Chapter 276

Where Are They

Earlier:

Derek and Bob were on a recon involving a future Gray. They'd run into some type of 'enforcement' action with a loan shark's 'collection crew'. There'd been a Skynet Terminator babysitting the target future Gray. The Terminator took out three of the 'collection crew' before he'd gotten in a physical battle with Bob. Derek managed to Taser the Terminator. As Bob deactivated the Terminator, Derek took down the target future Gray and the rest of the 'collection crew'. They torched the location and left with the deactivated Terminator. The Metal girls arrived as they left the location to collect the Terminator's chassis.

Bob and Derek drove away from the target location.

"Thank you for assisting me." Bob said. "It made my fight easier."

Derek almost laughed.

"It's the least I could do." Derek said. "You've saved me dozens of times."

Derek thought about the whole deal.

"We were in and out of there in under two minutes." Derek said. "We didn't expect to run into a Terminator or some loan shark's crew."

"We would not even have gone in if we didn't spot that crew, at not least when we did." Bob said.

Bob was now two blocks from the burning house. They could see the smoke behind them as they cut over two streets.

"Let's drive by within a block of that house." Derek said.

Bob looked at Derek.

"What for?" Bob asked.

"I want to see if we can spot the car that crew used." Derek said.

"Do you think there were more thugs?" Bob asked.

"I don't know what I think." Derek said.

Derek wondered how the Metal girls got there so fast. They needed to be right in the vicinity to arrive that quickly.

Bob thought they should leave the area since the target was identified and taken down. He tried to figure Derek's angle.

Bob turned off his com.

Derek did too.

"Do you think the Metal girls were on to that crew?" Bob asked.

"I know that Cameron has the Metal girls operate outside and separate from the Resistance. I know she takes down drug and sex trafficking operations. I know that there are millions of dollars stacked up in the storerooms."

Bob nodded.

"The Metal girls were probably going after the 'collection crew' when our paths crossed." Bob said.

"It's a possibility." Derek said. "Now that the crew has been taken out they will probably need to assault the main objective that they were after. It's still daylight. That will increase their risk."

Bob thought that was a 'no starter'.

"I don't think John Henry will approve that." Bob said.

"That's why I want to see if we can spot the car the crew came in." Derek said. "We can follow it back to where it came from. Once the driver figures out what happened, they are going to run for home."

Bob was already headed there to check.

As they neared the intersection they saw a car 'punch the light' and run through the red light. It wasn't really speeding. It just didn't want to stop.

Bob was about to go after it.

"Wait." Derek said.

They waited twenty seconds and they saw the same blue SUV that picked up the Terminator drive by.

"I saw Jesse, I mean Sheila and Ally in the front." Derek said. "Let's go. They were there to back us up."

Bob figured they were in it deep already by taking down the target, a 'crew' and a Terminator.

They turned and followed the blue SUV.

"In for a penny…." Bob said.

"In for a pound…." Derek said.

The Metal girls must have had a tracker on the car, if not they knew where it was going. They were not in a big hurry and obeyed most of the traffic lights.

Bob followed behind them by about a quarter of a mile.

Two dark sedans pulled out between them and the blue SUV.

"Turn your com back on and have John Henry warn the Metal girls they picked up a tail." Derek said. "It looks like a hit."

Bob sent out the warning while Derek reached behind the seat. They'd stage some weapons there on floor before they left the base.

Derek armed an M4 with an M203 mounted on it and handed it to Bob.

"You have an HE round in the launcher." Derek said.

"Affirmative." Bob said.

Derek armed another M4 the same way for himself.

"Have the girls slow up and turn down an alley between some industrial buildings." Derek said. "We can contain the collateral damage."

"They have a LAW with them." Bob said. "I saw it in the back when I loaded the Terminator."

"Have them use that against the lead car when we enter the alley. We will take the rear one." Derek said.

Derek put down his side window and climbed in the rear seat and put down the side window as well .They would pull up to the alley but remain on the street. Bob would fire through the passenger's side window and Derek would fire out the rear seat side window.

Sheila received the warning and spotted the tail.

Hanna handed an M4 to Sheila and Ally in the front and armed the LAW rocket. Ally would fire her M4 from the passenger's side and Hanna would fire the LAW from driver's side.

Sheila slowed and the tail car's slowed and closed up her which allowed Bob and Derek to close up as if they were going to pass the two sedans on the far side.

Sheila turned into the Alley and punched it. She shot ahead of the two tail cars. They both turned into the alley.

The two cars saw the SUV sitting at the end of the alley. The lead car saw and M4 and LAW rocket pointed at them. The driver hit the breaks and the second car rear ended them. The driver of the second car was still on the gas because they thought they needed to catch up.

The collision caused gasoline to leak from the lead car. The men in both cars were stunned. Before they could even react the LAW rocket tore into the lead car and it exploded. The rear car was hit with two HE rounds from the grenade launchers. They both penetrated the rear window and exploded in the interior. Both of the cars were flaming wrecks. No rounds from the rifles were necessary.

Bob and Sheila both drove away from the scene.

The Metal girls thanked them.

John Henry recalled Bob and Derek at this point.

CamNet dispatched another group of Terminators to finish the job at the building where the Metal girls were headed.

"I bet that won't make it into the report either." Derek said.

Bob smiled.

"We took down the target." Bob said.

"I like short reports." Derek said. "The future Gray it was."

They headed back to the base.

Order was restored and things went back to normal or as normal as they could be. Cameron didn't even know what normal was anymore. Was there ever a normal? Since she'd entered John's life, what was normal? Maybe normal was her causing some kind of a problem. Maybe that is why Future John sent her away. It was to banish her from creating problems for him….

Cameron wanted to search for any more traces of Skynet or any offshoots or upstarts. She was more determined than ever to stop Skynet. If Skynet never took control, then John wouldn't face assassination at the hands of disgruntled Resistance fighters. There wouldn't be any unless they returned from the future. The girls could live their own lives and John wouldn't need them for 'protection'.

She was worried about her separating Allison and Vanna. It was her fault Allison and Holly became 'partners'. She felt she did that to better protect Allison for John. No matter what she did she was going to hurt someone. That seemed to be the story of her life, hurting those she loved.

Cameron realized this is why Future John pushed everyone away. It was to stop feeling the pain of their deaths. They were deaths that he felt responsible for. She knew the guilt she felt over the Duplicate's demise. She even created Metal versions of the girls. She made copies of their programs. Her Metal girls would never die. Even if they were destroyed, she would re-body them. She would find them a new chassis even if she needed to go into the future to do it.

She wanted to increase her anti drug campaign. It was not only to help finance her projects but because she liked the ability to terminate scum. They would all be future Grays or Scavengers anyway. She realized she was doing it as some strange need inside of her to take the risk and meet the challenge. It became an obsession to take her mind off John and what she felt she could not fix. Her urge to terminate grew very strong. To end a life used to mean nothing to her, now it gave her 'pleasure'.

Cameron realized if they could prevent Skynet from taking over that there was no need to 'fix' anything. The girls could still be with each other and need not be in John's bed. At that point it would seem that she'd altered everyone's life for nothing. Not altered but 'ruined' their lives for nothing.

Allison was ready to become a mother. Cameron wanted Vanna to be at Allison's side with her. That would increase the chance of Vanna also wanting a child.

Cameron did not want to hurt Holly. Holly was always faithfully there for her and John as needed. Holly never took or used what was not hers. She didn't know how to fix this. She also knew Jesse would be hurt as well now. She noticed her left hand started to glitch wildly.

How can she 'fix' everything? She needed to 'hunt'. That always calmed her. She would strike often tonight. The thought already calmed her. Someone would pay for her mistakes. Someone NEEDED to pay for her mistakes….

Cameron looked forward to the 'hunt'.

Sarah was busy with Jan most of the time. John and later Cameron, tried to keep her out of all combat operations since Jan was born. She wanted to do her part but she wanted to be a mother too. Jan would be able to have a little bit more of a stable life growing up at the Resistance base.

The fact she was with Kyle again, even if it was a different version of him, meant everything to her. It was still the same Kyle, only with a slightly different upbringing. What worried her the most was John and Cameron. She was able to see the relationship was strained but it seemed to be from self inflicted wounds. It was obvious that Cameron wanted to be with John but whatever programming that was inside of her caused her internal conflicts and problems.

Sarah really wondered what Future John did to her.

At least in that future it wasn't her doing or fault. She was dead then.

Savannah felt different needs and wants as she matured. Cameron and Vanna told her it was her hormones changing as her body started to produce them. She already knew all the scientific events that were occurring or would occur in her body. She was doing college level studies. That wasn't the problem. It was dealing with them that seemed to cause her frustration.

She watched more and more videos on the internet and began to 'experiment' on herself. Cameron was concerned at some of the things she viewed. Cameron didn't stop her or restrict her but suggested that she spend more time doing other things.

Cameron would take her out by herself sometimes and other times with Vanna to interact with others her age. She didn't feel comfortable around them. Cameron and especially Vanna made sure no boys ever got near her. That was fine with her as she preferred the company of other females more anyway.

She would see herself and Vanna 'check out' and look at the same females when they were out. Vanna never said anything to her about it but she knew they were the 'same'.

Holly was with Allison. She knew it was falling apart. If Allison would not be her wife, it wasn't going to last. How could it? She was unsure if she was 'not good enough' or if it was because she was Metal that she was 'not good enough'. Either way she was hurting.

"I will do whatever you want or play whatever part you want me to as long as you do not throw me away." Holly said. "I know of Cameron's pain of being - replaced. I also know self termination is a better option than facing that. Cameron has shared that pain with me and I can not face that on my own."

It was all very complicated to Allison at this point.

"I don't want to throw you away or replace you, Holly." Allison said. "I want what would be best for my child, our child. You know I love Vanna and I love you. I'm afraid I won't make a good mother. Vanna and I have talked about children for years. I know Duplicate Allison was pregnant and Duplicate Vanna was not. It is possible she is barren because of damage from our future. It would only be right and fair for us to raise the child or children together. How do WE still maintain our relationship and move forward together as well? I don't know. It is all so confusing. I don't know what to do. I really don't."

Allison's words did little to comfort Holly. The nagging fear was still there.

"I don't either." Holly said. "Please, Allison, don't throw me away."

Holly knew the best she could hope for was to be able to see Allison every now and then and still maintain her duties. The duties she was constructed for. They were to aid and protect the Resistance. Holly noted her hand glitched worse now as well. She really wondered how Cameron dealt with this.

Holly knew Allison was going to replace her or send her away. She needed Cameron right now. Cameron would understand. Only Cameron could understand….

Cameron was worried about the Duplicate Future Cameron that must exist - 'In Some Future'. Where was she at? Were the girls and her safe? Were they in HER Future or elsewhere? Where was Mrs. Weaver at? Were they together? Were they fighting together or against each other?

Would they show back up here at some point? Cameron prepared herself for the day when she would walk around a corner at the base and Duplicate 'In Some Future' Cameron would want to know who the Hell she was….

Cameron informed River that there was most likely a Duplicate copy of herself 'In Some Future' and if River ever was able to contact them to try to help them get back to her time, now. She would have to share 'herself' with John. She did not know what would happen with the Duplicate girls. That was a whole new problem. Cameron couldn't help but blame herself for all these problems. She believed that she was responsible for ALL of them.

Where was the other Duplicate Cameron?

Why didn't anyone ever listen to her?

Did EVERYONE think so little of her?

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Cameron Prime Timeline:

Events Continue In Chapter 287

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Endeavor

Was it not yesterday
Maybe it was never
The feelings we created
Will last forever

I want you to want me
Not whomever
Our love spawned is real
Not just whatever

Tomorrow may come
Or it may not
What you have
Is what you have already got

It is to you
Hope that I bring
To comfort your soul
To take away hurts sting

I am here now
I know it's not much
We are ready to share
Love's sweet tender touch

So lovely and pure
Love's true endeavor
Beyond distance and time
Nothing can change or sever

Nobody