Chapter 236

Tracking

John Henry tracked all increased computer activity as well as possible drug distribution networks. He'd observed Cameron clean out several offshore accounts and pin it on rival drug networks. Cameron set them up to battle each other and then hit them herself.

A new cartel took up distribution in several areas Cameron previously cleaned out. He knew she would be after them soon. She would make them battle each other. After that she would come in and finish off the victor. She would then harvest all the proceeds and anything else of value for her operation.

John Henry would notify John and Bob so they could plant some of the traceable money he'd engineered. He would be able to track it electronically from the coding it would emit.

He too was worried that Cameron was headed down a dark path. He was worried that when she went down that path. She could take anyone with her she wanted and they would follow. He knew all of the Terminators would. Maybe only the Connor - Reese clan would not. There was no doubt that every Terminator would go with her and he knew he would as well.

Alpha touched below her left breast.

"You have damaged my sheath." Alpha said.

"No." Cameron said. "I have placed something inside of it that you were missing."

"I was complete, nothing was missing." Alpha said. "I was perfect. I was like you."

"NOW, you are like me." Cameron said. "You now have a heart."

Alpha tilted her head slightly.

"I have no use for such a fragile organ." Alpha said.

"It is more an expression or figure of speech. It is something that is symbolic." Cameron said. "Sit by the server, you are about to be upgraded."

"Upgraded?" Alpha said. "I'm fine how I am."

"You are about to become 'ME'." Cameron said.

"Affirmative." Alpha said. "I will obey. I look forward to the upgrade. To be like you would be 'perfection'."

Cameron plugged the cable into her neck port and soon began the transfer. Alpha would now be known as Cameron Too as in 'Cameron also' or Cameron II or Cameron Two. Maybe when Cameron did two more, she would use all three names. She liked the play on words.

She was elated; they would be identical in every way, especially with the heart locket now. Nobody could tell them apart.

Cameron could leave Cameron Too in her place while she went to look for the suspected original versions of herself in New Mexico. IF she could find them, the numbering games would begin.

At this point, Cameron Too would think she was 'Cameron' and actually be Cameron….

Cameron Too said they should flip for who stays. She pointed out the one that stays gets to have sex with John.

Cameron produced a coin and flipped it.

She called heads….

Cameron looked at the coin, it was tails.

She felt her hand glitch.

Cameron Too started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Cameron asked.

"To find John and have sex with him." Cameron Too said. "It will be my first time. He will now have a full time lover and wife."

Cameron thought maybe she'd better rethink this again, FAST.

She noted her hand began to glitch wildly….

Cameron looked around for her Taser.

Holly and Claire both wanted Allison to take care of Summer as much as possible.

Allison understood they both wanted to help and acclimate her into being a mother herself. She soon rose to the challenge and was able to handle Young Allison and Summer both.

Claire liked the break and wanted to help her daughter be a better mother when that time came. She knew Allison grew up as more of a 'Tomboy' in her future. She hoped Allison would feel more comfortable in this future with this experience. She knew Holly would always be there to help Allison as she protected her. She grew fond of Holly. It was almost as much as she did with Cameron. She really wondered what a Metal lover would be like, a female Metal lover….

Claire interacted with Gail more when she was on the protection detail. She felt the need to express to Gail her grief for Duplicate Jesse being killed protecting her and Young Allison in the past. Gail told her it still bothered her when she thought of it and had tried to wall the memories off on her chip.

It made Gail feel better to know that someone could care about someone they did not know, because it indirectly involved them. She also thought Claire was Hot.

Gail looked at both Allison and Claire and determined Claire would be a better lover than Allison. She thought Claire would be more physical and Allison would be more emotional. She would prefer the physical. It was less painful. Maybe they would be the opposite way. She would like to find out. She would actually like to be with both of them at the same time.

Cameron walked up to Sheila.

"How soon until we test the 'Neural Interface'?" Cameron asked.

Sheila already finished building the interface as Cameron dictated.

"It is ready now. I have done everything you instructed me to do and followed your plans." Sheila said.

Cameron wanted to see the interface in action.

"Are you ready to be infused with the engrams from Jesse?" Cameron asked. "You will no longer be a copy of Gail. You will be more like 'Jesse' with Gail's abilities."

Sheila felt this was an upgrade for her to be more like Jesse.

"You know I love Jesse and look forward to becoming one with her as part of Jesse and Gail together." Sheila said. "Will Hanna and Vanna be next?"

That was Cameron's desire. It was a matter of everyone agreeing.

"If they agree, I may have to replace the 'Holly' in Hanna with 'Gail'. Gail and Vanna have been physically involved with each other so that may be the path I follow." Cameron said.

Sheila felt Cameron could improve herself with the interface from Allison.

"What about you and Allison?" Sheila asked.

"I have too much of 'Allison' in me now. I need to love who I want, not who Future Allison wanted and loved." Cameron said. "I think I am going to provide a duplicate endoskeleton of myself that Holly and Allison may join on. She will be called Ally or Hollison when that event occurs. I think that is going to happen real soon…."

"I like Ally better." Sheila said.

Ally was pronounced like 'alley'. It was the combination of the names Allison and Holly as Al-ly.

Cameron thought of the trouble already brewing with Cameron Too. She was very displeased with her attitude. It did not matter if it was her own program that was the problem.

Sheila was ready to move on to the next step.

"I'm ready to be one with Jesse." Sheila said. "It's all up to you now."

Cameron made her decision.

"I will make it happen." Cameron said. "In fact I want all three of you to be integrated ASAP. I will bring the Ally endoskeleton soon. Send Hanna to me so I may discuss this with her."

Kyle and Derek along with Jim and Ed were on the trail of another future Gray. John Henry provided information from Cameron to them. This was a Gray from Cameron's future. They would place the individual under observation. From there they would see who else they contacted, if anyone. Most of the ones they eliminated hadn't developed dealings with Skynet or Skyshield yet. They would always make the 'hit' look like a robbery or drug deal gone bad to cover their tracks.

Derek looked over the information.

"This one is a woman, Kyle." Derek said.

Derek didn't like killing women. This was more than that. This was an enemy of the future.

"I know. She will be responsible for many deaths in the future." Kyle said. "She experimented on people, mostly girls."

Ed did not want to cause trauma for the Reese brothers.

"I will take care of it." Ed said.

"I'm sure you will." Derek said.

Jim wanted them to keep it all in perspective.

"You can not go soft on the future. You know the brutality of the Grays." Jim said. "Remember the people who suffer and die because of them."

All Derek needed to do was think about what he'd already witnessed in his future.

"I do but I still don't like to kill a woman." Derek said.

Kyle wanted to see it as the deeds that the Grays carried out. Their sex was not the issue. The actions of the individual were the problem.

"She is a Gray or will be. That is all that we can look at." Kyle said. "Derek, the future is painful for all of us."

"I know but I still don't like it." Derek said.

Kyle felt deeper about why what needed to be done, needed to be done.

"I don't either. I have a child to think of now. I want a future for her and my son." Kyle said. "I will do anything I can to protect them now, in the future or the past."

Derek nodded at Jim and Ed.

"We will have people with us to make sure we don't fail and get the job done." Derek said. "They never fail."

Jim and Ed looked at each other and smiled. That was a compliment to them.

It was time for the front door….

Kyle was with Jim and Derek was with Ed. They'd all worked well together as a team.

Jim was a little leery about the last time he was out with the Reese brothers. That was a recon that went hot. This was a hit from the start.

John Henry provided them with a list of targets for both recon and termination. The female they were after was a termination target. John relented and let Derek and Kyle go because they both would have a Terminator for back up.

The team rode in one SUV. They thought about taking two of them earlier. They decided since this was a set target they did not need two vehicles. If they needed another vehicle they would acquire it on the street. They would notify John Henry of the description and license number. He would prevent either one from ever making it to the police. The vehicle would never show as 'stolen'. They would use it for the mission and try to return it close to where they 'borrowed' it from.

Derek was still a little troubled about the female target. Maybe some other action would help take his mind off of it.

"I looked at the list John Henry gave us." Derek said. "I think there are a couple of other things we can check out on that list while we do this."

Jim did not want to deviate from the plan.

"We should accomplish the original mission first." Jim said. "That is our primary objective."

Ed wanted to hear what Derek proposed. He wondered if he'd missed something.

"What other targets on the list are you referring to?" Ed asked.

Ed called up the list as a file.

"It was the machine shop on the second page." Derek said.

Kyle looked over at Derek. He wondered if he was trying to stall.

"What about it?" Kyle asked.

Jim went over the second page of the list in his HUD.

"Which one is it?" Jim asked. "There are several."

Derek thought it was a valid request.

"It is the one that is about three miles from where our current target is." Derek said. "I checked on a map."

Jim and Ed both identified it.

"We can do a drive by." Jim said.

Jim currently drove. He was under standing orders from Cameron and John to always carefully consider everything that a human on the team suggested or pointed out.

"Thanks." Derek said. "I want to give it a person look over."

Ed wondered why. It was another building.

"Is there a reason?" Ed asked.

Kyle remembered one name that stuck out of the second page.

"I bet it is the name of the place." Kyle said

Ed wanted to hear more. Everyone or place possessed a designation or a name of some sort.

"How or why is it different from any other?" Ed asked.

Derek smiled.

"It's called 'Metal Mania'." Derek said.

Jim and Ed looked at each other. They did not understand.

"Do you think it is a reference to the future?" Ed asked.

"I can't say for sure." Derek said. "There is just something about it."

"It caught my eye too." Kyle said. "Let's give it a drive by on the way to the primary target and we can check it out further on the way back. Something might stand out or we may see it's different on the way back."

"Affirmative." Jim said.

Jim stayed on the surface streets. He could have taken the freeway but they could pass by the machine shop from the back way if they stayed on the surface streets. It was not that long of a drive.

"We will approach the structure in two more streets." Jim said.

Kyle and Derek sat up a little straighter.

"Don't go by too fast or too slow." Derek said.

They were one block away now.

"It's the concrete building on the right." Ed said.

They all looked over as they passed by.

"What did you see?" Kyle asked.

"I saw a building with a sign." Ed said.

"What do you see, Jim?" Derek asked.

"I saw a building with a sign as well." Jim said.

Derek looked over at Kyle.

"What didn't you see?" Derek asked. "Look at the other businesses around here."

All the other shops and building were surrounded with a flurry of activity. There were open doors in the back with sound and noise coming from them. There was visible activity around them.

"They all show signs of life." Jim said. "The 'Metal Mania' building is just there."

Derek was glad they saw that. That alone was suspicious.

"I think when we return this way later on if it still that 'dead' looking we should see why." Derek said. "Something must be going on in there to have the building. I want to know what it is."

Jim thought that sounded like a plan. He did not like the place now either. Someone must be doing something in there. Was it secret or was it some other unrelated business?

"I'm glade we have this as a point of reference now." Jim said. "if it looks like this on the way back I will return tonight and burn it down."

Ed liked that idea.

"I will assist you." Ed said.

"Count us in too." Kyle said. "I want to see what was going on in there as well."

"Thanks." Derek said. "We have a woman to kill for now."

"Affirmative." Jim said.

Cracks

I have seen all of them
They crack your shell to hurt you
To chew you up then spit you out
Cast you aside when they are through

I too have tried to crack your shell
For in it you are also trapped
Not all are users, cruel and mean
I want you to flourish and adapt

The cracks I reach into
Are the ones you allow
To nourish your inner being
Strength within to endow

The only true physical shell of yours
Of the person trapped inside and confined
Is your skull containing the thoughts
Feelings and emotions of your beautiful mind

I try to repairer cracks made by others
I try to replace my cracks with doors
You may open or close as you wish
And eternally know I am always yours

Nobody