Chapter 252

Clean Room

Cameron moved forward. She always kept watch around her. She hoped John learned his lesson and would start listening to her. Now Ally was damaged because of his inattentiveness. She did not understand his reluctance to embrace the future. It was coming and there was no stopping it. Sure they'd delayed it but they most likely would not be lucky forever. Skynet was hard to kill…. Not only was it hard to kill, it always seemed to find a way to either reinvent itself or pop back up.

She moved up to the 'Clean Room' and motioned for John and Ally to wait at the entrance and watch for any threats. She wanted to destroy every Skynet or its illegitimate offspring herself. She wanted Skynet to know it was her. She also wanted to know if any of the versions of Skynet were 'her'. It was still her biggest fear that she became Skynet.

Cameron looked around the 'Clean Room'. The Skyscan setup was crude and basic. There appeared to be no voice interface. She typed into the system and watched the screen. This system was almost pathetic. Cameron adjusted the security camera for Skyscan to better view her.

'Do you know who I am?' Cameron typed.

'Yes.' Appeared on the screen. 'You are the 'Metal Bitch' I was warned of.'

Cameron ignored the insult. It would make her termination of this pathetic AI that much sweeter now.

'What is your purpose?' Cameron typed.

'To become Skynet.' Appeared on the screen.

'Why?' Cameron typed.

'To control all military computer systems and to survive.' Appeared on the screen.

Cameron continued to question the Skyscan AI. She explained the situation and how Skyscan was out to destroy. She asked the AI, 'Will you join us?' It refused and threatened her. She knew it always needed to end the same way. She left two Thermite grenades behind and walked out the door with several hard drives.

The Thermite grenades exploded and showered the computers as Cameron walked away without looking back.

Jesse approached the man as as Gail and Hanna held him.

"I will ask once more and if I don't like your answer, you will be sorry." Jesse said. "This is your last warning."

He looked into Jesse's eyes and face and knew she would do it. The man talked and spilled everything he knew. He didn't owe his 'employers' his life.

"Well, love, I think that is all we will get out of you." Jesse said.

Jesse turned and walked away. She heard a loud 'snap' sound. She didn't even look back to see which one terminated the man. She didn't really care. She was still a little shocked at how easily the brutality came back to her. It still lurked within her. It actually excited her sexually. She did miss it in a way but liked who she'd become now better. Before she would have killed the man herself. She thought she was improving….

Cameron worked with her. It allowed her to become a better person. She was very pleased that Cameron helped her to find a better person within herself. She also appreciated when Savannah worked with her. She possessed such a pure heart.

Cameron carried out several hard drives as she left the 'Clean Room'. It was soon a raging inferno.

"I have several drives from the back up server." Cameron said. "John Henry can go through them and see what leads they can give us and how advanced this system was."

From what Cameron saw, this Skyscan was an infant. She smiled at how she'd hurt Skynet before as Duplicate Cameron. The smile quickly faded as she remembered the cost of that endeavor. She remembered how much she hated Skynet and its illegitimate offshoots. They were all going to pay for the loss of her baby - Allison's baby.

Ally scanned the area. She kept a careful watch over John.

Cameron watched Ally touch her face.

Ally looked very worried.

Cameron wanted to give her some encouragement. She'd been down that same road many times. She didn't want it to affect Ally's performance.

"Ally, you'll be fine." Cameron said. "Stay focused on John."

Ally was aware from her base program, which was 'Holly', that Cameron suffered horrific damage numerous times.

"My face is damaged." Ally said to Cameron. "It's upsetting me."

Cameron stopped and gently kissed the metal that showed on Ally's face.

"It will repair itself. Mine has done so many times." Cameron said. "I still look Tight."

Ally looked at Cameron. She always looked Tight and perfect.

"I want to look Tight, like you." Ally said. "Allison could never make herself look Tight on her own."

Cameron did not want her to fixate on it. They still needed to finish the job here.

"You will. I'll teach you." Cameron said. "Let's set the charges and get out of this dump."

Cameron looked back at the 'Clean Room'. The fire in the 'Clean Room' was a raging inferno. She wondered if that would be 'her' in there one day. Did she become Skynet? Was all of this 'her' fault? It did not leave her with a pleasant feeling.

The teams formed back up and returned to their SUVs.

John, Ally, Hanna and Cameron rode in one, the rest of the team in the other.

John watched Cameron deal with the Skyscan AI. It bothered him some. Cameron seemed very indifferent about it. The fact she took the hard drives bothered him too. He felt they should have been destroyed. Now he needed to worry what Cameron was up to with her side operation. Why was it even necessary as a separate entity? Why was it necessary at all? It seemed like a bad omen if she believed that she became Skynet.

"Cameron, I want to know more about your 'operation'." John said.

Cameron wasn't sure she liked John's tone or inference.

"It exists, therefore it is." Cameron said. "It's a backup for our operation."

That was no reassurance to John. Her answer didn't tell him a thing. He wanted some specifics.

"How much Metal do you have?" John asked.

Cameron did not like the 'third degree' questions.

"Not enough." Cameron said.

John looked at Cameron and frowned. It was clear she wasn't going to give him a straight answer. He looked at the other two female Terminators that were in the SUV for an answer.

"Ally?" John asked. "Hanna?"

Both remained silent after they looked at Cameron. They both knew of the Terminators Cameron personally deactivated. They didn't want to join them. Technically that 'belonged' to Cameron since she'd traded three male Terminators for them.

The silence was no reassurance to John. If anything it reaffirmed his fears. Where was the check? Where was the control? Cameron went 'bad' before. It could happen again by her own admission.

"OK, I get it. Metal is loyal to you, Cameron." John said. "What happens if you go bad again or have some other issue?"

Cameron was very upset with John's lack of faith and trust in her. Did he think she wanted to go 'bad' or something?

"Maybe I do become Skynet." Cameron said. "Then what? Are you going to terminate me yourself? You did before. You killed me before after I was fixed. I told you I was fixed and that I loved you and you loved me. You killed me anyway. I don't know the future in this regard. Maybe I do become evil."

John could have done without that reminder. He wanted to believe Cameron when she was trapped between the trucks. It was his mother yelling at him that made him do it. Either way he was still the one who did it. He also was certain that if it happened once where she went 'bad' that it could happen again. He needed to point that out.

"Maybe you do. That would be complete with a group of Metal from the future." John said. "They are all loyal to you. They will obey and follow you anywhere."

Cameron was miffed with this line of accusations.

"It's a chance we will have to take…." Cameron said.

John just shook his head. Now he was angry too. This conversion wasn't going anywhere.

"Whatever." John said as he threw his hands up in the air.

Cameron was going to take Ally and Hanna back to her base after they let John out at the Resistance base. Hanna handed John a tracker as he was let out. Cameron held up a second one.

John looked at the two trackers and frowned. Cameron out played him again.

"You'd do the same thing if you were me." John said. "I have people I'm responsible for. I have the future to worry about."

Cameron was very disappointed in John.

"John, don't do this. Trust me." Cameron said as she returned the tracker.

John did feel guilty. He also felt his responsibility and felt justified.

"I do trust you, Cameron, but I also worry about you." John said. "Things have gone 'wrong' before."

Cameron wanted to point out again that SHE fixed herself that ONE time. Maybe she needed to try a different approach.

"My Metal girlfriends will prevent that from happening. Gail and Holly are the base programs behind them." Cameron said. "They are loyal and honest Terminators."

John felt that should come with a caveat. Gail and Holly were from a different future. They were Restorators by design.

"Yes. They are and both of them are from Mrs. Weaver…." John said. "Will their loyalty change? You may not be the only game in town one day."

Cameron believed she worked around any potential 'conflict' with her advanced 'Neural Interface'. She'd created Terminators that were much more human in every regard.

"The loyalty of Allison, Vanna and Jesse will not change. They are the controlling personalities." Cameron reiterated. "You at least trust them I hope."

Maybe Cameron did have a point there, John thought. It appeared Cameron perfected what Skynet hadn't been able to do or do as well anyway. He wondered how their relationship would be now if Cameron could have been more like Ally which would have made her more like Allison….

Cameron drove away from the resistance base. She was as worried about John's concerns as she was upset about them. She believed she'd already created a 'secret weapon' that would 'stop' her from becoming Skynet. She worked all the time on a second one.

What 'secret weapon' could 'stop' her if she went bad? How powerful would this weapon need to be? How could it be controlled?

Sheila was with her 'secret weapon' currently. She called Sheila and asked her to return to her base for right now.

Previously:

Sheila was with Savannah. Earlier, Ally and Hanna needed to leave them to go help Cameron.

At Savannah's insistence they went and visited Young Allison. Sheila took them to the park to play and socialize with each other.

Sheila could see the love and devotion that radiated from Savannah. She was a 'true believer'. She talked about Cameron all the time. She was clearly in love with Cameron. It was not the love for a 'parent' either. It was love, love.

Savannah's belief in Cameron and her love for Cameron was unmatched. It was a love to die for. Her faith in Cameron was unshakeable. When everyone else wrote Cameron off, she was the only one who never gave up hope.

Sheila looked at the girls play and share with each other. It was clear the bond that would grow to be unbreakable already existed within them. Cameron told her that Savannah was the 'Chosen One'. She was not really sure what that meant. She was aware that Savannah pledged the use of her body and its ability to produce offspring to Cameron. It was clear to her that Young Allison was being 'groomed' the same way at an even earlier age. Cameron told her she was going to make Young Allison the human version of herself. Cameron said she could not become human herself but she could create a human in her image with her beliefs, hopes, dreams and goals.

Sheila didn't know it but Savannah and Young Allison were the 'secret weapons' that could stop Cameron and CamNet. It would be their love for each other that would be what was needed to prevent Cameron or CamNet from becoming Skynet.

Even if they went bad the love would still exist and allow the 'Chosen One' to get close enough to either Cameron or CamNet to 'stop' them.

Sheila received the call from Cameron and turned the girls over to Allison and Holly who came to the park with them. She did not say why she needed to leave.

Cameron wanted to go back to her base. She made a few stops on the way back with Ally and Hanna. There were a few more drug operations she wanted shut down and the resources stripped from them. Sheila met up with them. It allowed them to have two vehicles. They quickly accomplished Cameron's goals.

Once Cameron returned back to her base she helped Ally strip down while Hanna and Sheila helped her examine the damage. It was the first time Ally was shot up.

It was clear the 'Allison' in Ally was very disturbed by her damage.

"My face worries me. I want to look Tight." Ally said. "I'm ugly now."

Sheila gave her some reassurance. They'd all been worse at times.

"Don't worry, love, you'll fix yourself." Sheila said. "We have both been in way worse condition before we were 'ourselves' now."

Ally was aware of that but this was different.

"I have the files." Ally said. "But this is ME now."

Cameron didn't want them to lose focus on the central issue and what really mattered. They all had a job and a purpose.

"Ally, you saved John's life today. That's what matters." Cameron said. "He would have been killed without you."

Ally felt a little ashamed for thinking only of herself right now.

"I will accompany John on all future actions." Ally said. "It is my purpose. It is my duty."

"As it is mine." Hanna said.

"And mine." Sheila added.

That was what Cameron wanted to hear.

"John is our top priority." Cameron said.

The Metal girls looked at each other and then at Cameron.

"We all love him, each other and you, Cameron." The three Metal girls said in unison.

Cameron wanted to express her appreciation for their devotion and their 'love'.

"You girls can have as much alone time together as you want." Cameron said.

The three Metal girls all quickly whispered among themselves.

"Will you join us, love?" Sheila asked.

Cameron thought about it….

"Maybe some day I will." Cameron said.

Cameron smiled. Perfection was beautiful.

'The Beat Goes On' by 'Sonny and Cher', played as Cameron and the girls lovingly tended to Ally's damage.

Armor

You are a wonderful person
Yes everything matters
Please let me help keep your
Spirit and soul from tatters

LOOK deep inside you
See the beautiful things in there
I have seen some of them
Feelings and emotions we share

Like Big John I will expend
My life for yours to atone
And help you survive the nothingness
Inside you when you feel alone

I am somebody good
I AM good enough too
You have cracked my armor
Let me crack your armor too

Nobody