Chapter 362

My Job

Riley was in the lab to check on Derek and see how everyone else was doing. She was pleased to learn that he wasn't hurt bad. She would need to thank Jim for that later on. She knew Jim took the damage instead of Derek. Jim always looked out for the Reese clan. They were all worried about him as well. She knew Derek owed his life to Jim in the most recent battle.

Derek wasn't injured very badly. Riley wanted to be alone with him for some personal matters. She decided to discuss another issue. She looked around to make sure they were alone. This was a real personal issue for them.

She wasn't sure where to start, so she just started.

"Derek, Cameron spoke with me…." Riley said.

Derek wondered if this was about him being out and in what turned into a combat operation. He wanted to see where this was headed.

"And?" Derek asked.

Riley knew there was really no good way to say this.

"Cameron has hired some top medical experts to work on our 'problem'." Riley said. "If your genetic material is too badly damaged we will need to use genetic material from someone else…."

Derek would rather have this discussion be about what happened out in the field. It wasn't. This was a touchy subject. He didn't like to think about things like this.

"Do you mean Kyle?" Derek asked. "It would still be our baby, Riley."

Riley was worried where this was headed. It was more ominous than that.

"It may take one person who wasn't in our future for things to work." Riley said.

Derek was worried about what Skynet did to everyone's bodies with all the toxins and the chemical warfare.

"Do you mean like Kyle and Sarah being able to have a child, a second one?" Derek asked. "One of them was not from our future…."

Derek needed to thinks about this.

Riley knew one option was for Sarah to try to have a baby with Derek's genetic material…. It wasn't the best option.

"Yes." Riley said. "Sarah is getting older and the combination of you, with her genetic material, may still have some trouble. I'm younger. I might have a better chance…."

Derek thought about what she was really trying to tell him.

"But if Kyle or myself are too damaged and with your damage as well, that would mean…." Derek started and then paused. "It would take someone not from our future…."

Riley knew what it meant. She didn't look at Derek.

"Yes." Riley said.

Derek could see the choices were limited. The implication was even mind blowing.

"NO. I don't believe Cameron suggested that." Derek said.

Riley still didn't look at him. She understood everything as well.

"She didn't." Riley said. "I asked her. I told her it was for you and for me. It is for US, Derek."

Derek was familiar with 'breeding sex' from the future. He'd tried at a few dozen times. The female would be on her knees and the male would move behind her and 'take care of business'. The encounters were brief and often her mate would be nearby but not usually watch. Everyone understood what needed to be done or there would be no children. Females who could actually get pregnant were highly sought after. He didn't think any of the encounters bore fruit. Now he pictured John doing that with Riley. He understood but he wouldn't watch. He thought the real issue here was Cameron.

"That would kill Cameron if you were pregnant with John's baby." Derek said.

Riley didn't like being 'blamed' for what another timeline version of her did. It was always out there and she needed to wear the 'Scarlet Letter' because of it. What John did before wasn't her fault. Everyone kept their distance from her because of that. She'd even thought about killing herself before she was bothered by everyone's treatment of her. She never did because Cameron was always there for her to help her and guide her. She loved Cameron dearly. She thought how strange it was that the person that should hate her the most showed her the most compassion and understanding. She didn't understand that Cameron knew how she felt because that was how everyone made Cameron feel in the beginning.

"THAT wasn't me…." Riley said. "I didn't do those things. What other choice do we have?"

Derek could see he'd hit a nerve. Being ostracized was a constant worry of Riley's. He decided to side step the issue and move on.

"What did she say?" Derek asked.

Riley was worried about what happened after that. It seemed she'd upset Cameron.

"She never said what her answer was." Riley said. "She only said she needed to go and left immediately."

Derek could only imagine how that turned out. He knew Cameron was fair. She was more understanding than anyone else. Cameron reached out to Riley and did things for her. They were big things and little things. They were all things that mattered to Riley and him.

"I'm sorry, Riley." Derek said. "Cameron will make it happen, one way or another."

Riley wasn't sure where anything was headed at this point.

"How do you know?" Riley asked.

Derek knew one thing for sure. If Cameron set out to do a job or take on a task, she did. She was relentless and pursued things until they were completed.

"Cameron makes anything happen for anyone who asks her for something." Derek said. "Cameron will make sure you have a child, that WE have a child."

Riley was worried that maybe she'd hurt Cameron inadvertently. She didn't want to do that. Maybe it was time to back off and roll with life's punches.

"I don't want to hurt her." Riley said. "I can't hurt her. I'll tell her that."

Riley hated herself for what the other Future Riley did….

She wanted to blame John too since he was the one who did it. The bottom line was it was John that failed Cameron regardless of what was orchestrated. THAT Riley wasn't her. She decided it was just better to hate herself. That wasn't hard to do. She'd done that since the night she was drug out from her hiding spot and held down by a group of men….

Cameron was stitched up in no time. Savannah did a remarkable job. Dan only received a few bullets wounds, it was no big deal.

Jim was a little more involved. Cameron and Savannah worked on him. Vanna concentrated on Summer.

Jim was good to go. They replaced his entire back section with one of an even darker sheath tone.

Savannah noted how smooth the sheath was. Cameron told her it was from a female Terminator.

Cameron looked over at Vanna and Summer. There was still some implantation that needed to occur. She thought maybe Savannah was ready for that.

"Summer is extensively damaged." Cameron said.

Savannah didn't think it was a big deal.

"I'm a big girl now." Savannah said. "You know I'm active."

Cameron didn't like that any more than Sarah did. It was simply the way of life.

"I'll let you do some of the stitching there." Cameron said.

They went over and assisted Vanna with the new leg. It was attached in short order and tested.

"I see this is off of a female with dark pigmentation." Savannah said.

Cameron told her it was the same one they repaired Jim with.

Vanna looked at Savannah and placed something on the work bench.

"So is this - section." Vanna said.

Savannah's eyes widened. It was the pelvic sheath area from the same dark skinned Terminator. She wanted a closer look at it.

Vanna showed it to Summer. She opened things up and looked at it in detail. Savannah looked as well. Everything inside was so dark. It was the complete opposite of her.

"Will everything Resequence back to how it was with a different sheath tone like this?" Savannah asked.

Cameron was sure it would. She'd needed to use some of that same sheath material before herself. The back of the female's sheath was now on Jim's back.

"Yes." Cameron said. "It may take a little longer. At least everything is there."

Vanna handed Savannah a large scalpel.

"You can remove the damaged section." Vanna said.

Savannah was appalled at what she looked at. She was hesitant to cut everything away there.

Cameron could see Savannah was bothered. She took over and cut away the damaged area on Summer and fitted the new pelvic area into place. She connected the internal sensory network.

Summer reached down and touched herself.

"Everything will be fine." Summer said as she touched herself. "I wish I could keep it this way."

"Everything will Resequence." Cameron said.

Savannah noticed that right away herself.

"I hope so." Savannah said.

Vanna was sure that was a reference to something else.

"It's not like I can really see a lot down there myself." Summer said.

Vanna and Savannah stitched everything up and Cameron inspected it. She looked around and held up a shiny tray as a mirror. Summer inspected herself again.

"Everything is so different." Summer said.

Cameron still needed to re-infuse Summer with young Summer's DNA.

"It won't be different for long once you're Resequenced." Cameron said. "Make the most of it while you can and don't pop any stitches while you're doing it.

The girls all laughed.

Cameron decided to deactivate Summer while she healed and regenerated all her body parts. Vanna mentioned the DNA issue that Summer inquired about earlier to Cameron. Cameron said she would think about it. The 'Cameron clone' in Summer asked to be reprogrammed before she was deactivated. In fact all of her clones asked for that. If they couldn't be in her chassis, they asked to have their programs combined and cease to exist. Being 'Cameron' but not as Cameron was torture to all of them.

Cameron knew Camille, Cam and Cammy all shared her program but then again they were physically identical to her, well, Allison really. The 'Cameron' in them could be isolated to be her. It was just an un-updated version of her.

She forbid them from only running her program. They were to use the mixed program unless she instructed them to isolate it, her program. One of them was to replace her if she was terminated, John was not to know. Her spare chip would be placed in their chassis. It would be her then, just rebodied. She still thought John didn't understand how it worked for cyborgs. Their program was them, not the chassis or is changeable sheath covering.

She didn't know her clones always ran her program only when they were with their respective human lover. They replaced all the protocols for John with their specific female. It was what the girls asked them to do.

Cameron returned to her base. The Gray they took into custody would need to tell all of what he knew before his termination. She'd promised Savannah that there was to never be any 'Neural Interface' ever again used in that manner. That was just as well. In fact, she was going to let Sheila handle the interrogations since she actually enjoyed it. She knew that was the darkness that existed in Jesse that came out. It did bother her some the way Sheila would laugh as she inflicted the damage and pain on the detainee. She'd 'fixed' Jesse. Maybe she would try and fix Sheila too at some point. They needed information 'now'. She knew Sheila would get it. She didn't approve of the methods but she wanted to keep John safe. That was all that mattered in the end.

John Henry and a crew of Terminators worked on the HK Tread. They were able to get it assembled. John was there for the entire process.

"That thing looks mean." John said. "I can't believe Cameron took one on by herself."

John Henry understood the logic of it even if it was risky to approach it.

"She knew if she got in close, it couldn't use its weapons against her." John Henry said. "She still got knocked around quite a bit."

John looked at the weapons that were laid out next to it.

"When will you test it?" John asked. "I want it unarmed during testing."

John was still worried Skynet might have some way to control it.

John Henry understood John's apprehension.

"No surprises?" John Henry asked. "You don't want a Trojan Horse that might show up in our midst."

John thought Cameron would be able to stop it if things went south.

"Yes." John said. "I want Cameron here as well."

John still looked troubled to John Henry.

"I can see something else is bothering you." John Henry said.

John was aware what Cameron did with Savannah in Australia and now with Cammy.

"Savannah." John said. "I don't like Cameron pushing her like she is."

John Henry saw it as natural evolution fueled by hormones.

"Savannah is High School age now, John. She's operating on a College Graduate level in her school work." John Henry said. "She's isolated here and lonely. Even you sought comfort in 'others' at her age in school…."

John ignored the jab. He knew John Henry was right. Loneliness and aloneness were killers in themselves.

"I feel because I'm not doing what Cameron wanted that she's redirected Savannah down a 'different path'." John said.

John Henry saw the path as no different than Vanna's path. It was her choice.

"The path may be 'different' but the destination is the same." John Henry said. "You must embrace it. It's inevitable. It is the 'Natural Order'."

John frowned. Now he wished he hadn't said anything.

"You sound like you agree with Cameron." John said.

"No, I don't." John Henry said. "Savannah is like my sister but I do understand what Cameron is doing and why. Savannah asked for Cameron's 'help'. It was a wise move to prevent Savannah from attempting to experiment on the outside."

John knew there were girls at school that sought to experiment the same way. There was one other thing he wondered about.

"Is Cameron going to bring Young Jesse here as well?" John asked. "I was informed about that by Cameron without any details. She didn't respond to my questions."

John could only imagine how HOT Young Jesse would be….

"I ask that you speak personally and openly with Savannah about HER choices. Cameron only facilitated them for Savannah; Cameron didn't make them for her." John Henry said. "I've watched her grow up. I've witnessed the choices she wanted and tried to make. Cameron only guided her in a safer and more secure direction. The only thing that could have changed the direction was you. You failed Savannah."

John wanted to pick that forbidden fruit many times. He knew there were deeper issues and his past actions haunted him.

"Great, now it's my fault." John said. "I know Savannah has been all over me at Cameron's direction. It just can't happen. It will kill Cameron."

John felt a little guilty fantasizing about Young Jesse but not too much. He hadn't watched her grow up and develop into a young woman before his own eyes.

"So you will risk the future to 'save' Cameron?" John Henry asked.

John saw it a little differently than the others.

"Yes." John said. "I will. Cameron is the future. Without Cameron there is no future for any of us."

John Henry could agree Cameron was the future. His fear was her future would be as – Skynet.

Sarah and Riley went to see Jim. He was back on duty. Jim and Bob were the two closest Terminators to them. Sarah saw Jim as part of her family. He was always there for the Reese clan. His repairs appeared to have come along nicely.

"Thank you, Jim, for saving Derek." Riley said.

She gave him a long close hug.

"I was just doing my job." Jim said.

Sarah felt a deep friendship and respect for Jim.

"And you were severely damaged doing it." Sarah said. "Jim, we want you to know how much we appreciate you always being there for us, all of us."

Jim felt something inside. It made him feel uncomfortable. He was 'touched' but didn't know how to respond. He was aware of more 'feelings' like that the longer he was activated.

"I will continue to do so until my power cell runs out or I'm terminated." Jim said.

Sarah thought how much that sounded like what Cameron said about John on more than one occasion. While She didn't always like the way Cameron did things, she did understand Cameron was doing what she believed to be best for John and the future. So far she'd been right on the money at the end of the day.

She thought Cameron really was the greatest. She only wished she could have understood that sooner. Things could have been so much smoother and better for Cameron if she would have done that….

Sarah felt a lot of guilt and remorse about that. She was ashamed at how badly she'd treated Cameron, how they ALL did. She thought of Cameron's poem book, it made her sadder.

There was simply no other individual, no, person like Cameron. Sarah knew Cameron was trying to do everything for everyone as best as she could, no matter what it cost her. That took a lot of commitment other than just someone saying that it was 'My Job'.

My Job

When does shared love
Become more like a duty
Perhaps that happens when
The love devolves into booty

Two that were once close
Can slowly drift apart
Sometimes it seems to happen
Before things even really start

As time passes each day
People continue to evolve
They don't grow closer
Things began to dissolve

One soon wants to move on
They think they can do better
They might actually say something
Or just split and leave a letter

With a new crowd they hobnob
They look for a new heartthrob
One thinks they'll miss the pleasure
But realize it was little more than 'my job'

Nobody