Chapter 283

Let's Go

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In Some Future:

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Cameron slipped away from the patrol she followed out of the Skynet facility. No one really seemed to be in charge of everything. Other than her one encounter with one 'officer', no one seemed to care about much. There was one Gray that accosted her. His body was stuffed behind some machinery.

She didn't like to leave that one female in the hands of the Grays that'd begun to assault her. Another glitch impulse shot through her left hand. She needed to think about the girls and get back to them. She was on a timetable right now.

Her three clones would take the HK transport along with the female prisoners that arrived on it. The clones were left with the task of making sure their chip was not captured if they were about to be. They each were given a plasma grenade to detonate next to their chip port. She didn't want the information on their chips to be found and disseminated by Skynet in whatever future they were in.

Something moved in front of Cameron. It brought her back to 'now'. She needed to focus and pay better attention. It was a rat.

Cameron checked her surroundings. She would need to change out of her Skynet uniform at some point. She figured she would collect her other clothes where she left them and maybe change there or wait another ten miles. She didn't want to be caught in the wrong uniform in the wrong area.

When she reached the location she'd left her clothes she checked to make sure no one was around. She was about to change when she heard something in the distance. It was a tracked vehicle. She spotted where it was at. It was an HK Track. That was the smallest of the tracked HK vehicles. They sported a minigun as well as some small missiles. They weren't much more than guided rockets really.

She decided to leave the Skynet uniform on an keep going. HK Tracks seldom operated alone. There were usually more of them or troops to follow behind them.

They may be headed for the Resistance base. They could be going elsewhere too. She didn't plan to find out. The Resistance base would be able to hear the HK Track before it could inflict serious damage.

She passed through the area she'd gone through before. She decided it was time to change her clothes. There was a greater chance of running into a Resistance patrol or Scavengers at this point.

As soon as she'd taken the Skynet uniform off she heard several shots. She grabbed her plasma rifle and sought out the danger. She moved from one collapsed building to the next. There was a Scavenger who'd fired on some Resistance fighters. It didn't look like the Scavenger would be able to kill any of them. She decided to go back and get dressed. Being naked in broad daylight was bound to cause a negative response for her with anyone who spotted her.

"Nice day for a walk." The first man said.

Cameron spotted two men over at her clothes and the supplies she'd picked up along the way back.

"Leave now and no one gets hurt." Cameron said.

The two men looked at each other and laughed.

She continued to approach the men. She held her plasma rifle still. It was charged and ready to fire.

The two men both held rifles. They could damage her but not incapacitate her.

"I think we all know what's going to happen here." The second man said.

Cameron fired twice and both men were hit. They both died instantly.

"I doubt you thought it was going to be that." Cameron said.

Cameron quickly dressed.

When she turned around the Scavenger she saw earlier was standing there pointing a plasma rifle at her. She glanced over at hers. She would most likely sustain at least on hit before she could reach it.

"It was a shame you just put those clothes on." The Scavenger said. "Now you're just going to need to take them off again."

The Scavenger made a threatening gesture with the plasma rifle.

"Strip, NOW." The Scavenger said.

Cameron took her clothes off again.

"THAT is sweet." The Scavenger said. "What are you? Are you a Gray that ran away to join the Resistance?"

"Yes." Cameron said. "I didn't like how the prisoners were treated."

The Scavenger approached her.

"I think you're going to like life out here a little less than on a Skynet base." The Scavenger said. "I was going to take you back to my hooch but I'm not about to share you with anyone. At least not for a few weeks. You won't look quite so nice by then. I've never seen a body like that before. It's absolutely flawless."

Cameron tried to looks scared. It was hard to do.

"Don't hurt me." Cameron said. "I'll do what you want."

"You bet you will." The Scavenger said.

"They made me be with those machines." Cameron said.

The Scavenger stopped.

"What?" The Scavenger asked.

"They made me be with those machines, the Terminators." Cameron said as she moved closer to the Scavenger.

"Are you contaminated?" The Scavenger asked.

"I can't really check." Cameron said. "Will you do that for me?"

The Scavenger was thrown off guard.

Cameron moved forward and punched him in the throat. She crushed his windpipe and larynx. She pulled his plasma rifle away from him. He fell over backwards. Both of his hands held his throat as he gasped for air.

She walked up and kicked him in the side of the head and snapped his neck.

Cameron quickly dressed, gathered her supplies and moved out. She took the Scavengers plasma rifle along with her own.

She needed to pick up the pace.

She was on a timetable.

The girls waited with worry and anticipation. It was the uncertainty and not knowing that was the worst. They didn't know what happened to Cameron. They didn't know what would happen to them.

Allison was on watch. She thought she saw some movement.

"Someone is coming." Allison said.

All three girls readied their plasma weapons that Cameron provided them with. Cameron wanted them to be able to fight against anything that threatened or attacked them, human or Metal, any kind of Metal.

The girls were ready to rock….

"It's Cameron." Jesse said somewhat relieved.

Cameron developed a challenge phrase to be used in case Liquid Metal replaced her or them. A 'code' word would be spoken. It required the proper response.

"Halt." Vanna said. "Mother."

"Red Devil." Cameron replied.

Cameron removed the obstruction to their hiding area and entered.

"There will be transportation here for us shortly." Cameron said. "Get ready to move out."

Cameron filled them in on what happened so far. The girls were shocked to learn there were three more of 'Cameron' now, even though they would look different. She explained to them she was her program not her chassis or sheath. She knew some people could have trouble with this concept…. John seemed to be the biggest one. If the girls were not her prime directive now, that remembrance would have bothered her more just to think of that.

"Each one is identical to me. We only appear different." Cameron said. "If anything happens to me, there are still three more of me, even if I look different. It's still me."

The girls thought it might take some getting used to. Humans based a lot on appearance.

Jesse did point out that there were three of them as well, as in Allison, Vanna and her.

That fact hadn't been lost on Cameron.

Cameron worried if there were three more of her that they would end up fighting over John at some later date. She would assign one to each of the girls and have that clone change their 'prime directive' to that specific girl. Cameron would have them firewall all files related to John and any 'activities' that John and her may have 'shared'. That would give each of the girl's better protection as well.

"Each one of us is expendable, including me" Cameron said. "It is my goal to return all of you home. One of 'me' should survive. Even if my appearance is different, that one will still be me…."

The girls thought that sounded grim.

The three cloned Cameron Terminators loaded the female prisoners back onto the transport and restored the electrical system that Cameron disabled earlier. So far no one raised the alarm. One of the clones collected some plasma rifles.

Another clone entered the flight compartment and disabled all non 'hands on' control of the aircraft. Once the female prisoners were secure aboard, it was time to go. They lifted off and headed for where Cameron instructed them to go and land. They knew everything she did at this point so they knew where the girls were waiting.

The female prisoners huddled together. They were unsure about everything and afraid of what would happen. One of the clones assured them they would soon be free. They were apprehensive, but didn't want to end up in a Skynet work camp or worse, in a Scavenger camp - again. All of them spent time in one, including the girl. Jesse, Vanna and Allison were all aware of the horrors associated with that.

Cameron and the girls waited. If everything went smoothly the transport would arrive shortly.

As they waited each of them worried over what the future would bring. None of them thought they would be going home any time soon. They also knew they might never return. That seemed more likely as time went on.

The troubled silence was soon broken.

"I hear it coming." Cameron said.

Soon the girls heard it too.

The very sound of it was frightening. Whenever they heard that sound in the past - the future, it was always HK drones. There was always death that followed with them. This transport was even louder.

The transport touched down and Cameron went forward to make sure all was as it should be. The rear ramp opened. She went up the ramp and saw the females huddled in fear and two of her clones. The third clone piloted the transport.

She motioned for the girls to come forward and they did. Everyone got on board. As soon as they were in, she gave the signal to lift off as the ramp closed.

Cameron filled the girls in about the female prisoners. The girls knew what to expect. The girls went to console the females and calm them. They told them they were safe now. They said Cameron watched over them as well. Allison talked to the younger girl while Jesse and Vanna spoke with the women. They were able to relate because they'd all shared similar experiences….

Cameron moved up and took the controls of the transport. She flew at about twenty feet off the ground at the maximum speed the transport would go. She hoped to cut down any radar signature that they would generate as well as pass quickly over any ground installations before anyone could act or react. On the ground someone may hear the transport coming but it would be over them and past them in seconds. The transponder was disabled as well as any GPS devices.

Allison moved up to the cockpit. She was amazed at the controls and Cameron's ability.

"Do you know where you're going?" Allison asked.

That was just it. Cameron didn't know where she was going. She didn't know what they would find when they got to the Los Angles area.

"I know where I want to go. I don't know what we will find when we get there. At some point we're going to get shot at by either the Resistance or Skynet. We can't be lucky forever." Cameron said. "This thing has no defensive or offensive armament."

Cameron felt they were in a flying target.

Allison thought about that problem for a short while, something clicked in her memory.

"Open the rear ramp part way and two of your clones can act as 'tail gunners'. I remember seeing a movie Derek watched. There were bombers with tail guns. It is most likely the HK drones would attack from a pursuit mode, at least at first anyway." Allison said. "They won't expect this aircraft to be armed. They won't expect to be shot at."

Cameron liked that idea. That might help them at first. There would probably not be more than one HK drone on the first encounter.

"Go tell two of them to do it." Cameron said. "That's an excellent idea."

Allison left to pass the word. She sure hoped the clones were as good a shot as Cameron, then again they should be, they were 'Cameron'.

Cameron felt a little more hope now than she did a few minutes ago. They still needed to go a long way. She really didn't know what they'd run into.

Cameron continued her low altitude high speed run. She heard bullets strike the craft from time to time. She really hoped that no one was able to get off a lucky shot and disable one of the power plants. They would most likely need to set down if that happened. If all the engines were disabled. They would crash. There was little aerodynamic lift to any of the flying Skynet equipment. At one point there was a very loud impact. It appeared that they'd taken a plasma rifle hit. That hit burned a hole in the side of the transport about a foot in diameter. The third clone was now there as a 'waist gunner' with her plasma rifle.

Jesse suggested they could blow a hole in the other side and she could man it as well. Cameron didn't want to do that yet. She was afraid they would end up with more holes without trying. She really hoped that none of the hits would disable the transport. It was a real possibility.

Cameron flew on. She tried to avoid any place that looked like someone would be at waiting for them. She pushed the speed a little more.

She didn't know the extent of communications between the Resistance groups or Skynet's capability either. If there were enough outposts they would be able to track their direction and try to set up some offensive action. That applied to both the Resistance and Skynet. Right now they were everyone's enemy.

One of the clones indicated to Allison that an HK drone was approaching from behind them.

"There is an HK drone coming up on our tail." Allison said to the third clone at the hole in the side.

The third clone joined the other two at the partially lowered ramp. The clones figured with three of them that they should be able to score.

Jesse moved in to fill the clones spot at the hole in the side of the transport.

The three clones at the rear discussed firing strategy.

"We will all fire at the same time." The clone in the middle said. She looked at the clone on each side of her. "You take the port engine and you take the starboard engine. I will go for the control center. Wait until it closes up on us more."

The three clones waited. They were all one hundred percent sure they could score.

The three clones fired simultaneously and the HK drone went down in an instant. They were proud of their action. There was also a grim possibility.

"Next time there will be more." One clone said.

After the encounter Cameron immediately switched directions and headed for the coast. Once she picked up the beach she dropped to ten feet above the water. The engine temperatures rapidly neared the redline as Cameron flew on at full throttle. She needed to get as close to Los Angeles as possible before the transport was disabled or shot down….

Let's Go

The path of life
Exists in a shadow
Its destination is seldom
At the end of a rainbow

The journey itself
Can be fast or slow
It can reach high
Or dip down very low

There is no pinnacle
Or even a plateau
Everything is always in flux
Like a never ending escrow

What does one keep
What do they forego
What do they lend
What do they borrow

Life without substance
Is vacant and hollow
Few things can grow
Everything remains shallow

Is the direction to follow
Where the wind will blow
Filled with folly and woe
As one goes with the flow

Nothing actually started long ago
Somehow the past we still must tow
There are feelings to bestow
That can set one aglow

Who is a fried or who is a foe
Do we really ever truly know
Upstream one must always row
When everyone is ready let's go

Nobody