Chapter 281

Relax

XXXXXXXXXXXX

In Some Future:

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Cameron didn't care for these people or them her. She'd found what she was looking for. It was the location of a Skynet facility. She obtained the coordinates. She looked at a map and knew where to go. It was where the two HK drones were based. It was a start….

"I need to go back for my sister and friends." Cameron said.

"You're not going anywhere…." The voice of authority said.

Cameron hoped not to get into a confrontation with the Resistance. She wasn't about to let anyone stand in her way to get back home. She would terminate anyone she needed to, Metal or human, to protect her friends and get back to John. It didn't matter how many she would need to terminate. Her friends came first. They were all stuck here because of her. Her hand closed on her plasma rifle….

She was ready to spring into action. The next words would determine if these people lived or died. They were literally a word or two away from death. Cameron calculated where all her targets were and which threats to neutralize first. She was ready to act. It would be over with in seconds. She would then need to fight her way out of the compound.

Cameron would let them decided their own fate.

"Excuse me?" Cameron asked.

She was ready to strike.

"You're not going anywhere, until I can thank you for saving two of my men and helping two others." The voice of authority said. "That was fantastic work. I wish you would join us."

Cameron faced the new voice. The leader didn't appear aggressive but looked appreciative. She actually liked what he said. She still needed to get out of there before things got worse inadvertently.

"You're welcome." Cameron said. "I have my family waiting for me to return. I need to go before they start to worry."

The leader seemed concerned that she wanted to go back out into the Wastelands alone.

"It's not safe out there. There are Scavengers and Metal everywhere. Where are you trying to go?" The leader asked.

Cameron hoped to find someone she knew in Los Angeles even if it was Mrs. Weaver.

"I need to get to Los Angeles." Cameron said. "I have family I need to be reunited with."

The leader looked her over. He could not imagine a beautiful young female out on her own with other young females.

"That is going to be all but impossible unless you are taken prisoner by Skynet." The leader said. "That seems to be where most of them are taken."

Cameron felt it may take time but was not impossible. She was a Terminator. No one she met was going to know that until it was too late for them. It seemed possible to her.

"Why would it be impossible?" Cameron asked.

The leader genuinely looked concerned for her welfare.

"Here's the problem…." The leader said.

Cameron listened and saw her chances of success fall even more. The odds kept stacking up against her.

This entire endeavor seemed to be a mistake, a big one.

What was worse was that there was no apparent way to resolve any of it.

The girls began to worry. Cameron hadn't returned. It didn't look good. It seemed she should've been back in the time frame that she'd lain out before she left.

Allison was worried stiff. She looked over her weapons. She felt an obligation to go look for Cameron.

"Cameron has been gone too long." Allison said. "I need to go search for her."

That sounded like a bad idea to Vanna, a real bad idea.

"You can't go out there." Vanna said. "You don't know what's happening; besides Cameron told us to wait here."

Jesse felt they were supposed to wait longer. Cameron concealed their position from the outside.

"Cameron did all but block the entrance to this place from the outside." Jesse said. "No one can get to us but we can get out if we need to."

Allison still felt it was too long of a time period since Cameron 'sealed' them in. She should have been back by now.

"We need to get out. I need to go out." Allison said. "Cameron is missing. I'm worried about her."

Vanna didn't see that their chances were going to be any better. If Cameron was captured or terminated they were going to fare worse.

"If Cameron is missing, what do you think will happen to us?" Vanna asked. "We don't want to get picked up by Skynet or even worse – Scavengers."

Jesse and Vanna traded glum looks over the last part. Both of them were heavily abused and assaulted by Scavengers in the worst ways, more than once….

Allison was determined to help Cameron.

"It's a risk I'm going to have to take." Allison said.

Vanna blocked her path.

"NO!" Vanna said. "I won't allow it."

Allison was a little taken aback.

"But…." Allison started.

Vanna wanted Allison to sit back down.

"No, Allison. Cameron will return. She can handle anything, you know that." Vanna said. "I won't be taken alive by Scavengers again…."

There was along pause as everyone reflected on what Vanna just 'said'.

Vanna's next words were as shocking as they were about her love for Allison.

"I won't let them take you alive either, Allison…." Vanna added.

Allison saw that Vanna was serious. She knew for Vanna to kill her that it would be an act of 'love'. Death would be more merciful than to have Scavengers savage her until she died.

Jesse knew how bad it was like Vanna did. She didn't plan on going through all of that misery and agony again either. The longer Scavengers let a female live the more degrading life became for her. Once one of them started cutting on someone it only got worse.

"She's right, love. I won't either." Jesse said. "They can have my dead body but never again will they have me while I am alive…."

Jesse watched Scavengers savage a dead female before. It was repulsive. When they were done with the dead girl they savaged her next to see how they 'compared'. They said the crying and screaming excited them more. Just to be sure they all savaged the dead girl once more and then her again…. She'd tried not to scream and cry even with the beating. When they brought out the knives the screaming and crying started again. There was no way to stop it. It was never going to happen to her again.

"I swear it." Jesse almost shouted.

Vanna and Allison looked at her. It was clear she was emotional and looked like she wanted to kill someone.

Vanna wanted to be truthful.

"Remember to save the last round for yourself." Vanna said.

Vanna wasn't joking.

Allison thought of the horrible things done to her two friends. The scars in their minds were a million times worse than the scars on their bodies. Vanna said there were things she could never talk about. She couldn't imagine anything that bad. How terrible was it? Her body shuddered with fear. Her resolve and conviction was still strong.

"OK, I'll wait a little longer." Allison said. "If she's not back in two hours I'm going to go look for her. It's something I HAVE to do."

Allison knew the danger involved but she couldn't abandon Cameron to the unknown. She came along to protect Cameron and sacrifice herself in Cameron's place if it came to it. She still planned to do the same thing.

Jesse felt there was only one honorable solution to all of it.

"Then we all go together." Jesse said. "I won't let Scavengers take either one of you 'alive'. I promise."

Vanna and Allison looked at each other and back at Jesse. They both nodded.

The girls all waited in silence. Each one imagined their worst fears might become true. Each one pictured life in a Skynet work camp where they would be worked to death. They would be assaulted there by the Grays first. Next would be the rest of the prisoners who all knew they were going to die. The other choice was having their bodies savaged by Scavengers until they were mutilated and dead. Either way both stories ended the same way. It ended in death.

A shot to the head would be a merciful end over a torturous one.

Vanna and Allison hoped Jesse acted swift when she finished them off.

The Resistance reluctantly let Cameron depart. Everyone there thought it was the last they would see of her. They offered to give her an escort part of the way but she turned them down. She did not want to endanger them or have them find out she was Metal. If she needed to act in close quarters they would see she was a Terminator.

Cameron headed back to where the girls were. She spotted another HK drone flying around the area she brought the other two HK drones down at. She thought of adding a third one to the 'scrap pile' but decided against it. It would only bring more Metal.

She made sure she wasn't being followed or observed by anyone. There'd been two men from the Resistance bunker that were sent to shadow her but she lost them in no time.

When the men saw the HK drone they hunkered down. They knew to wait there for a few hours before they moved again. They knew there was no way forward for her. It was time to cut their losses.

She knew they'd 'written her off'….

Cameron was in the Wastelands 'alone'.

She formulated a plan to enter a Skynet facility. She was going to need some better clothing. That took her back to the site of the earlier battle. It was clear that Scavengers visited the area since she was last there. She needed to look for any Grays or Terminators that were still there.

Most of the serviceable weapons were gone. The food and water that any of the Grays carried was gone. She was able to gather enough clothing and gear to make a complete uniform for a Skynet Terminator. She also was able to get more clothing for both Grays and Resistance fighters. She didn't know what the girl's would need once they started their trek.

There was a snap in the brush near where she was at. She didn't turn and look at where the sound emanated from. If someone had her zeroed they would be able to burn her before she could act if they were spooked. She would try to move away and see about making her way around them or responding from where she could have some cover. She didn't want to sustain any more sheath damage this early in the game.

She carefully placed all her appropriated clothing in a large pack she found. There were several burn holes in it but it was fine for the clothing.

Cameron was out of the line of sight for whoever moved in the brush earlier. She looked through a gap in some debris and spotted them. She knew exactly where they were at now.

She moved through a dry wash to come up around behind them. She didn't know if it was a Resistance fighter, a Gray, a Scavenger or an escaped prisoner.

When she looked up out of the dry wash she was behind them. It was a young male. He still looked where she was last visible at. He appeared unarmed. She looked around and approached him from behind.

Right before she reached him he spun around and faced her with a sharpened stick. She saw his eyes widen as he looked at her face. It was evident he hadn't see a pretty female in a long time.

"I won't hurt you if I don't have to." Cameron said. "Don't make me."

"Stay back." The young male said.

He jabbed the stick in her direction.

"I don't stay back for anyone." Cameron said.

She reached out and pulled the stick away from him.

"Why are you out here?" Cameron asked.

"I got caught out here when the battle started." The young male said. "I needed to dodge the Grays and Scavengers. I saw them strip a girl and carry her away."

"Do you know where they went?" Cameron asked.

"No." The young male said. "I ran the other way."

Cameron moved forward with her plasma rifle ready and touched his neck as she held him firm.

"Tell me everything..." Cameron said.

She listened to his story and determined he belonged to the Resistance. She took him back to where the two men that tried to follow her were at. They were still hunkered down.

Once she was in eyesight of them she got their attention. She indicated the young male and sent him on his way. It appeared that they knew him. They made a gesture of thanks and the three of them left. So did she. The girls needed her.

The girls waited. Each of them wondered what was going to happen. They were all here for Cameron. Cameron needed them in her time of distress. None of them hesitated to go with her to try and help her. They each wanted to try to prevent her from being terminated or self terminating. They all cared for her and loved her. They knew sacrifice was the true expression of love. They all thought they were going to end up sacrificing themselves at this point for each other. It was something that they were all willing to do.

Allison was on watch. She thought she saw Cameron on her way back several times but there was nothing there when she looked further. This time there was something.

She noted movement in the distance and followed it.

"Someone's coming." Allison whispered. "I saw them this time for real."

Vanna and Jesse pickup their weapons and silently got ready.

Cameron was almost back to the hiding place. She heard Allison whisper to the other two and knew they were getting ready to fire. She was back later than planned and the girls were jittery. She didn't want to get lit up by friendly fire.

"Relax." Cameron said. "It's me."

Allison wanted to be sure. She issued a challenge phrase.

"Ruby red." Allison said.

"Slippers." Cameron said.

Allison lowered her weapon. So did Vanna and Jesse.

"Welcome back." Allison said.

Cameron moved the obstruction and replaced it behind her. A few minutes later an HK drone flew by and lingered. That was a little worrisome but then it flew off. She was afraid it would come back but it didn't.

The girls all shared some hugs all around. The closeness was comforting in this time of uncertainty.

Cameron briefed the girls on the situation. She wanted to get to the Skynet facility to see if they possessed a TDE. If not, she wanted to try to commandeer a Skynet transport. It seemed to be the only way to get to Los Angeles. The Resistance told her that a transport came every so often to take prisoners away. Sometimes it brought them from a different area.

On the way back she collected enough undamaged Skynet clothing to pose as a Skynet Terminator. She would act like she was taking the girls in as prisoners for work camp duty if it came to that. That might mean that they would walk right in the front entrance.

Cameron hoped to be a little more clandestine than that if possible. She decided to cover all the bases. A few back up plans might come in handy.

Allison took it all in. None of the proposals seemed promising. She wanted Cameron to give it to them straight.

"Cameron, what are our chances realistically?" Allison asked.

Cameron didn't want to sugar coat anything.

"Slim to none." Cameron said. "At best."

Vanna figured as much. There was a bigger concern that troubled her.

"Was there any word about my mother?" Vanna asked.

Cameron spent some time to get a better answer for that question herself. None was forthcoming.

"None other than what we were told before." Cameron said. "There was no mention of her type of Terminator and I didn't ask. I didn't want anyone getting suspicious of me more than they already were."

Cameron was worried she would have to kill some Resistance members to get out of the base as it was.

Jesse wondered how far Cameron would go for them.

"Did you almost have to kill them?" Jesse asked. "Would you have?"

Cameron already set her directives. They weren't going to change until they were back home.

"I will terminate anyone who threatens you or tries to prevent us from getting back to John." Cameron said. "I have to get back to John and I am bringing you three with me. It is my sole function to protect you three and return you back to where we came from."

Allison reflected that they all came from the future, different futures….

Relax

To live life on the edge
Is seldom a good choice
One becomes very small
They soon lose their voice

It can get lonely
Without any friends
Then you must be wary
To see who pretends

Not every hand is kind
That offers to 'help'
What it does instead
May cause one to yelp

The crowd walks by
Who can you trust
More often than not
One gets ground into dust

It's only through time
Once life has collected its tax
That one can find peace
And in the end relax

Nobody