Chapter 258

Four Replacements

John Henry wanted to let John know the good news about the hard drives.

"This is what Savannah found." John Henry said.

"What is it?" John asked.

"It appears to be the location of some 'secret' Skynet facility." John Henry said. "It appears to be an old one, where they went back in time even further than the first encounter with Sarah and Future Kyle."

That picked up John's interest. It also sounded like bad news. Who knows what Skynet altered or changed back then? They wouldn't know the difference now.

"It is?" John asked. "How can you tell?"

John Henry showed John what Savannah worked out and put together to come up with the key. It was very forward thinking.

John was pleased.

"Savannah did that on her own?" John asked.

John Henry wanted to give Savannah the credit she deserved.

"She's highly intelligent and has worked closely with Cameron over the years." John Henry said. "She is a valuable asset to the Resistance."

John wanted to give John Henry some credit too. He worked with Savannah a lot.

"That also includes Savannah working with you." John added.

John Henry wanted to remain modest. That was something Mr. Ellison taught him.

"We all do our part." John Henry said.

"I'm impressed." John said. "Everyone did a great job."

John was aware of some of the 'other things' Cameron worked on Savannah with too. He knew Cameron leaned as hard on Savannah as she did the adult females to do the same things. Age was not a factor in Cameron's calculations, functionality and availability was. Now that she was maturing rapidly it seemed even more so. Everyone knew Cameron's plan for Savannah in the future. It still disturbed him, even if that is what it was in Cameron's future. John hadn't failed to notice the beautiful young woman Savannah rapidly became. He was aware that Cameron always made sure Savannah was 'noticed'. They way she dressed Savannah was proof of that. He couldn't help but 'notice' Savannah at times. There was a lot showing.

He was also concerned that Savannah was kept isolated from others in her age group. Whenever Cameron did take her out to socialize, she was strictly supervised. If Vanna was with them, she would go after any male that 'looked' at Savannah. Jesse and Allison would back her up. None of them were afraid to brandish a weapon or use one if necessary.

John Henry continued with the briefing, even after seeing John was distracted 'again'. That seemed to be more frequent these days. He was not sure if it was Cameron or Savannah that he 'fantasized' about right now.

"She was able to see the visual indicators as part of the code. That led her to make a key." John Henry said.

John looked at it all. He didn't see it until John Henry walked him through it three times. That made him even more impressed by Savannah.

"Do we know what it is yet?" John asked. "What are they doing there or what did they do there?"

The location seemed inactive to John Henry and evidently so for years.

"I've checked the records; it was apparently constructed decades ago." John Henry said. "I'm not sure why it is not online or active now."

John hadn't seen Cameron around in awhile. He wanted to get out in the field and do some recon. This seemed like a good time.

"We need to check it out." John said.

As soon as John Henry heard the 'we' part he knew that John was going to 'push' it again. That always upset Cameron greatly.

Skynet wanted something in the past and apparently up to now. Or they at least actually did something in the past. The question now was, what was it? Did they pull it off and if they did, what was it they changed or altered? It could not be anything good at all. They could all be living in an altered reality and not even know it. Maybe where they were right this second was not the future of the past but an alternate Skynet timeline.

Cameron was at her base. She was very pleased that the Metal girls acted to take down the Skynet related target on their own. Now she wanted to get the new female Terminator processed modified and Resequenced.

Cameron watched Sheila, while trying not to watch her.

Sheila was 'all over' the 'Isabel model' Terminator.

Cameron was a little concerned with the excessive contact that Sheila seemed fascinated with. She touched the deactivated female Terminator everywhere over and over. Maybe it was Sheila's concentration on the 'private parts' that bothered her the most.

"How many times are you going to touch her?" Cameron finally asked. "That is going to be me you know. That will be my body or my clone's body anyway."

That statement made Sheila touch her again. She kneaded her breasts and then moved lower.

"You're practically physically assaulting her." Cameron said.

Sheila really couldn't help herself. It excited her to touch the deactivated Terminator. She offered a weak excuse.

"I needed to inspect her for 'damage'." Sheila said.

Cameron was disturbed. She tucked everything back inside and closed the deactivated Terminators legs.

"She has no damage in that area. It is protected when her legs are closed." Cameron said. "You've already checked several times. Don't make this a 'sexual assault'. That's what it looks like to me."

THAT statement made Sheila want to touch her again even more.

"Do we have to change her appearance?" Sheila asked. "She looks so Hot."

Cameron didn't want another problem with 'Isabel'. The incident the first time was bad enough.

"Yes." Cameron said. "We need to unless we want to keep her at this facility all of the time. They tracked our previous Isabel by facial recognition before and tried to get her back. I want her Resequenced with Allison's DNA. She will be my 'back up' for John. My chip alone will be copied and installed in her. Nobody is to know about this."

Everyone there except Cameron knew where that was headed. It never seemed to work out and Cameron would end up terminating 'herself'. It always ended the same way. Perhaps removing her protocols for John would delay that from happening.

Hanna was glad she examined the deactivated Terminator when Cameron was away for a few minutes. She checked 'everything' herself. She was sure Ally did as well. Then again Sheila carried it a little too far.

"What will we call her?" Hanna asked.

"Ally and Allison are already taken." Ally joked.

Cameron did not want anyone to know she created another clone.

"She will be called 'Cameron'. She will be me. We will update every day." Cameron said. "Only you three will know of her existence."

Hanna began to wonder about the end game here.

"So there will now be a replacement for you and the three girls." Hanna said. "There will be four replacements…."

Hanna and Ally looked at each other and figured what was coming. They glanced at Sheila who finally stopped fondling the new female Terminator's breasts.

Sheila saw it the same way that Ally and Hanna did. Cameron wanted to rescue, Duplicate Cameron and the girls. They most likely were going to be the four replacements that became the sacrificial lambs.

"Will we be sacrificed on the 'Day Of Loss', in their place?" Sheila asked.

Cameron didn't answer at first.

"Are we going to perish in place of you and the girls?" Hanna asked.

Ally could see it too.

"It's a fair question." Ally said. "Are we doomed?"

Cameron didn't want to destroy her friends. It still could happen.

"Not if I can help it. I won't lie, that's an option." Cameron said. "I can't alter the timeline if we do that, if I go after them. John was very adamant about that. I don't want you three harmed either."

Ally didn't see a way to undo what was done unless they took the places of the girls on that day.

"How do you retrieve them and not alter the timeline?" Hanna asked.

Cameron needed to get her hands on a properly functioning TDE. The one Sheila was constructing was almost done.

"I don't know yet." Cameron said. "I have several ideas…."

Ally wondered if the Metal girls and her only existed on borrowed time.

"Any ideas where we are not terminated are preferred." Ally said.

Cameron ignored Ally.

Sheila went back to 'checking out' the new female Terminator. If she was going to be vaporized in the mine a few more copped feels wouldn't hurt anything.

Cameron couldn't ignore Sheila.

"Sheila, stop touching 'ME' and get started on the DNA Resequencing. Hanna, get the neck port installed." Cameron said. "Ally, I want you to help me copy my chip."

Sheila planned to have Ally put her chip in the 'Isabel model' for a few hours when Cameron was away. She was going to break the new chassis in herself with Hanna and Ally. They all shared the experiences of the girls with Isabel-Cameron before her deactivation. She would need to be careful. She knew if Cameron found out, she was going to be angry. She watched Cameron and Ally walk away. She moved the deactivated Terminator's legs apart and started to inspect for any damage again.

Hanna looked over and shook her head.

"You're playing with fire." Hanna said.

"I can't help it." Sheila said. "It's the 'Jesse' in me."

Hanna wanted to give her a warning.

"Make sure you tell Cameron that when she goes to deactivate you." Hanna said.

Sheila was a little worried.

"You won't let her do that will you?" Sheila asked.

"I don't want to end up Resequenced and reprogrammed myself or placed in the spare parts bin." Hanna said.

Sheila stretched everything out again.

Hanna shook her head and walked away.

Cameron was alone with Ally now.

"I want to make two copies of my chip, Ally." Cameron said.

Cameron looked at Ally and gently touched her cheek.

"Do you understand?" Cameron asked. "I only want you to know…."

Ally caught the drift. Her chassis was to become a replacement for Cameron as well in an emergency.

"So I guess every 'Allison' draws the short straw." Ally said.

Cameron saw it as a higher calling and duty.

"It's your purpose." Cameron said. "We must protect John and the future."

Ally already knew the next line. She'd heard it enough.

"Everyone sacrifices for John Connor…." Ally said.

Ally was to be the third backup for Cameron.

"I am afraid so." Cameron said. "It would only be if 'Cameron', the new one, and myself were both destroyed…."

Ally wondered what happened to her at that point. Did she just cease to exist?

"What about me?" Ally asked.

Cameron didn't see the short term 'fix' as a problem.

"Your program can be copied onto Hanna's or Sheila's chip. I will work on having an alternate chassis for you." Cameron said. "I think Hanna would be please to share with you for awhile."

Ally wanted another female chassis.

"I don't want a male chassis." Ally said.

Cameron possessed the files from another version of her that was in a male Terminator chassis.

"No. I was in Bob's chassis for awhile, a copy of me anyway was. It was very cumbersome with 'junk' I didn't need." Cameron said. "I actually considered removing 'everything' several times."

Ally did understand it as her duty. She still didn't want a male chassis.

"I know I sure won't need that. Too bad Sheila was not around then, she would have done it for you." Ally said. "I will do what is necessary if that 'event' occurs. If you and 'New Cameron' are terminated, my chassis with your chip alone will take your place. Life for John will go on as if nothing happened to you."

Ally wondered if this may have already been done before.

Cameron was pleased at the cooperation. She was not pleased at the prospects as to why this might be necessary at some point. It would mean her termination two times over.

"Thank you. That's what is necessary." Cameron said. "I appreciate this Ally."

Ally wondered if she could play the part of 'Cameron' until another female chassis could be Resequenced.

"Can I try to infiltrate as you with John to see how far I can 'get'?" Ally asked. "It would be a challenge."

Cameron looked Ally over from head to toe and back again. She looked like Allison, not her.

"You would have to look a little more Tight first to get very far." Cameron said.

That was a real confidence blow to Ally. She was not sure if Cameron insinuated she was 'ugly' or not.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Ally said. "Appearance was never a priority for Allison."

Cameron knew her appearance was what John liked about her. She didn't feel it was actually 'her' John wanted.

"It is for me." Cameron said. "It is very important to me. John likes me to look Tight. I like to look Tight."

Now Ally was flooded with some files from the 'Allison' in her. They were not pleasant at all.

"Allison was more worried about where her next meal was going to come from or worse, what it would be." Ally said. "If I ever go into a future, I am going to hunt Scavengers whenever time away from my mission will allow it."

Cameron knew all the girls from the future suffered in more than one way. For some it was worse than others. She'd seen the 'darkness' in Sheila come out during the interrogation. It was brutal and violent. She knew that was from the 'Neural Interface' with Jesse.

"Allison was the lucky one." Cameron said. "Vanna and Jesse were less fortunate and heavily abused. Those events damaged Jesse very deep within herself. I am going to work with her to help free her demons. I've been trying. I want to help her be 'free'. I want to 'fix' her. I saw them, the demons, in Sheila. I did not like what I saw her do. Terminating Scavengers is a good idea - anytime."

The Metal girls hoped to score a mission to the future at some point. They'd already developed a 'game plan'.

"We've talked about it. Hanna and Sheila are going to do the same thing, especially Sheila. Sheila has vowed to personally terminate one thousand Scavengers. She wants to do it in the most brutal and graphic way possible."

Cameron thought that would send a message to all Scavengers. The problem was different in other future timelines.

"That will all depend on which future any of you are sent to, if ever." Cameron said. "I terminated many Scavengers myself. If I'd known the full story of the girls at that time, I wouldn't have left until every single Scavenger was terminated. At some point I would have personally terminated every Scavenger who'd ever abused the girls."

Ally was aware there were a lot of Scavengers in that timeline.

"That would have taken years." Ally said.

It didn't matter to Cameron. Justice would be served.

"My power cell lasts a long time." Cameron said. "With the TDE, I could have come back right after John or even before him."

Ally wondered what the end game for Cameron was.

"Will you ever go to your future again?" Ally asked.

Cameron was sure she would. That would mean that Skynet would've done something that necessitated her to do that.

"I believe I will in some way. My interaction with Future John is not over. That is what I 'feel'." Cameron said.

Cameron was pretty sure there was a lot of interaction remaining. She wondered how many times she'd done it and what changed if anything. She still felt some resentment toward Future John for banishing her. How do you do that to someone you love? What happened to her life with him? Why was most of it erased along with all of their 'personal interaction'? Why would he do that to her?

Ally saw Cameron's hand began to glitch. Cameron may be 'hard' on them sometimes but she loved her nonetheless. She took Cameron's hand and held it. The glitch slowly stopped.

Cameron looked at Ally and gave her a faint smile.

Ally knew the weight of the world and future was on Cameron's mind. She really felt sorry for her.

'Kodachrome' by 'Paul Simon' played in the background.

Burn Baby Burn

I see the dancing fire
I reach into the flame
I know what I am doing
There's no else to blame

I know the pain will come
I will not back away or stop
I want to grasp the flaming mass
I refuse to let it drop

Defeat is not an option
I reject any form of surrender
Are they for real
Or just another pretender

So it goes without saying
No matter how many times we are burned
We can not accept the results
Therefore nothing is ever learned

Incinerate my bloody shredded heart
For I am never letting go
Burn baby burn
Who don't think so

Nobody