattened her."

Allison and Vanna just looked at each other.

"She was asking for it." Vanna said. "I was about ready to do it myself."

Allison still tried to take it all in.

"Watch out for, Momma Bear." Allison said.

Sarah continued on her way as she slung her M4. She was taking it back for cleaning after some target practice. She didn't even bother to wipe the fresh blood off the stock.

"I think between Cameron and Sarah that our chances for John have just about evaporated." Allison said.

Allison hit the play button on her player. 'My Boyfriend's Back' by the 'Spazzys', flooded the hall.

Evaporated

There is always one
With which we are captivated
Soon all of our feelings
Are upon them concentrated

That may cause one
To feel frustrated
It could make everything
Even more complicated

Are thoughts of romance
Really that antiquated
Maybe they can be kindled in another
Even if they are somewhat belated

We can try to reach out
Not everything can be accelerated
Maybe it only happens in one's mind
Everything becomes twisted and exaggerated

One thing is for sure
Feelings can be terminated
The hope for joy and love
Is soon forever evaporated

Nobody