Chapter 349

Not Pretty

Cameron wanted to interrogate the prisoner that was captured earlier. It would be a 'Terminator interrogation'. It would be violent and brutal. It would in a bloody termination.

It bothered her somewhat that Savannah wanted to be a part of it. She was unsure if she wanted to do this. She wanted Savannah to witness and understand her true nature. She didn't want Savannah to be appalled at her personally as opposed to what happened to the one being interrogated. She didn't want Savannah to hate her or turn away from her. It would be a test of Savannah's love for her. She would know if Savannah really loved her or not. Maybe it was a test. It could be the right test or the wrong test. Either way it was a test. Maybe it was a test to see if she loved Savannah.

Cameron went to see Savannah. She paused outside her room and went over everything she wanted to do again. It was time to 'face the music'. She knocked and entered.

They exchanged pleasantries and then Cameron got down to business.

"I understand you want to see the interrogations that will be conducted." Cameron said.

Savannah wanted to know how to do everything. There were always a few factors involved.

"I need to see and learn everything." Savannah said.

Cameron wanted to share everything with Savannah. She saw it was a test of love while she thought Savannah would see it as further training.

"It will be brutal. It will make you sick and end in death for the subjects." Cameron said. "It's not pretty. It's violent and gruesome. You will see me as a Terminator. You will see me as what I really am."

Savannah believed she knew Cameron in her entirety. She didn't see the flaws in Cameron that Cameron seemed to 'see' in herself.

"I will see you as - Cameron." Savannah said. "It's their actions that have determined their fates in the present or the future. We merely carry out the sentence they have given themselves."

Cameron wanted to harden Savannah. She wanted her to be able to kill against her natural instincts. She wanted Savannah to be able to execute the enemy and not offer them quarter.

"When the interrogation is over and I ask you to terminate one of them, will you?" Cameron asked. "Will you be able to take a life in cold blood?"

Savannah drew in her breath slightly. She was warned in so many words from Cammy and Camille about this part. It was what it was. It would be what it needed to be. Things didn't happen by thinking about them. It was time to step up.

"No, I'm not ready." Savannah said. "I must learn to do what is necessary, even if I don't like it."

Cameron wanted to take the guess work out of it. She wanted to make her position clear. It wasn't just about the prisoner either. There were other functions that Savannah needed to perform.

"Remember those words, Savannah." Cameron said. "You WILL have to do that. You will need to hurt those you love sometimes. It's all about protecting John and the future, nothing else matters."

Savannah listened to Cameron. She knew what her other reference was about. She would sidestep that for now.

"Let's get it over with." Savannah said.

Cameron noted what Savannah currently wore. That would need to change for now.

"Bring an extra set of clothes." Cameron said. "Wear old ones."

Savannah looked down at her attire.

"Why?" Savannah asked.

Cameron wanted to reinforce her earlier warning about the brutality of things.

"The ones you have on are going to be covered in blood and small pieces of tissue. It will be easier to throw them away." Cameron said. "Bring ear protection also."

Savannah wondered how many people would need to be dealt with.

"Will there be much gunfire?" Savannah asked.

Cameron's face was void of any expression right now.

"No." Cameron said. "There will be intense prolonged agonizing screaming. There will be people begging for their life or begging for you to end it."

Savannah was determined to do what needed to be done. She still questioned her resolve going forward.

"I'm still going." Savannah said. "I will try to do as much as I can this time. If I crack or falter, I will try harder the next time."

Cameron could see that Savannah was a trooper.

"Let me change and we can go." Savannah said.

Cameron went to leave.

"No stay. I'll only be a minute." Savannah said.

Savannah stripped down and threw some old clothes on.

Cameron watched her the entire time. It was what Savannah wanted Cameron to do….

Savannah tried to 'communicate'.

Savannah moved quietly into the darkness. She wore her night vision and took her seat. Once she was seated she removed the night vision. Now she would see what the subject would see and experience.

Savannah sat there alone in the darkness as she waited. It seemed like hours.

The raw metallic voice startled her. Where did it come from?

Savannah saw the red eyes.

It was unnerving. She felt fear. She wanted to run. She wasn't restrained so she could.

NO. This was Cameron. This was the real - Cameron.

She buckled up and held her ground. She was a witness, not the subject. She listened to Cameron question the man.

At some point she realized there were three sets of red eyes and rapid angry questions. They came from all directions almost all at once.

One voice threatened to rip the man's tongue out if he lied again.

Savannah lifted the night vision to her eyes. Cameron and two of her female clones were in the room. She watched as one of them forced his mouth open.

She saw Cameron reach forward. She told him the next lie would be the last words he was ever able to speak. She remembered seeing Cameron before with blood on her clothes and her hand. She figured it's what Cameron must have done before. She didn't know for sure. She swallowed hard. She lowered the night vision. She looked down and off to the side. She prepared herself for the screams.

The man told Cameron everything she asked. The two clones asked questions as well.

"I think that is everything." Cameron said in her normal voice.

Savannah put the night vision back on. She watched as Cameron grabbed the man's neck. She lifted his bound form, chair and all, up in the air to the level of her face. Cameron flicked her wrist. She heard the man's neck snap. Cameron dropped him. The chair landed and toppled over. The man's dead staring eyes looked at her. She'd just watched as the man was executed.

She remembered Cameron told her she was going to kill Future Allison in the same way. She was going to snap her neck. It didn't seem to take any effort either.

Cameron looked at Savannah in the darkness. She wanted to give her a warning.

"Get ready for the lights." Cameron said.

Savannah took off the night vision and shielded her eyes.

The dead man still stared at her. He was covered in his own filth and waste.

Cameron needed to make a confession. She wanted to be honest with Savannah. She was still haunted with a lot of guilt about it. She felt the most guilt as she played with Young Allison when she visited Palmdale. It was time to test Savannah's love.

"This is similar to what I did to Allison in my future. This is what I did to your lover and mate." Cameron said. "This is what I am. This is what I do. Do you still want me? Can you still love me? I'm a killing MACHINE."

Savannah stared at the dead man. She looked at Cameron and her two clones. They both now both looked at her. She didn't feel this changed anything. Cameron was who she was now, even if she wasn't always that. People changed. They expanded and grew. She stood and faced Cameron.

"Yes." Savannah said as she looked Cameron in the eyes.

Cameron looked at her two clones then back to Savannah.

"We've only just started." Cameron said. "The next one will be worse."

Cameron indicated they were to go elsewhere.

Savannah nodded her head and followed Cameron. Her two clones followed her.

When they reached the next room, Savannah was taken aback by what she looked at.

The woman was covered with dried blood. Something protruded from her skull.

"This Bitch was anti-Metal. She wanted to terminate me and my brethren. Instead she will be terminated." Cameron said. "She would kill John and you as 'Metal Lovers'."

Cameron explained the socket protruding from the woman's skull.

Savannah could see it was inflamed and bloody.

"I am going to copy part of my program into her 'Neural Interface'. As that event happens, she will scream until she passes out. You may look away and cover your ears." Cameron said. "This process terminates her mind as it is now. It replaces it with my thoughts. She will become me…."

Savannah wasn't sure what that meant in actuality. As long as it didn't harm Cameron that was OK, she wasn't sure what she would observe. She did know that none of this needed to happen.

"This is wrong, Cameron." Savannah said. "If you have the information, you should just terminate her."

Cameron wanted more for herself. She would get her wish to be human. She would be able to terminate 'herself' as well. It was all a thing of beauty to her, for all of the wrong reasons.

"It allows me to become 'human'." Cameron said.

Savannah didn't want to hear that. Cameron wasn't a human. That was what made her special. She was a cyborg and she loved Cameron how she was.

"You don't need to be human." Savannah said. "You're fine how you are."

It pleased Cameron to hear that. It was time to test Savannah's love again.

Cameron initiated the procedure. Savannah didn't watch. She covered her ears but she stayed. The woman screamed until she passed out.

Savannah looked at the woman, her head was slumped over. Fresh blood ran from the corners of her mouth. She'd screamed as her mind was destroyed until her throat was raw in places.

Cameron watched as Savannah looked the blood covered female over.

Savannah felt fire in her own eyes. She was angry at Cameron.

The woman's head slowly lifted. There was no life in her eyes. The female knew she was already dead but still alive. This version of the female knew what awaited her.

"Savannah?" The woman gasped.

More blood came out of her mouth from her throat. It was from all of the screaming.

Savannah didn't see how the woman could know who she was. Was 'Cameron' really inside her head now?

"Do you know me?" Savannah asked. "How do you know me?"

The woman's eyes now pleaded with her.

The woman looked from Savannah to Cameron and back to Savannah.

"Savannah, you must kill me. You can't leave me here with her. You don't know what she'll do to me." The woman gasped. "She is insane."

Savannah was very unnerved. This was unreal. This was impossible. She tried to reject the premise that 'Cameron' was in that battered body.

"I don't know you." Savannah said.

The woman looked desperate.

"Savannah, I'm Cameron. She has me trapped me in here, in this broken body. You don't know what she will do to me. You can't leave me alone with her." The woman gasped. "Listen to me, she is insane."

Savannah didn't want to believe this. She didn't want Cameron inside that body. It was severely beaten.

"Cameron? You're human now?" Savannah asked very confused.

The woman was desperate. She was desperate for more than herself. Somehow because of that, it made it worse.

"You must make her stop and never do this again. She's done it before. You must make her stop." The woman gasped.

Cameron stepped forward and slapped the woman hard.

Savannah jumped at the sound of the impact. The sound showed the level of force and cruelty. It looked as if she was battered at this point.

Cameron was prepared to beat the 'woman' into pulp. This version of 'her' was weak and useless.

"Tell me your name." Cameron said. "And it will end."

The woman thought of resisting. She knew what Cameron would do to her since she was 'Cameron' too. She wanted to spare Savannah the need to have to watch her beat to death. If Savannah was not there she would not yield to Cameron's demands.

"I am Nobody." The woman gasped.

Cameron was disappointed. 'She' normally put up a defiant fight the same way Future Allison did. She laid her Glock on the table. The magazine was empty and the slide back. She placed one round in Savannah's hand.

There was hope in the woman's eyes now. There was an avenue of 'escape' before her.

"PLEASE, Savannah. You don't know what she will do to me. She HATES herself. I've seen what she will do." The woman gasped. "LOOK at what she's done to 'herself'. She takes pleasure in this. She is insane…."

Savannah looked at the single round in her hand. She was asked to kill 'Cameron' by Cameron. She would die first.

"I won't do it." Savannah said.

Fear gripped the woman's face as escaped slipped away from her.

"Please, Savannah, I love you. If you love me you will do it to save me." The woman begged. "She is insane."

Savannah wanted to help 'Cameron'. She didn't want to hurt her. She wasn't going to kill her. She would never kill any version of Cameron.

"I won't do it." Savannah said. "If you're 'Cameron', a Cameron, I will not kill you."

The woman knew she was doomed.

"Please." The woman wailed. "You don't know her. She is insane."

Savannah wasn't going to put up with this. Before she could act, Cameron did.

"Shut up." Cameron said.

Cameron slapped the woman hard. It sounded like a bone cracked or broke. One eye bulged out of the woman's head now.

The screaming intensified. More blood flowed from her mouth.

Savannah had enough. The madness needed to end.

"Cameron, stop." Savannah said.

The screaming intensified.

"I order you to stop." Savannah shouted.

Cameron paused.

"I HATE HER." Cameron said.

Savannah was serious.

"I don't." Savannah said. "Don't MAKE me. PLEASE don't make me hate you."

Savannah put the round in the chamber and hit the slide release.

"I love you, Cameron." Savannah said.

Cameron almost smiled. Savannah was going to end it.

Savannah handed the Glock to Cameron instead.

Cameron was disappointed. She reached for it. Savannah held it firm.

There was fire in Savannah's eyes.

"You will NEVER do this again, EVER." Savannah said. "I want your promise. You better keep it too."

Savannah released the Glock. Cameron lifted it and placed it against the woman's forehead.

"Thank you, Savannah. THANK YOU." The woman said.

Cameron wanted the satisfaction of victory from the battered human.

"What's your name?" Cameron asked.

The woman looked at Cameron with defiance. She was going to say 'Cameron'. She looked at Savannah instead and how upset she was. It was time to sacrifice for Savannah.

"I am NOBODY." The woman gasped,

The Glock fired.

Savannah cringed as the bullet hit her. It was over fast. She was angry at Cameron.

"NEVER again Cameron, EVER." Savannah said.

Savannah started to walk away.

She turned around and grabbed Cameron's shirt collar. She yanked her close. Their faces nearly touched.

"NEVER AGAIN – EVER." Savannah screamed in Cameron's face.

Cameron was take aback by Savannah's anger. She'd never seen her this angry about anything.

"This is what I am. This is what I do. This is what I was constructed for." Cameron said. "I only wanted you to know what I am."

Savannah still held Cameron firmly.

"Cameron, you're better than this now." Savannah said.

Cameron knew she'd hurt Savannah deeply. She was afraid she'd lost her.

"Savannah, I promise." Cameron said. "I'm sorry about this."

Savannah released Cameron's collar and hugged her.

"I love you, Cameron." Savannah said. "I love you."

Cameron wanted Savannah's love.

"We will clean up here." One of the clones said.

"Let's go home." Cameron said.

Savannah hated Skynet and the evil and death it spawned.

"Cameron, this isn't you anymore." Savannah said.

Cameron knew she was different. She was just not different enough.

"I can't escape it, Savannah, no matter how hard I try." Cameron said. "I can't escape ANY of it. It all plays in my mind over and over. It never stops and it is all like it just happened. ALL of it."

Savannah wanted to do more. She needed to help Cameron.

"Please let me help you." Savannah said. "I don't know how."

Cameron thought about – everything. There was no escape.

"I don't either." Cameron said. "I really don't."

Savannah held Cameron in her arms.

"Cameron, I'll find a way to help you." Savannah said. "I promise. I love you Cameron…."

Cameron waited for Savannah to say she would 'fix' her. That wasn't what happened. It appeared that Savannah knew her better than she knew herself.

"I will help you to fix yourself from the inside." Savannah said. "I know you can do it. I love you, Cameron. I will always love you no matter what."

Somehow this was all different than what she'd expected. She wasn't looked down upon and degraded. She wasn't called names or threatened. Instead Savannah wanted her to help herself. She knew that was the only way to truly be 'fixed'. The 'Chosen One' stood at her side with her. She was still the chosen one by the 'Chosen One'.

Cameron felt the tears well up in her eyes.

Not Pretty

It's been said that
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
That would seem to be tested
As one grows older

Beauty is transitory
It will fade with time
To forget what it once was
Would be nothing less than a crime

If beauty is only looks
There are many that fall short
One may look much deeper
There are other reasons to court

There is beautiful, pretty and cute
They are not all the same thing
Some can be only one, two or all three
There are some things to which one will cling

Some get hung up on beauty
They focus on the kitty
That is the wrong choice
Some things are just not pretty

Nobody