Chapter 298

Pick One

Bob led a team to check out the HK drone. They'd conducted an ongoing stakeout at the area since the HK drone landed. No one showed up for it. Cameron wanted to go on this mission but since John destroyed the drone, she went elsewhere.

Bob would have liked her to come along on the mission. He knew she needed to keep her head in the game to stay proficient.

The HK drone was totaled and the parts recovered were not Skynet grade in any way. This was a titanium wannabe. No Coltan was found in the wreckage. The chip was destroyed and there wasn't much to recover. It still remained that this drone came from somewhere and somebody…. Someone knew they would be where they were and tried to draw them out.

Bob called John and made a report about what they'd found out. Now it was time for the HK drones disposition.

"Do you want us to bring it back for further review?" Bob asked.

John thought that sounded like a bad idea. Since it was booby trapped there could be other hidden surprises as well.

"No. Take it to the desert and use Thermite on it. They may have some hidden tracker on it and try to use it to pinpoint our location. As far as we know the owners are surveilling it too. We don't know what we're up against." John said. "In fact take it to the desert and set up an ambush for three days to see if they think we have it at our 'secret base' and come for it."

Bob was aware there were plenty of old mines and abandoned structures in the California deserts. A mock base would be easy to set up. They could still be attacked.

"What if they send a strike force?" Bob asked.

John wanted to use some trickery of their own. Plus he didn't want anyone to take any chances.

"Booby trap it and don't engage them unless you have the upper hand. Stay hidden and we'll try to follow them." John said. "I want to make it clear to you; we're not losing anyone - PERIOD."

Bob wanted to have a surprise or two of his own.

"We'll take the truck with our drone and have it within range for a quicker response if we need it." Bob said. "They could have another HK drone with them."

John liked that idea. He would send additional assistance during the night. He wanted to be able to hit harder than the enemy.

"I'll have John Henry send a second one tonight as well." John said. "Do you need additional help?"

Bob figured in an unknown situation like this that extra assistance would be beneficial.

"Sometimes it's nice to have help." Bob asked. "Do we know how much Metal Cameron has?"

Cameron informed John about a new policy that she enacted. He was not totally on board with it in regards to the female Metal.

"No. I have no idea. Cameron has removed all the females from combat duty except herself." John said. "That includes all the female Metal as well."

That was news to Bob. There must be something in the works.

"That is about a third of our operation." Bob said. "What is she planning?"

That was the million dollar question. Nobody knew the answer.

"I'm more afraid of what she may have already done…." John said.

John was concerned now that Cameron was with him more in the last few weeks, than she'd been in the last few months. Cameron went out of her way to pleasure him until he was unable to be pleasured any more each time. He began to wonder if she was 'milking the cow'.

Cameron needed to take care of some housekeeping and staffing issues. She wanted to deal with Holly first.

"Do you want Ally, Hanna or Sheila as your reinforcement?" Cameron asked.

Holly saw this as more 'competition' and not as additional help. She would try to dodge the issue.

"I don't think I need any of them." Holly said.

Cameron started to get upset. She didn't want to do this dance. She did however understand Holly's 'fear'. It was the fear of rejection and replacement. She'd shared her files with Holly about how they made her feel. Now it appeared that Holly was afraid she was going to have to feel them herself, for real.

"Get over your personal feeling and trust your love." Cameron said. "This is about protecting Allison as well as the baby. This is about the future and our sole function as Terminators. Any of us can be terminated in combat fulfilling our duty, it happens. As long as John is protected with Allison and the girls, that's all that matters. I know you understand. When Allison is needed at John's side your main function will be to protect Young Allison and Summer for John in the future."

Cameron didn't have to say that she'd protect Allison and her child at that point herself. They both knew it.

Holly was always soothed by the prospect of Young Allison growing and being able to replace Allison in her 'heart'.

"You're right." Holly said. "I'm sorry."

Cameron wanted to make this as painless as possible for Holly.

"Look, I want everyone comfortable and happy. Which one do you feel less 'threatened' by?" Cameron asked.

Holly could not see a real advantage to any of them. This would all come down to a 'lesser of evils'.

"Sheila is too HOT and Hanna will remind her of Vanna." Holly said. "She may wish to 'experiment' with either of those Metal girls. Allison is very sexual. I've scanned her when we are out and see and feel her reactions to some males and most females around her at those times. It is very disturbing. I know she is thinking of sexual encounters with them."

Cameron figure Ally it was. She would have thought Holly would pick Hanna.

"I will bring Ally with me when I come." Cameron said. "I have a few things I want to take care of."

Holly was even more afraid Allison would see Ally as 'Cameron' and try something…. Ally like to play 'Cameron' already. She was quite proficient at it too. There was a better choice.

"No, please send Hanna instead." Holly said.

Cameron thought about Holly's selection. That was who she'd thought she'd select. She knew what Holly 'feared'.

"What about Cam?" Holly asked. "What's her story?"

Cameron believed that there were a few established facts.

"Cam belongs to Vanna. Gail belongs to Jesse. You belong to Allison. I belong to John." Cameron said. "I will see if Vanna wants Sheila or Ally as her 'second'."

Holly could see they were short one 'second'.

"Who's your 'second'?" Holly asked.

Cameron understood the 'Natural Order' even if no one else did."

"I'm the 'second'. Allison and Vanna are the first. Accept it, I have." Cameron said. "The 'Natural Order' will always win. It must. It is imperative for John's survival."

Holly comprehended the reasoning. She didn't understand the method.

"I understand. I think Vanna will want Sheila." Holly said. "Why are you letting the choice be mine instead of Allison's?"

Cameron was well aware how things that happened made her feel. Many of them she didn't have any control over. She didn't want Holly to feel like her.

"I chose this method because I care about you, Holly. I know you're 'sensitive' and shy in these 'personal matters'." Cameron said.

Holly really appreciated that Cameron looked after her best interests. She felt bad about her earlier abrasiveness towards Cameron.

"Thank you." Holly said. "I'm sorry if I was rude."

Cameron wanted to provide a surprise for Claire.

"I will bring Cam and Ally by to see Claire when I bring Hanna." Cameron said.

Holly watched Vanna and Claire 'interact' before. It was clear they wanted to share with each other. She was unsure if they actually did or not. She figured Hanna would end up doing the same thing and probably more. It would be better for her if Hanna looked in that receptive direction rather than at HER Allison. In fact she would attempt to steer both of them in that direction. Cameron wasn't the only one that could manipulate people.

"I will trust your judgment as always, Cameron." Holly said.

Cameron really wanted Cam to distract the others so she could get her DNA samples unobserved. Cam shared her program as well as Ally's and would understand Cameron's motives better. It was doubtful she would challenge her.

"Thank you, I hope I know what I'm doing myself…." Cameron said.

Cameron really wished she did. She was about to take some big steps. She just wasn't sure they were in the right direction.

Allison listened to the conversation from her room. It sounded like good news to her. She would be able to get a 'crack' at Hanna. It would be nice to see that beautiful 'pink butterfly' again. It would be just like being with Vanna without the hassle and tension. Maybe it was resentment on both of their parts.

Allison thought she better inform her mother there were about to be 'four of her' real soon. That is unless they counted Young Allison also….

It would be sort of a mind trip to see all of them together.

Cameron collected her group and headed to Palmdale. She'd wanted to examine the wreckage of the HK drone but John defied her again and destroyed it.

She ran her own show now. It was John's fault, not her fault, that he was left out of the decisions that needed to be made. He would probably try and disrupt them too. The sooner everyone understood she knew best, the simpler it would be for everyone. It just didn't seem like that hard of a concept for others to grasp, yet it was.

Cameron was on the way to Palmdale with Cam, Ally and Hanna. She knew what she wanted to do but she was not real sure of the endgame.

Cam wanted to do something productive.

"Are there any targets we can strike on the way to Palmdale?" Cam asked.

Cameron looked back at Cam. She looked at Ally and Hanna too. She didn't want to arrive in Palmdale with any of the girls shot up if something went wrong.

"Maybe we can hit something on the way back." Cameron said.

Hanna and Ally knew a few targets they could take down. There was a whole list of them that weren't Resistance related.

"There are a few on the way there too." Ally said.

Cameron was a little surprised to hear Ally speak up. She was normally less than ambitious.

"What is it?" Cameron asked.

"One is a drug runner and the other is a pimp." Ally said.

The drug runner sounded mundane to Cameron. They were a dime a dozen. Sex trafficking always bothered her.

"What's the story on the pimp?" Cameron asked.

"They target schoolgirls." Hanna said.

That was nothing new. Schoolgirls made easy 'marks'. Many were ready to rebel against their parents, which was usually only one of them in the household.

"What's the catch?" Cameron asked.

"The pimp is a female social worker." Ally said.

That revelation got Cameron's attention. That was exactly the kind of person who ended up working with Skynet.

"Is she a future Gray?" Cameron asked.

Cam didn't think it should matter.

"The nature of her crimes is punishable by death." Cam said.

Cameron looked over at Cam. That was what she'd been thinking herself. She needed to remember Cam ran her program, even if it was blended.

"What are her crimes specifically?" Cameron asked.

Sheila, Ally and Hanna usually worked out of Cameron's base and CamNet gave them targets. Many were outside the scope of Resistance operations which was why Cameron established her own base. There were some things that needed to be taken care of that she did not want to taint the Resistance or John.

"As a social worker she has access to many homes of dependent mothers who need assistance." Ally said. "She selects homes where the mother is easily reintroduced to drugs through a third party. The targets are all homes with one or more daughters. The mother is coerced into having her daughters 'work' for an additional third party to keep the mother supplied with her 'medicine' and the threat of losing her girls as a drug addict. Any of the daughters who resist their new livelihood are soon hooked on drugs themselves. Those are the ones that end up having it the worst. They soon will do anything for their fix."

Cameron wondered why this operations was not taken down already.

"How is she still operating?" Cameron asked.

"CamNet wanted to identify all of the players." Hanna said.

Cameron contacted CamNet and ordered her to dispatch all of her personal to take down all the known players in this endeavor immediately.

CamNet gave Cameron the information on the social worker and where they were at right now.

Cameron pulled off the freeway and needed to backtrack. The social worker was out in the field right now. They pulled up two houses away from her car. There was a suspicious van down the block that they'd passed.

The social worker exited the house with a giant smile on her face. She got into her car.

Cameron watched her pull away from a house. Even before she was three houses away the suspicious van pulled up and the mother took her two daughters out to the van. Both of them were upset.

"Take care of this." Cameron said to Ally and Hanna.

They exited the SUV and Cameron took off after the social worker.

They saw the mother look out the front door.

Ally and Hanna approached the van on the sidewalk.

There were two men with the van. They looked towards the house.

"Lets get them loaded." The first man said. "We'll take care of them on the way there."

Hanna walked up to the mother.

"Stay inside." Hanna said to the mother as she handed her a business card. "Call the number. You will receive help."

The two men confronted Ally and Hanna. They looked very angry at the intrusion.

"We'll go with you instead." Ally said.

Ally climbed in the back of the van. It was a 'meat wagon'. There were restraints bolted to the floor.

The men looked at the house still. They weren't sure what to do.

Hanna pushed one man towards the van and Ally pulled him inside. She promptly snapped his neck.

The other man turned to face Hanna and she punched him in the neck. There was a loud 'crunch' sound and his neck swung over at a crazy angle. She tossed him over to Ally and closed the side door. She moved to the driver's side and got in. The van was still running. They drove away.

The mother looked back as soon as the door to the house closed and the van drove away. She looked at her two daughters and cried. She knew she needed help. She called the number on the card the pretty redhead handed her.

Cameron and Cam went after the social worker.

They caught her at the first red light. As soon as the light turned green Cameron 'bumped' into the back of the social worker's car with enough force to be felt but not do any real damage. The social worker pulled over. Cameron pulled up behind her.

The social worker got out to look at the damage. Cameron apologized for 'bumping' her. She went to look with her. Cam moved around the side and opened up the truck from the release inside the car.

The trunk lid popped open. Cameron picked the woman up and stuffed her inside the trunk.

"You're lucky I'm short on time." Cameron said.

The social worker still wasn't able to process what was going on yet. Her world went black.

Cameron snapped her neck and closed the trunk.

Cam was now inside the social workers car and she pulled away from the curb. The van with Hanna and Ally caught up and pulled behind it. Cameron followed in the SUV.

They took one of the canyon roads. Hanna stopped near the guardrail on a small cliff. It was only about seventy five feet down.

They moved the social worker back into the driver's seat and buckled her in. Ally and Hanna moved both of the men to the passenger's seat in the van. Cameron got in the van and pushed the car through the wooden guard rail and it disappeared over the side. She stepped out of the slow moving van and it followed the car down the side.

They all got back in the SUV and drove away.

"Next time I want action right away." Cameron said. "What if those females were any of our girls?"

CamNet agreed to act sooner going forward once Cameron put everything into perspective.

Cameron's analogy left all of them with an uneasy feeling. The rest of the ride to the Young residence was in silence.

When they arrived at the Young residence, Cameron realized she didn't remember most of the drive there after the 'encounter' and the incident. She hadn't run into anyone so that was a good thing. Life moved forwards not backwards.

The four Metal girls exited the SUV.

Allison looked out the window. She opened the front door and stood back a ways.

Cameron walked in the door followed by Hanna, Ally and Cam. She went and stood by Allison.

Claire watched the procession walk in. It was sort of a mind trip. Young Allison stood next to her. She looked over at Allison.

"Oh my." Claire said. "There are eleven of you at least you said, right Allison?"

Allison shrugged her shoulders. There wasn't much she could do about it.

"Welcome to the future, Mom." Allison said.

Cameron made the introductions. Young Allison watched them. She was intrigued and went off to the side to look at all the 'Allisons'. She knew this is what she was going to look like. She found it very satisfying. The only problem it was that it was still a few years away.

Claire looked around and wondered where Young Allison went.

"Allison." Claire said. "Come out and say hello."

Young Allison came over and looked at the group of females. She then went straight to Cameron and took her hand. She did much the same thing as Savannah did earlier and looked each of them in the face as she held Cameron's hand. She laid claim to what would be 'hers' one day. She was well 'conditioned' in her roll, function and 'duties' as part of the "Natural Order'. It was like an 'arranged marriage' in some cultures in reality.

"That hurts my feelings." Allison said.

Allison and Claire both hoped that Young Allison would go to them.

"Not as bad as it hurts mine." Claire said. "I guess Cameron IS the future."

When Summer woke up and they brought her out, she as well went straight to Cameron….

The reality of the situation was not lost on Claire.

"Everyone sacrifices for John Connor." Claire said.

Pick One

The desire is to have many
Reality dictates otherwise
Which seems to be the root
For frustration and cries

Sometimes there must be a choice
It is not always easy to make
It soon becomes evident that some
Are little more than a fake

Often moments of greed
Blind what is the real goal
Events that soon follow
Don't leave anyone whole

Should one give or take
Few are on the same page
It seems the end result
Are grief, anger and rage

Some set out with no direction
They want to play games and have fun
Love finds a way to creep in
Forcing them to only pick one

Nobody