Chapter 185
Tunnel 4
Holly and Cameron sat in silence as tears streamed down their faces in the darkness.
Holly wished she could reach Cameron and help her inside. Cameron always blocked her from viewing or trying to change some of the files that tormented her. She told her it would help her but Cameron did not want to change who she was or is. It never really made sense to her that Cameron would endure unnecessary torment.
Previously Cameron and Holly developed a special bond since they shared Holly's chip for over a year.
The bond become much more for Holly, much, Much MORE…. To be able to experience and share silently with Cameron for all that time it was inevitable that she would fall in love with Cameron.
It was that love that drove Holly to want to turn over her chassis to Cameron and allow it to be Resequenced to Allison's appearance. She wanted to replace everything for Cameron that was 'altered'.
"Cameron, I'm here for you. We are all here for you." Holly said. "We can fix any problems or mistakes that have 'happened'. I'm going to help you. I'm going to fix this for you."
Holly's words pained Cameron. Here was someone who would do anything for her and make any sacrifice for her. She did not deserve to 'take' anything from Holly. Holly was beautiful and nice. She was nobody.
"I'm unstable." Cameron said. "I do not deserve anything from anyone. I'm replaceable. I'm expendable. I don't matter. I'm 'not good enough'."
Holly felt the need to tell Cameron she loved her. She'd never said it to anyone before. It just seemed like something she needed to do. Now was the time.
"Cameron…. I…. I…." Holly started.
Cameron could feel what Holly wanted to say. She knew what she wanted to say. She did not want to hear it. She did not deserve that level of feeling from anyone. She felt unworthy of anyone's affection. She wished she would have made a try to get in front of the locomotive. She would have met her fate at the dominance of a machine more powerful than she was.
"Don't say it, PLEASE." Cameron pleaded. "You should have let me do it. You could have harvested Coltan from my chassis to make projectiles for the weapons. Then I would be good for something."
Holly NEEDED to say it. She NEEDED to let Cameron know. Cameron was everything to her, everything. Holly made up her mind. Cameron could have her chassis.
"Cameron, I love you." Holly said. "We've shared so much for over a year. I will share with you again. I'm going to do it."
Cameron was confused as to what Holly specifically referred to right now. She was not at a hundred percent.
"Do what?" Cameron asked.
Holly looked into Cameron's eyes.
"I'm going to get a DNA sample from Allison and Resequence my sheath. We will trade chips and everything will be as it was for you. I am going to do it." Holly said. "I MUST do this for you. It is want I want to do. It is a way for me to express my love for you in a meaningful manner."
Cameron saw it again, the true test of love - sacrifice.
She looked over at Holly and took in her beauty. Holly was truly beautiful by anyone's standards. There was no doubt about it. She could not take that beauty from Holly. She certainly did not deserve it.
"I can't allow that." Cameron said. "I will not 'ruin' you too. Look at me, look what I have done. I will not take your beauty from you."
Cameron felt ashamed of herself for what she'd done.
Holly was not even sure that anything was changed on Cameron. It seemed mostly to be in her attitude and perception.
"So far I don't see anything different." Holly said. "You may have slacked off on your appearance but nothing has physically changed. I have checked daily. You are still identical. When I detect a change, I will Resequence myself for you. I look forward to my new appearance in your Resequenced chassis when we switch chips."
Cameron stared at Holly for a long time. She was at a loss for words. How do you express true thanks to someone who is willing to sacrifice everything?
Holly smiled at Cameron.
"Thank you." Was all Cameron could say….
Holly squeezed her hand and kissed her cheek.
"Promise me you won't try anything foolish again." Holly said. "I don't want any mechanical damage to my 'new body', my future chassis. Take good care of it for me until we can swap chips."
She squeezed Holly's hand back and kissed her on the cheek
"I promise." Cameron said. "Thank You."
Cameron felt so ashamed at what she'd done. Now someone else was going to pay the price 'again'. It always seemed that way. Someone else needed to pay for her 'sins'. She acted reckless and someone else needed to pick up the tab.
Cameron wished she'd never been built. It seemed death and destruction followed her every 'where' and every 'when'.
She would really like to know why Future John banished her to the past. What did she really do to him?
The teams waited for what seemed like hours in the Bealville area. There's been half a dozen more trains pass through. Holly purposely released Cameron's hand as they passed. She wanted to show Cameron that she trusted her and believed in her.
Cameron knew what Holly silently communicated to her. She did not want to let Holly down. The impulse to get in front of a train was mostly gone at this point. That was a good thing.
There was no word from Dan of anyone who looked serious that made the turn off from Highway 58. That was still where they expected the team of Grays to come from. They would need a box truck or a trailer to transport the HK drone.
The stillness was soon disturbed. There was a loud chop, chop, chop sound coming up the canyon. There was a UH-1 helicopter that rapidly approached their position. It was painted black. It was nearly nightfall.
At the sound of the approaching helicopter Cameron slipped out and quickly shoved the tracker into one of the panels blown open by the three hits the drone took. They'd expected someone to show up by vehicle. The helicopter was a surprise. John Henry was unable to track them approaching. They must have been flying right on the deck.
John spotted the helicopter come up directly from Caliente along the highway and head for where the drone was. He told Dan to get back to Bealville from Highway 58 so he could pick up the others. They were going to need to move soon to follow the tracker. The Iroquois held a distinct advantage over them on several levels.
Bob did not like the prospect of losing the drone. They were about to have some solid targets in a very short while. Some terminated Grays were a good start.
"Do you want me to bring down the chopper, John?" Bob asked.
Cameron wanted John to know she'd replaced the tracker.
"I put the tracker back into the HK drone." Cameron said. "We should be able to track them."
John thought about what would be the best course of action. There was one thing he wanted if it was there.
"No. Don't bring it down, unless there is a female Terminator on the ground first. Let them take it and we will track them." John said. "I want to know where they are hiding. There has to be more HK or Skynet related items wherever this thing ends up."
Everyone knew why John wanted another female Terminator. He wanted her chassis for Cameron. No one questioned it. It was a good idea if it happened. Female Terminators were hard to come by.
The chopper made a quick circle over the area. They tried to spot any threats. The team inside Tunnel 4 was well concealed.
Two men hopped out of the copter as it landed across from the drone and attached three cables to it from the underside of the helicopter. The men returned to the helicopter and it slowly lifted off. The thump, thump, thump of the rotor was extremely loud as it slowly lifted the drone. The chopper lazily spun around and departed back the way it came up.
Cameron, Holly and Bob moved out of their hiding place from inside collapsed Tunnel 4 and made it to the top of Tunnel 3 as Dan arrived. John pulled up behind him and Dan switched back to John's SUV. Bob took the wheel of their SUV and then both groups departed. They both followed the tracker inside the HK drone that was now slung beneath the helicopter.
John Henry was still unable to get any tracking on the helicopter. The pilot kept it very low.
Vanna and Allison looked for Cameron. They did not know she went out on the operation.
They listened to the com traffic inside the Command Center.
"What happened, John Henry?" Allison asked.
John Henry gave them a brief rundown of what happened up to the point they were at now.
Allison and Vanna listened patiently. They did not hear what they wanted to hear.
"What else happened?" Allison asked.
John Henry did not want any problems.
"The drone crashed at slow speed and they are tracking the helicopter that came for it." John Henry said.
Allison seemed a little agitated at this point.
"That is not what I mean." Allison said. "You know what we want."
Vanna and Allison stood boldly in front of him. It was evident they were worried about Cameron.
"Cameron experienced a couple of 'problems' but everything is fine." John Henry said.
Vanna heard enough. She was steamed too.
"NOTHING is fine." Vanna said. "Cameron should not be out in the field."
John Henry did not want to take the blame for this one. He placed it back on John.
"John thought if Cameron was busy and was able to 'protect' him that she would be less likely to do something 'unfixable'." John Henry said.
Allison rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"From what we understand, Cameron has already done some 'unfixable' things." Allison said. "Where was everyone at then?"
Vanna would have tried to offer herself to Cameron to keep her from running off to do what she'd done to her sheath.
"We need to get involved." Vanna said. "It's just that simple."
Allison would talk to Holly when she came back and offer her whatever she needed to Resequence her sheath for Cameron. Holly briefly spoke to her about obtaining a DNA sample and wanted her permission first.
Allison would do anything for Cameron, except HURT her.
"There are several options open as how to 'fix' some of them." John Henry said.
It saddened Vanna greatly that Cameron could not see how everyone cared for her.
"Cameron is lucky everyone loves her. It is a shame that she can't see how she is truly loved." Vanna said. "She is the most loved individual ever."
Allison knew what part of the problem was. She did not know how to address it or fix it.
"She seems driven from some inner demon that controls her. It always hurts her and causes her to relive every past 'bad' event." Allison said.
John Henry only knew of one person who could truly 'reach' Cameron.
"It would be nice to have River here to comfort her and ease her pain." John Henry said. "She could always calm Cameron."
Allison saw one solution as another problem.
"Then THAT would open a new can of worms for Cameron and John." Allison said.
John Henry knew John wanted Cameron better at any personal cost.
"We ALL want Cameron happy and healthy at whatever the 'price' is that comes with it. That includes John." John Henry said.
They all knew that sacrifice was the true test of love.
"It is like a lose, lose scenario." Vanna said.
Riley walked up.
"I want to go with you when you go to help Cameron." Riley said. "I have my gear all ready."
John Henry did not want to get ahead of the game.
"So far we are not there yet. This is still a recon mission." John Henry said. "Everyone needs to relax."
Gail and Jesse arrived shortly after Riley.
"Is the copter ready?" Jesse asked.
Sarah walked up.
"I sure hope so." Sarah said. "I need to get out for awhile."
Allison looked at the assembled group of females. They all wanted the same thing. They all wanted to help Cameron.
"It looks like a 'girl power' mission." Allison said.
All six women hugged each other.
"This is for Cameron." They all said in unison.
The girls were not going to sit around and do nothing at this point. It was time for action.
Allison was ready. 'Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On' by 'Chubby Checker', played as they planned.
Crash Landing
The world burns around us
No one can tell the state we are in
As we slowly lose control
We end up in a tailspin
Laughing and smiling life goes on for them
No one can tell the state we are in
As we slowly are destroyed
We rapidly spiral in
Uncaring and unconcerned about us
No one can tell the state we are in
As we slowly are squished
We uncontrollably auger in
Once they are done using us
No one cares the state we are left in, only to spurn
As we slowly are erased
We are about to crash and burn
Never enough, no matter how much we give
No one can tell the state we are in or where bound
As we slowly are decimated
We end a smoking hole in the ground
Unrequited love is never returned
No one can tell the state we are in
As we slowly are tortured
We inevitably spin in
Nobody
Drip Drip Drip
Drip
Drip
Drip
An old worn facet cries
Drip
Drip
Drip
Thoughts drift in a mind
Drip
Drip
Drip
Each day we grow colder
Drip
Drip
Drip
Love in a heart slows
Drip
Drip
Drip
We drift apart
Drip
Drip
Drip
Sadness in a heart grows
Drip
Drip
Drip
Life is gone when the drips stop
D – R – I – P
DRIP
Drip
Silence
Nobody