Chapter 401

Come With Me

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In Some Future: Duplicate Cameron

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Cammy received the message as to what transpired back at headquarters. She was very displeased. She passed it on to Unit One. It was his duty to alert the other Restorators. The anti-Metal faction tried to make its move when they were occupied on the battlefield. This was the ultimate form of treachery. She wasn't sure if the anti-Metal leaders were involved or this was a rouge segment.

She wasn't sure if that should matter of not. They'd still tried to kill the girls while the others were out fighting the real enemy. Someone needed to atone for that.

There was a lull in the fighting now that all the attacking HK drones were shot down. Cammy readied her troops as they waited. She waited for the Skynet forces to come to her. She wanted the Skynet Metal out on the battlefield. She was surprised they hadn't come to attack them yet. She would find out soon enough.

The leader of the anti-Metal group viewed their position as one of strength. The Skynet Metal was delivered a devastation blow. It was time to pull the plug on the 'tin cans'.

"What are we waiting for, Commander?" Billy asked. "We have the advantage. They've lost their air support. We should attack now."

Cammy wanted to say something about what happened at headquarters. She was very upset right now. Maybe she should let the anti-Metal faction lead. They would suffer heavy losses if they attacked the Skynet troops right now in their fortified positions. She decided to stick to the plan, for now.

"We're waiting for them to come to us." Cammy said. "I have a special greeting waiting for them. I want to draw them out into the open."

Ginger and Sandy were with Cammy continuously. They were aware of what happened back at headquarters. They were upset they hadn't been there for the girls. They were unaware Cam left the back door open to see what crawled in. Cam expected the 'hit'. She'd been ready for it. She wanted everyone to show themselves so all the threats could be dealt with.

Cammy was about ready to have some of her troops pull out to look like they were about run in fear. Skynet solved the problem.

When it became apparent The Restorators were not going to attack, the Skynet troops came out to attack them. They believed they were winning. Past experience showed them that once the Resistance stopped its assault they were about to retreat. They didn't know that was the very reaction that the plan was based on.

Cammy smiled. This is what she'd been waiting for. The anti-Metal faction could wait a few more minutes to be dealt with. Repulsing the Skynet troops was bound to take a toll. If the plan held, it would only be a small toll. Time would tell. Now was the time to see who was a better tactician, Cameron and her three clones or Skynet.

Cameron and her small group moved through the interior of Skynet Central. So far they'd remained unobserved and avoided a firefight. Their luck could not hold forever. It didn't.

As they moved forward, the group spotted some Grays but no Metal. Allison-Mrs. Weaver moved up and silently sliced them to death.

Cameron motioned for Cameron II to hold Allison back as Allison-Mrs. Weaver and her went around the corner. It wasn't what they wanted to see. There was a group of Terminators waiting for them. They were about to get more than they'd bargained for. This was an ambush. The Grays were sacrificed to draw them out into the open.

Cameron and Allison-Mrs. Weaver already started to move to get away.

Cameron threw a plasma grenade into one corner of the group as Allison-Mrs. Weaver split two other Terminators apart.

"Fallback." Cameron said as she threw two more plasma grenades and fired her plasma rifle.

Cameron II immediately moved Allison back only to see some Terminators move up behind them. Both Allison and her opened up with their plasma rifles. They were now in a fight for their lives.

Bob heard the fighting start and blew the power supply. That was his task. The entire area fell into darkness. Skynet should be cut off from the outside at this point. Other Skynet forces would know something was wrong but they wouldn't know what. They would be slow to respond and probably not in force.

Allison and Cameron II were in total darkness punctuated by the brightness as plasma rifles were fired.

As soon as it went dark, Allison threw a Thermite grenade at the last location she'd seen Metal. The room was now eerily lit by the flaming Thermite and several burning Terminators. One of them still attempted to move but he was only a torso. His arms and legs were gone. He rocked back and forth and bent at the waist. His head twisted violently from side to side. The Thermite slowly consumed his sheath as he struggled uselessly on the ground.

They'd successfully stopped the Terminators and continued to advance forward. The area was dimly lit by an eerie glow of a few battery powered back up lights and the fire behind them.

Cameron moved forward with Allison-Mrs. Weaver at her side. Allison was behind them. Cameron II covered their rear. Cameron II rigged a plasma grenade booby trap behind them with a trip wire. She made sure their team all saw it. They moved forward.

Cammy watched as the Terminators sent the Grays out first. Those who refused to go out to fight were executed on the spot. That was more than enough motivation to get the rest to move toward the Resistance lines. It didn't really matter, the end result was the same.

Cammy anticipated this. She only used rifle fire bring the Grays down. She saved the surprise for when the Terminators would come.

She wanted to show the anti-Metal group that the Restorators would hold the line and take the punishment. They all still thought she was human. That is what she wanted.

"You take your people and fallback now." Cammy told Billy. "The Metal is coming."

Billy was in no hurry to face Terminators. He knew how hard they were to stop, they'd encountered Terminators before. A squad wasn't a match for one Terminator. There were going to be a lot of Terminators in the assault. It appeared most of the Grays were down already. He turned to leave but noticed she wasn't going to leave. The Commander was going to stay put. In an instant he realized she was going to lead the Restorators into battle.

"What about you?" Billy asked.

Cammy wanted him to see that the Restorators were there to assist them. They were not there to rule them or sacrifice them as the Terminators did with the Grays.

"I need to stay with my command. We'll stay and fight. Go now." Cammy said. "You can be the backup line of defense. Take all your people, we will cover you."

Billy hesitated. The Commander was sure to die in the next few minutes if she faced a full on assault by a large force of Terminators.

Cammy could see Billy felt guilty about leaving. She wanted him to feel that way about leaving the Restorators, not her.

"That's an order." Cammy said. "Follow it."

Billy and his people fell back. The Skynet Terminators watched. They thought the Restorators were retreating. The Skynet Terminators surged forward out onto the battlefield to follow and annihilate them. This was their chance to wipe out the pathetic Resistance once and for all. The Terminators threw caution to the wind. Victory was theirs for the taking.

Billy and his people fell back. They took up a defensive position behind cover. They should be able to hold there once the Restorators were wiped out.

He couldn't get the Commander out of his mind. That was the bravest woman, no, the bravest person he'd ever seen. The Commander was fearless and hard. She risked her life to lead the Restorators against the enemy Metal. It was doubtful the Restorators could hold let alone win. They alone with one human faced the enemy. The Commander allowed him and his troops the chance to live. Metal would die in their place. Enough was enough.

Billy rallied his troops.

"If they're overrun, try to provide covering fire for any that are able to return." Billy said.

Not everyone in his group felt that way. They saw it as a chance to wipe out all of their enemies. Metal was their enemy, any Metal.

"But they're Metal." Someone said. "Let them rust."

Billy could see the bigger picture now. It wasn't what someone told him or tried to make him see. He was able to see it with his eyes on his own. The Commander's sacrifice drove home the point. She was going to die to unite the Resistance. She led by example.

"They're fighting for us. They are about to take the punishment for us." Billy said. "The Commander is out there with them."

Not everyone listened. Their hatred blinded them to the reality of the situation.

"I don't care." The person said.

Earlier Billy watched the Terminators shoot the Grays who wouldn't go out to attack them. He felt that way right now himself towards some in his group. That was another reality. The Restorators did just the opposite. They sent the humans away to protect them, not sacrifice them.

"Anyone not willing to stand with me and fight, I want you go now. Leave now and walk away." Billy said. "This is our fight too. We would be dead without them helping us. I'm staying to fight."

Three people got up to leave. The rest held their ground.

"Everyone else get ready." Billy said. "We're going to hold this position."

Billy planned to do more than hold. He was ready to join the battle. This was about them. It was about saving humanity. More than machines needed to fight for that. More than one human needed to face the real enemy.

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In Some Future: Cameron Prime

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The arcing and flashing started.

The energy bubble began to form.

There were two figures in it.

In seconds the energy bubble was gone.

Cameron and Savannah were alone.

Cameron looked around immediately.

There was fighting going on all around them.

Cameron could not believe Savannah was here with her now. That was the last thing she wanted. Savannah meant everything to her. She came here to perish. Savannah was there to stop her. She'd tried to stop her from leaving. Now Savannah was in Hell instead.

"NO!" Cameron screamed. "NO! You can't be here."

Savannah was disorientated from the time transfer. She'd entered the energy bubble late after it was almost formed. It hadn't formed around her as would normally be the case.

"Cameron?" Savannah asked somewhat confused.

This was the last place on earth Cameron wanted Savannah to be. She knew everything was toxic and the fate of the other girls from the future was sure to befall Savannah at some point.

"NO. NO. NO." Cameron cried out. "NO! It can't be. No, Savannah, you can't be here."

Savannah quickly refocused. She was young and in perfect physical condition. It was time to step up and join the fight.

"I am here, Cameron." Savannah said. "Where are we?"

Cameron peeked over a small rise. There was gunfire, plasma rifle fire and explosions going on all around them.

As to where they were. It wasn't where Cameron planned to be or when. Everything was different. Everything was off.

"We're - in some future. By you coming with me, it will have disrupted my specific calculations." Cameron said. "I should've arrived right after the Duplicates did. Now we could be any where or any when."

Savannah knew that Cameron didn't plan to come back. That was the whole purpose of the ruse. If River hadn't detected the ploy right before the transfer, Cameron would have pulled off the deception and been no more. She promised Cameron she would never abandon her. That was why she was there now.

"I couldn't let you die alone." Savannah said. "I love you, Cameron."

There was another explosion closer to them. Dirt and debris flew over them.

Cameron saw the true nature of what Savannah being there meant. This wasn't about her now. It was about Savannah. Everyone loved Savannah and they would not let her perish in the future without trying to stop it.

"I need to get you out of here." Cameron said. "Don't you understand? They're ALL going to try to come after you. One by one or in groups, they will ALL come after you."

Savannah hadn't considered that. That is exactly what was going to happen. It was what she'd just done more or less. The others would all do the same.

"I'm sorry, Cameron." Savannah said.

Cameron pictured every scenario possibly happening to Savannah. Savannah was to be at John's side, not 'in some future' with her.

"This future will ruin your body." Cameron said. "You will end up like the others. They're going to get their hands on you…. I need to get you back. I need to get you back to John."

There was another explosion. More dirt flew over their naked bodies. It sounded like the weapons fire was closer. Maybe someone saw the energy bubble and wanted to know what it was.

Cameron needed to go on the offensive. They needed weapons fast.

"Stay here." Cameron shouted. "Don't move from this spot."

Cameron rolled over up over the side of the depression. She tried to stay as low to the ground as possible. If she was in 'no man's land' and spotted. She would draw fire from both sides.

Savannah heard the intensity of the firing increase once Cameron was out of the depression.

Something landed next to Savannah. It was a dead body. The head was blown open and its contents fell out in chunks.

Savannah swallowed hard. She understood now why Cameron 'hardened' her. She'd shot Grays in the head before. She was ready for what she saw, sort of. It was still a shock. It showed how real this all was. She immediately started to remove the clothing as she searched for a weapon.

A rifle came over the side of the depression.

Savannah grabbed it and charged it as she searched for a target to come over the rise of the depression. There wasn't one yet.

She removed the bloody clothing from the decedent as she held her weapon at the ready.

Moments later a second body landed. This one was a female. Her leg was blown off at the knee. She was still alive but bleeding to death. There were two bullet wounds in her abdomen as well. She died as Savannah stripped her bloody pants off.

Cameron rolled back over the side of the depression. She carried more weapons. She popped back up and fired in the direction she's just come from.

Savannah could see several bullet holes in Cameron's back as she fired. They looked gruesome against her smooth naked sheath. She watched as Cameron fired again and there was a short scream. It sounded close.

Savannah handed Cameron a loaded weapon and went about reloading the others Cameron brought back. There wasn't much ammunition.

They were both still naked.

Cameron looked around over the rim of the depression. They needed to move now. They could dress later.

"We have about two minutes. Grab whatever clothes there are and follow me." Cameron said as she handed Savannah a pistol.

Savannah checked it to make sure it was 'hot', it was.

Cameron held a rifle in each hand. Savannah thought about asking for one but she knew Cameron could engage multiple targets at the same time and look in two different directions simultaneously.

Savannah stripped the bloody shirt off the woman. It was when she removed the female's shirt that she noticed something was 'missing' on her. She instantly recognized that as the work of Scavengers from Vanna's description of what was done to captured women. She remembered their scars. This woman was mutilated at some point in her life. The physical scars were healed, the mental scars that were inflicted never would be. Wait, they were now, the woman was dead.

To see the mutilated female drove home the brutality of the future. She knew this was a major mistake but she wasn't going to let Cameron go off to die alone. She was here now and it was time to fight. It was time to survive no matter what it took. If the Scavengers or Grays got a hold of her she would do what it took to survive. She remembered what Vanna said: 'Just let it happen, it's going to anyway. Don't let them bust you up. You can never escape then.' She swallowed hard. She needed to refocus.

Cameron looked back over her shoulder. The bullet holes still oozed 'blood'.

"Come with me if you want to live…." Cameron said. "Follow me and stay low. Don't stop until you reach the tree line even if I go down. Don't argue and do what I say. I'll use my body to shield you."

Savannah didn't want Cameron to sacrifice herself for her. She also knew that she needed to listen to Cameron. This wasn't her first future.

There was fighting all around them. The scars she saw on the woman's body haunted her. She couldn't help but think of them again. Some 'female parts' of her body were - gone. She knew she could end up like that. She was sure she would become a 'woman' the hard way a lot sooner than she'd thought. She really wished John would have taken her first. She tried to let him. It didn't really matter now. There was a better than even chance she would die here.

Savannah knew she'd made a big mistake….

So be it. Cameron needed her. Everyone dies at some point. There was no reason not to make it count. She gripped her pistol and the bloody clothing. She prepared to run in the direction Cameron told her to go.

Come With Me

It feels like you
Would rather be
When I am around
Far away from me

You may think they are
More than I can be
You don't understand
The depth of all of me

I am much more
Than they can ever be
From the futures past
It was you that chose me

I was created to be someone
I did not choose to be
It was you who set me free
Allowing me to become me

When this world burns
By whose side would you like to be
If you want to live
Come with me

Nobody

If You Want To Live

I do not have a choice
Whether to exist or perish
You need understand
There is only one I cherish

I must protect you
It is my main desire
There is only one
Who can light my fire

I am the only one who forever
Will stand by your side
I will never back down
I will never run and hide

When it all falls apart
I will always be there
I will conquer any challenge
Defeat every dare

For you my love
My existence I will give
Come with me
If you want to live

Nobody