Chapter 294

How Many

John awoke and was not surprised to see Cameron was gone. He knew it would be pointless to have her lying next to him for hours doing nothing as he snored. She didn't sleep, he did. He was always happy when she was around, even if it was for a short time. He dressed and went out.

He gave up long ago worrying about Cameron and what she did while he was asleep. It seemed that Cameron went out of her way to please him extra special last night. It was like she really loved him and it meant something special to her. He actually thought Cameron thanked him…. He was unsure why.

He saw 'Cameron' walk out of Vanna's room. He was surprised but glad to see her. He hoped she would be ready for some 'more' action soon. There was no such thing as 'too much' when it came to sharing with Cameron. Even though it was infrequent, it was awesome.

"Hey, Cameron, I really enjoyed last night." John said.

He did and he meant it.

"Wonderful." 'Cameron II', soon to be 'Cam' said. "I need to take care of some stuff real quick. I'll see you soon."

Actually she didn't really want to see him at all.

"OK. See you soon." John said. "I like that outfit. You look Tight."

John noted 'Cameron' looked extra Tight right now. It looked almost like she was trying to impress someone. She looked extra Hot as well. He really looked forward to another piece of chassis.

John Henry was in the process of checking the security feeds when John showed up in the Command Center. Cameron erased them earlier. He wasn't sure what 'happened'. He learned from experience it was better if he didn't know. Cameron must have been up to something.

He knew she liked to cover her tracks. When she erased the security footage she'd always done something she knew was 'wrong' or at least questionable but still did it anyway. He was 'instructed' not to worry about them or discuss them, even with her.

The two exchanged pleasantries.

John wanted to get down to business.

"Did you get a location on where the HK drone went?" John asked.

John Henry reasoned it would've gone further than it did. Maybe it was damaged more than they thought.

"Yes we did. We followed it to a location northwest of Chatsworth. There were once some old Western Movie Ranches located there. Many of the 'Westerns' were filmed in and around that area from the Thirties to the Sixties. Most have burnt to the ground over the years. There are still a few secluded spots. I show someone named Manson and his 'Family', resided in this area for awhile. That is not too far from LA 88. It is an old abandoned Nike Base."

John Henry regretted talking about the LA 88 Nike Base as John might bring up the four nukes Cameron took 'possession' of. He was relieved when John did not. He still attempted to track them. Cameron told him only she knew where they were and it would stay that way. John picked up on something else luckily.

"Manson? There's a singer with that name. She looks a lot like Mrs. Weaver." John said. "Shirley Manson, I think. I saw Jesse check her out on YouTube not too long ago. She said she liked her look and her attitude."

John Henry referenced the names to see if there was a correlation. There wasn't.

"I don't believe they were associated." John Henry said. "Anyway, we have Steve and Dan watching the location with one of our drones nearby in a large box truck, with a retractable top, on standby.

John wondered who the third person was that was involved.

"Who's driving that?" John asked.

John Henry was pleased with Ally's marksmanship last night.

"Ally is. She picked it up after her sniping mission with you last night." John Henry said.

John felt a few red flags go off in his head.

"I thought that was Cameron last night." John said. "I though she was the sniper."

John wondered now what really happened.

"No, Cameron was here all night." John Henry said.

John was confused.

Cameron walked in the door of the Command Center.

John noticed right away her outfit was different. He'd just seen her a few minutes ago.

"Did you change?" John asked.

John wondered if she'd say 'it's hot out' but she didn't.

She didn't look as Hot or Tight now either.

Cameron looked down at her clothes. She wondered if something was on backwards. Everything looked fine.

"No. I've worn these clothes since this morning when I left our room." Cameron said.

That irritated John to hear that.

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

He knew Cameron was up to something again.

"Does somebody want to tell me what's going on?" John asked.

Cameron was irritated by John's negative attitude.

"Later." Cameron said and left.

John still wanted an answer. He looked at John Henry.

"Well, John Henry?" John asked.

John Henry could only tell John what he knew.

"All the security feeds and my files from last night were erased by Cameron this morning." John Henry said.

John wondered how it could all fall apart so fast.

"Great, NOW WHAT is she up to?" John asked.

John was really worried about whatever Cameron was doing. It surely couldn't be anything good, at least not for him.

"What else did Sheila and Hanna do last night?" John asked.

John Henry checked his logs. They were blank.

"I have absolutely no idea." John Henry said.

"Beautiful." John said.

Last night:

Sheila and Hanna found some time to kill. After John was dropped off they went to take care of some more 'business'. There was always something.

"Do we want to stay around the base and spy on Cameron and John or deal with some wankers from the future?" Sheila asked.

Hanna was tired of spying on the couples.

"We already know what John and Cameron and all of them do already. We know what action produces what sound. It's almost like we are there with them." Hanna said. "I like to make my own files."

Sheila missed Ally.

"Maybe we can snag Ally." Sheila said.

Hanna smiled.

"I see the love birds don't like to be apart." Hanna said.

Sheila didn't like to admit she was 'sweet' on Ally.

"I'll give her the 'bird'." Sheila said. "I'll do it right where it is intended to be too."

Hanna didn't want to upset Sheila.

"I was just fooling about." Hanna said. "Ally pulled sentry duty."

That gave Sheila an idea.

"We can go there and 'jump' her." Sheila said. "She will probably be slacking off or playing with herself to pass the time."

Hanna thought that was more up Sheila's alley.

"Not everyone does what you do." Hanna said.

Sheila felt a little miffed.

"If you got it, flaunt it." Sheila said.

Hanna was aware that Sheila could vibrate her finger tip like a vibrator. She did it so often she'd perfected it. She wanted to clear the air.

"Lets go terminate someone." Hanna said.

Sheila smiled.

"That's just my speed." Sheila said.

There was a list of future Grays. The trouble was they didn't always know if it was the correct individual. It was much like when Sarah was first targeted for termination. The Terminator started with a list of names and terminated them all in order.

Hanna and Sheila set out.

They drove around for awhile. They liked to find future Scavengers too. That was because they were Scavengers in this timeline for all practical proposes.

"There are three females on that street corner." Hanna said.

Sheila looked.

"That means their pimp is close by." Sheila said. "He probably has them strung out on drugs."

They pulled across the street and watched.

A car stopped and two of the girls approached it. The door opened and one of the girls got in.

"Maybe there isn't pimp." Hanna said.

"They could be 'private contractors'." Sheila said. "That won't fare well for them for long."

They knew that some pimp would scoop them up for his stable or beat them, maybe to death.

A short while later, the same car returned and something was pushed out of it. It was the girl that got into it awhile ago. She lay in the street unmoving. The other two girls looked her over and ran off. She still lay in the street.

Sheila started the car and took off after the car that dumped the female. They followed it back to a building. They watched the driver and two men get out and go inside.

Sheila took her knife and got out.

"Let's take some more firepower." Hanna said.

Sheila wanted justice.

"I'm good." Sheila said. "This is personal."

Sheila headed toward the building.

Hanna left her Taser behind and took Sheila's Glock and her Glock and followed after her. Sheila was about twenty seconds in front of her.

Sheila walked in the door.

There were three men there and they were all laughing. The laughs stopped when they saw Sheila.

"Well, boys, it looks like the night just got better." The first man said.

Sheila stepped forwarded and jammed her index finger and middle finger into his eyes. She felt them rupture. The eyes pulled loose as she withdrew her hand. She flung them off her fingers. The man screamed in pain and fell to the floor as blood poured from his empty eye sockets.

The other two men were stunned. Sheila moved quickly and smashed her fist into the second man's lower back and snapped his spine. He collapsed to the floor paralyzed from the waist down.

The man who drove the car started to back peddle he reached for a weapon. Sheila was faster. She pulled it from his hand and bent it to a ninety degree angle. She shoved him against the wall and the plaster board caved in. He fell to the floor.

The first man was still screaming and holding his face.

The paralyzed man looked like he was going for a weapon. Sheila moved behind him and placed her foot on his back and grabbed his arms and twisted them back. There was a lot of snapping and popping sounds. He screamed as his arms were torn loose but still attached to his body. They flopped uselessly like two fish out of water.

The man that was flung into the wall staggered to his knees. Sheila kicked him hard in the chest. Bones could be heard breaking. He collapsed back to the floor unable to breathe.

Hanna entered the building with a Glock in each hand. She stood there and took in the carnage.

"I guess you didn't need your Glock after all." Hanna said.

Sheila kicked the blinded man in the side of the head. He stopped screaming. She picked up a lighter on a table and set the drapes on fires and they left.

The building burnt well as they got back in the SUV. They could hear screaming inside the building again as they drove away.

Sheila drove back to where the girl was in the street. She sat up now but didn't stand yet.

An ambulance arrived and took her away.

"Now, what do we have in the way of targets for tonight?" Sheila asked.

Hanna knew it was going to be a brutal night.

Cameron was still irritated at John. She sought out Cameron II

'Cameron II' handed Cameron the thumb drive.

"This is everything from Isabel–Cameron and me with Vanna for the last two days. The file of conception is on here too. I have that loaded into the server if you'd like it. I think you would." Cameron II said. "I am ready for our files to be merged with those of Ally. I want to keep this moment in time as a 'restore point' to your program."

Cameron reluctantly agreed. That meant Cameron II/Cam could be 'her' again, just not updated.

She waited as the transfer and compilation happened. It would be the 'official' creation of 'Cam' when it was complete.

"I want to thank you for what you did and are doing for me." Cameron said.

Cameron II was still 'Cameron'. It was what they both wanted.

"It was for us." Cameron II/Cam said as the transfer completed. "I was 'Cameron' too, last night…."

Cameron wondered what it was like…. She so wanted to share her love with the girls as herself. She knew the love they would return to her was more emotional than physical. John was just the opposite.

The integration was completed.

"It's done. You can call me 'Cam' from now on." Cameron II/Cam said.

This still felt a little strange to Cameron.

"Thank you, Cam." Cameron said. "That is going to take some getting use to, especially for everyone else. People are going to be seeing a lot of 'me'."

Cam was a little worried what her personality would be like now.

"I have a feeling that being both you and Ally, slash 'Allison', that I'm going to be a real Bitch sometimes." Cam said. "Hopefully the 'Holly' in me will tame that."

Cameron was aware that there were four of 'Allison' now.

"Indeed. It should be interesting when the four of us get together for the first time." Cameron said. "That should make John's day."

The 'Holly' in Cam thought of the most important one of 'them'.

"You mean the five of us if Young Allison is there." Cam said. "She looks like us more every day. She is so beautiful, Cameron."

Cameron could see how John responded around Young Allison. It always seemed to make him very nervous. Maybe he needed to cut back on watching 'Pretty Baby' so often.

There was a more important issue to deal with.

"I still have the spare chip with my program on it for either you or Ally, if it is ever 'needed'." Cameron said. "You can always restore yourself to Cameron II, my program, prior to the point of integration as well."

Cam didn't want Cameron to think along those lines.

"We all know, Cameron." Cam said. "Don't talk about it. John will be protected. Look at the bright side; both Ally and I are 'technically virgins' still."

Cameron tilted her head slightly. That was true. She wondered if maybe she could 'borrow' their chassis and let John claim that prize for himself and it would still be her. She could physically be a virgin two more times.

"At least as far as a male would be involved." Cameron said.

Cam laughed. The playfulness of 'Allison' already showed.

"It will be only the best for John." Cameron said. "I guess four out of five is not a bad thing for him."

Cam thought about it for a second. There were actually more than 'five' of them.

"Don't forget about the Duplicate girls 'in some future' and your Duplicate self" Cam said. "That is number six and Duplicate Allison is seven."

Cameron smiled. There were more still.

"Plus there are the Duplicates in River's future and River." Cameron said. "That makes ten of us."

"Don't forget your Future Allison." Cam said. "That makes eleven of us."

Cameron could see it was going to be a problem at some point.

"Stop, it's mind boggling." Cameron said. "Summer is going to look almost exactly like Allison but prettier as well."

Cameron knew that meant Summer was going to be more beautiful than she was as well.

"Maybe we should Resequence our DNA with Summer's DNA then…. I guess the plus side is John will always have someone that looks like us." Cam said. "That should be any male's dream."

Cameron looked a little upset at that. It seemed to be a concept that John was unable to grasp.

"All he has to do is start taking advantage of this bounty of booty." Cam said.

The two girls laughed.

"Please take your place at Vanna's side and protect her and the baby, John's baby." Cameron said. "Each of the girls now has a Metal Protector to love and share with, while being protected and cared for. All three of them are pregnant as well."

Cam felt that was a very important responsibility.

"I will do my duty and protect the future" Cam said. "Everyone sacrifices for John Connor."

There was a far off look in Cameron's eyes.

"Apparently some do more than others." Cameron said. "Some do more than others…."

How Many

How many is too many
How many is not enough
When it all comes to a head
Who will have the right stuff

We want and we seek
We push and we shove
Is there really such a thing
As one's true love

Time seems to dictate there isn't
Does that mean that there never was
What makes it all fall apart
Or is it all just because

The answer remains elusive
Maybe it's when one no longer matters
That is sure the shred ones soul
As it leaves their heart in tatters

We play the game for more
But we really don't have any
It makes one question their worth
When they can't remember how many

Nobody