Chapter 165

You Really Got Me

It was only a matter of time until some version of Skynet returned.

Like a 'Jack In The Box', it popped back up.

'Game On.' John Henry thought.

He was ready. Preparations never stopped to meet the future threat. Cameron made sure of that. He called John to the Command Center.

John arrived very quickly. He'd noted the urgency in John Henry's voice.

"I've detected possible Skynet activity." John Henry said.

John dreaded this day. It was bound to happen sooner or later. He would rather have it in the present where they could fight it, instead of in the past. Maybe it was there now too. Who knew how many timelines there were at this point?

"Where's it at?" John asked. "What is it? How much is there?"

John Henry was not sure how involved this was yet.

"It is the first trace of any Skynet activity I have seen." John Henry said.

John wondered if they'd missed it before.

"Where did it come from?" John asked.

John was worried it was something new back from the future.

"I do not know." John Henry said. "Skynet truly is a Hydra."

"It's like a zombie." John said. "It's still alive even when it's dead."

"Indeed." John Henry said.

John needed to know what the threat was.

"Is there any sign of HK drones being built or Terminators?" John asked. "Is there a main computer set up?"

John Henry hadn't detected any of those things yet.

"No, but that means nothing. They know they get hit when they get careless." John Henry said. "I have found there has been some recent transactions on a few accounts that were linked to previous Skynet holdings."

John wondered if there was another explanation.

"Could it be hackers going after 'unattended' money?" John asked. "I know there are a few bank employees that sometimes go after inactive accounts as well."

John Henry knew that to be true.

"I don't believe that is the case." John Henry said. "I think it will be used to purchase equipment that can aid Skynet in the production of machines in the present."

That sounded like what John was worried about.

"We need to track it and hit it." John said.

John Henry expected the enemy's security would be more robust going forward

"Our attacks on the locations will probably prove more challenging." John Henry said. "I'm sure they will have beefed up security.

John worried about their operation. Cameron was able to penetrate their security several times.

"We have to be careful we are not 'hit' here." John said.

John thought how fortunate they were not to have been attacked at their base. He worried about his parents, sister, Savannah and everyone else.

Cameron made sure that security was a top priority. Cameron wanted to make sure the girls were safe so they could help protect the future for John.

John Henry made sure a lot went into their security.

"Yes." John Henry said. "We have been lucky but we are also cautious."

John worried about where the two Details were as well.

"Is there any threat or activity at the Reese or Young residences or with the Details?" John asked.

John Henry rechecked everything.

"No." John Henry said. "I have detected nothing out of the ordinary associated with those operations."

John Henry could tell John wanted to bring something up.

John was troubled. There was something that bothered him about what Cameron wanted to do.

"Cameron wants to bring Young Allison here." John said.

John Henry needed to think about that for a second.

"Do you mean without her parents?" John Henry asked. "Are you saying that Cameron wants to kidnap her?"

John let out a sigh.

"Yes." John said. "I think 'Protective Custody' was the term she used."

John Henry was aware that Young Allison was biologically incapable of what Cameron wanted. Maybe it was more than that.

"She is currently too young for Cameron's 'plans'." John Henry said. "Does she wish to raise the child herself?"

John was not sure what Cameron would do. He could speculate.

"I think so." John said.

John Henry felt that plan was illogical and counter productive. It would backfire on Cameron.

"That is a little 'extreme' at this point in time." John Henry said. "She will grow and see you as 'parents', not as a future 'mate'."

John did not see that last part as a bad thing.

"That may or may not be a good thing. Cameron operates in her own realm sometimes." John said. "Nobody can control her, not even me."

John Henry was well aware of Cameron's extreme behavior sometimes. It was well established that Cameron was uncontrollable at times.

"We have seen evidence of that multiple times." John Henry said.

John could have done without the 'dig'. He did not need to be reminded of his repeated failures with Cameron or the hurt he'd caused her. Most of the things that were 'bad' that happened to Cameron were because of his 'actions'.

He was grateful he had limited sexual contact with Future Riley. What would that have done to Cameron if it was everyday 'in front of her'? The way he rubbed it in her face the morning she caught him was bad enough.

If Future Jesse hadn't killed Future Riley the sex would have happened more often. John like most teenagers was caught up in the moment and blinded to all else. There was one thing he wanted and he got it. It seemed quite evident to him that Cameron would have killed Future Riley at some point. Future Jesse did not have a good plan. It was only to the conclusion that Future Riley would die. He still would have loved Cameron - right? He was not sure about that. He remembered he wanted to 'push the button' and terminate Cameron. He blamed her at first.

John was afraid if he would have had sex with Future Riley everyday that she would have ended up pregnant. That would probably have been sooner rather than later. What would THAT have done to Cameron? IT was bad enough Cameron caught him on the first time. He could still see that look of hurt on her face. He'd NEVER seen hurt like that on her face before or since that. It was his smirk going up the stairs that must have hurt her even more. He rubbed her face in it. That was the twist to the knife that he'd just stuck in her heart. He didn't care then, he'd gotten what he wanted. It was 'real' too.

John needed to get his head back in the game. He'd drifted way off the target.

He was unsure how much of John Henry's briefing he'd missed. He knew what needed to be done with anything Skynet related.

"I want to hit Skynet but I want to make sure it's not a trap." John said. "They hurt us pretty bad the last time. I don't think Skynet understood the lengths Cameron would go to – to win."

John Henry knew the 'price' associated with that.

"That Skynet was terminated." John Henry said. "Cameron is much like Mrs. Weaver, John. Both will do what they have to, to achieve what they want. We think of Mrs. Weaver as ruthless but I think Cameron can be worse. The only one she never lied to was River."

John knew that was really Duplicate Cameron but it was still 'Cameron'.

"That is because she couldn't." John said. "I think that is what she liked most about River. It was that she was FORCED to be 'herself'."

John Henry saw it deeper than that.

"Maybe it was because she could be herself." John Henry said. "She could be who she was and not need to feel ashamed for being 'herself'."

John noticed there was a 'personal aspect' to Cameron's actions.

"All I know is that I can read some of Cameron's poems now and I feel that way myself sometimes." John said. "It is like some are written specifically for me, as me, lecturing me, reminding me."

John Henry believed that Cameron was gifted in her ability to share pain.

"She can make anyone FEEL her pain." John Henry said. "Cameron is very prophetic."

John wondered about Cameron's belief that she really was living her life over.

"Sometimes I think it is because she has done all this before, several times…." John said. "She thinks she has."

John wondered how many lifetimes Cameron really may have lived. Were they all the same? Were they different? Did she change what she did or who she loved? Why were there no specifics?

Allison was very dismayed about her conversation with Cameron. She sought out Vanna to tell her what she'd found out. None of it seemed positive to her. Cameron indicated that the four of them were together. It was John, Duplicate Cameron, Duplicate Allison and Duplicate Vanna.

Vanna did not say anything for a few seconds as she pondered everything. It did not add up to her.

"Allison, I don't believe it." Vanna said.

Allison went over what Cameron said again.

"Cameron indicated the four of us were 'together'." Allison said.

Vanna shook her head.

"I don't believe it." Vanna repeated.

Allison did not know what to say. She was relaying the information Cameron gave to her. Allison found it hard to believe as well but Cameron insisted. If it already happened once, could it happen again?

"If it was the four of us together, would you?" Allison asked.

Vanna could see the lure. It would be one way, probably the only way that she could be with Cameron. She would be with John to be with Cameron. That was probably the motivation for the Duplicate girls.

"Yes, I would. Cameron would give us what we wanted, if we gave John what she wanted." Vanna said.

It seemed to be mostly a win - win for everyone.

"It sounds like John and us come out ahead and only Cameron does not." Allison said.

Vanna felt it was a 'dream' they all shared.

"At this point I just want to get it over with. It really is what everyone wants, even if John does not know it yet." Vanna said.

Allison was ready to give it a go. She wanted to be with John and with Cameron. She wanted to find the best way to proceed.

"Do we discuss it with them or just show up one evening?" Allison asked.

Vanna was not sure how open this was going to be. She was sure Cameron would want a lot of control. It might only happen during one of their windows of conception.

"I think Cameron will indicate what needs to be done and when." Vanna said.

Allison wanted to see where Vanna stood on the 'four way'.

"So is the lucky one the one that gets John first or the one that gets Cameron first?" Allison asked.

Vanna knew what they both wanted the most out of an encounter with John and Cameron.

"I think we both know the answer to that question." Vanna said.

Allison could picture it already. She wanted to be with Cameron as 'herself'. She did not want a 'love doll' or a 'love machine'.

"I hope she will not run her programming and just be herself." Allison said.

Each of the girls dreamt what it would be like to be with Cameron, it was worth ANY sacrifice. They would do anything they needed to do to be with her.

The two girls now eyed each other. They both knew the other was going to try and take 'cuts' to get a crack at Cameron first. It seemed that John was about to be a very lucky and busy man.

Cameron did not know what to feel anymore. She really did not like who she was. Then again, she never did. There was always a lot of self loathing on her part.

She tried so hard to help everyone else. Now she went over what she'd just done to Allison. That could not stand. She lied. She felt very regretful now. She needed to find Allison and tell her the truth.

How could she keep lying to get her way? These were her friends. They were people that trusted her and followed her into the unknown. They were people who actually died for her. Those ARE true friends.

Cameron hated herself for manipulating them. These people loved her and she loved them. She did not know why she did these things or how to stop doing them over and over. It was in her nature. It emanated from within her.

She needed to STOP doing what Future John WANTED and start doing what was right. Hadn't she learned morals from John Henry? It took everything she, as Duplicate Cameron could muster, to keep from using Holly's body and take it from her and then tell John this was her 'new' body. Holly even offered to let her do that very thing. Holly was willing to sacrifice herself for her. She'd been able to show some restraint.

What bothered Cameron the most was if she would have shown that same restraint if River was the one there instead of John? She really did not know, she felt 'possessed'.

So many things inside of her 'called' to her.

Now that she thought of River she felt everything that Duplicate Cameron did. Those feelings were now her feelings. There was something there that she wanted. It gripped her from inside like a vice.

'You Really Got Me' by 'The Kinks', thundered in Cameron's mind; even the music itself said - 'You Really Got Me'.

You Really Got Me

When I look in my heart
It is you that I see
I love and want you
To hear my plea

May your heart be touched
I want you filled with glee
To be together as one
Will be such jubilee

The way life works
Nothing is for free
Everything of worth that is gained
Comes with some type of fee

Often at first the costs are hidden
They are not on a marquee
Sooner or later they appear
That I can guarantee

Everything that happens
Is all a matter of degree
When the toll is not paid
One may try to flee

There may be one thing
On which everyone can agree
You can't get through life
Without a lot of apology

To unlock our hearts
Everyone has their own key
I open mine for you because
You really got me

Nobody