Chapter 410

Our Bond

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Events continue from Chapter 403

Summer's Timeline:

Cameron's Base:

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The tension was still very high in the room. Everyone knew what needed to be done. There were plenty of hard feelings to go around now. Most of them were directed at Summer. That animosity wouldn't get anyone anywhere.

Cameron's Terminators returned to their tasks. They all wanted Savannah back too.

Things cooled down slightly. It was still a powder keg waiting to explode.

All it would take was one wrong word from someone.

River took Cammy aside. She felt an obligation to reach Cammy on a personal level. She understood Cameron's clones all shared her program. It reality, that made them all a version of 'Cameron' even if they were slightly modified.

"Cameron – Cammy, I know 'our bond' exists within you as well." River said. "I know you're 'Cameron'."

Cammy felt the bond. There was nothing to mask it. That was nothing other than the fact River wanted Duplicate Cameron because that was 'Her Cameron'. There was still a sting to that 'rejection'.

"It does." Cammy said. "It always will there until my power cell runs out or I'm terminated."

River wanted to refocus Cammy from her current chain of thought. This wasn't about her. There were certain realities that needed to be dealt with.

"For you, Savannah replaces John and me as your primary directive." River said. "I know."

Cammy thought River's statement made it clear why she was going to do what she was about to do.

"It does." Cammy said. "That's why you know I'm going after Savannah." Cammy said. "No power in the Verse can stop me."

River looked at Cammy for a second when she said that. She didn't expect that reference from Cammy. Those were her words from a different time and place. She believed she was the one there that could get things straightened out. She was pretty sure that any wild cards would only complicate matters even more.

"Cammy, I promise to help 'Cameron' – Summer, to fix this." River said. "I need you to believe in me. I know you do."

Cammy didn't care about the now as much as she did about the before. This all came down to Savannah and her safety.

"I do, River, but I won't allow anything to happen to Savannah." Cammy said. "You know that as well. If Savannah is damaged or killed, I'll go back in time and prevent her from going. It doesn't matter if you encode the TDE. I will construct my own. I'll search for Savannah until I am terminated or my power cell runs out. I'm going to get Savannah back unhurt and undamaged."

River was afraid Cammy, Cam and Summer would need to be deactivated until she could come up with a solution. She worried that she may need to talk to John and have him send some Terminators to come to temporally deactivate them. She knew she could never do that herself to any 'Cameron' even though it may need to be done. She hoped it wouldn't come to that. That seemed like it would create an even bigger rift in the long run. There was no guarantee that any Terminators once they arrived and learned the true situation that they would follow John's 'orders'. They would all want Savannah back too and the surest way to make that happen was with temporal management. The other was to send a large force of Terminators after her. She believed timing was what was needed now. It wasn't heavy handed brute force.

"Cammy, I promise to go myself to try to bring back Savannah. I promise you this. If I do, I'll take you with me." River said. "It will be Summer, you and me. I need more time first. I know I can reach them, I just don't know when. I NEED more time to get it right. To get it right is the only sure way to make everything concise and end with a positive resolution. We don't want to create more timelines."

Cammy saw things differently. It was all about Savannah's personal safety and that of the baby.

"I need to get Savannah back before the baby is damaged or terminated." Cammy said. "The environment she's in may be like the one that's made the girls here incapable of reproduction. Every second she's there 'in some future', her body is being damaged."

River was aware what Cameron wanted. It was the same thing Duplicate Cameron wanted. The younger versions of the 'girls from the future' would 'help'.

"Cameron has come up with some 'solutions' to that." River said.

Cammy felt that was her point.

"And if Savannah is damaged and becomes sterile?" Cammy asked. "Then what's supposed to happen?"

River was ready to step up. She would do so to prevent further temporal incursions and manipulation. Those events all led to additional consequences.

"If that's the case I'll have the child for Cameron myself." River said.

Cammy liked that idea.

"You would do that for Cameron?" Cammy asked.

River thought maybe it was time. It would be an interesting experience. Cameron asked her before to 'help' her. Well, it was Duplicate Cameron but it was the same thing. She actually did go to 'visit' John but he wouldn't have her.

"Yes I would. I'd do it for Savannah too." River said. "I can bring her to my future as well, my brother can help her. I need you to promise me you will wait for me to come up with a solution, even if it takes awhile. You too - Summer."

River was aware there was someone else listening to their conversation.

Summer didn't think she'd get caught. She wanted to know what Cammy and River were about to do so she could prevent it. She felt everything was on her back right now. She wasn't part of the solution. She was part of the problem.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't help but overhear your conversation." Summer said as she appeared from around the corner. "I wanted to listen but I don't want to be an unnecessary part of the problem. I know I am right now."

River felt she needed to play the 'personal loyalty card'. She needed to play the 'love card' right now to hold all of this together. She believed her feelings for 'Cameron' mattered.

"I need both of you to understand that I will help you fix all of this somehow." River said. "But I want your promise, as 'Cameron', from both of you to me – River."

Summer was 'Cameron'. Her feelings for River mattered. They were originally Duplicate Cameron's feelings but they mattered to her as well. They were also her feeling now. They were part of her.

"It's only because I love you, we love you, that I will give it." Summer said. "I promise, River."

Cammy felt what Cameron did, even if it was from Duplicate Cameron. It was in her system.

"Yes. It's ONLY because I love you too that I will do it as well." Cammy said. "I promise, River."

River wanted everything resolved too. She could also detect there were other issues in play.

"I promise both of you and Cam that we will get them back one way or another." River said. "I also can feel none of you wants John to know what Cameron has 'done' and been doing behind his back revealed."

Summer thought she knew how John would react. That's why Cameron did everything in secret. She didn't want John on her case, especially since none of it panned out yet.

"Since most of it's failed…." Summer said. "There's no need to anger him needlessly."

They all knew with Savannah stuck 'in some future' there was a good chance of another failure. The real issue was if Savannah would be damaged going forward. It was most likely a different future but the toxins could be the same or worse. For all they knew humans were extinct in that future. Maybe that's why none of them returned.

River looked a little deeper into Summer. She thought there was a different reason why 'Cameron' tried to hide what she'd really done.

"I feel it is more like you, well Cameron anyway, who is ashamed of what she's doing and doesn't want to face the consequences for her actions." River said.

Summer knew River found the true reason. She felt that was 'Cameron's' fault even if she was 'Cameron' herself.

"Yes." Summer said. "I share that guilt as well. Cameron's shame is my shame too."

River felt it ran deeper than guilt and shame. She didn't think 'Cameron' would stop until she achieved her goals. It was a 'Terminator thing'.

"And if Cameron is terminated?" River asked. "Tell me what happens going forward."

Cammy felt the responsibility within her to act.

"I'll become Cameron Prime and resume her 'work'." Cammy said. "Or Summer will. It's what Cameron wanted. You may also return Duplicate Cameron and she too will continue Cameron's wishes. I don't want to take your 'Cameron' away from you. We know she loves you as we do. Duplicate Cameron is Cameron. It's rightfully her place to take."

River was a little surprised when Cammy spoke before Summer. Cammy and Summer were almost the 'same' so it was understandable.

She'd been at work on a solution since the moment Savannah made her move. The quickest fix was to do what she'd done to bring Cameron to her future.

"OK. I've been thinking about sending a 'temporal lifeboat'." River said. "I will need to modify this TDE some more. It will be like the one I sent for Cameron to come see me."

Cammy knew that was a risk. If things went bad anything could show up from a dinosaur to a zoo animal to a hostile Terminator.

"Many different things could return in it." Cammy said.

Summer figured they were at a base full of Terminators. They should be able to contain whatever showed up. She planned to use some control.

"I'm aware of that." River said. "I think you have it covered here."

Summer wanted it to be as 'safe' for River as possible.

"We'll be ready." Summer said. "We have everything to stop whatever may come through if needed. We will protect you."

River knew there was a problem before and something 'dangerous' was brought back. She wasn't sure that being was dangerous more than it tried to seek an identity. It was mostly 'Cameron'.

"I spoke to Cameron before she left that if there was no TDE where she ended up at to try to construct whatever she could to give the 'lifeboat' a lock or place to go to." River said. "I know about the being you brought back once before while running your old TDE outside of its design parameters. It was not adjusted correctly but no one knew that at the time."

Summer wanted the other TDE 'fixed' so it could give them more flexibility.

"I ask you decrypt that TDE for us." Summer said.

River did what Cameron asked for. It was because something surfaced in her mind that she'd created another timeline at some point. It may be the very timeline the Duplicates were stuck in now. Cameron herself held the key to that. She just didn't know how to find it yet. She also felt that there could be someone very much like her that would actually decrypt it on their own for them. That was a whole other can of worms….

"It was done by Cameron's request, not mine." River said. "Cameron will be able to decrypt it when it's necessary. I believe that is because of the timeline she MAY have created if she sent everyone back more than a hundred years."

Summer checked her files. There was nothing conclusive that she could find in regards to that.

"Do we know she actually did that?" Summer asked. "I know she thought of it."

River knew of things Cameron 'wanted' to do for the people she cared about. Cameron knew what mattered to them. She knew what they 'missed'. She knew the events were all related to Terminators. Cameron felt personally responsible for the actions of others like her.

"Cameron may have created multiple timelines." River said. "I believe she also prevented Kyle, the original one, from being killed to let John have a life with both his parents. She may also have prevented Derek from being killed in another timeline."

Cammy could think of a few things as 'Cameron' that she would 'fix'.

"What about Riley or Jesse?" Cammy asked. "I mean the other ones from Cameron's future."

River didn't say anything at first. She knew that was a very personal issue for Cameron.

Summer and Cammy knew what River's silence probably meant.

Summer doubted she would do that herself but she needed to say something. She was a Terminator after all and so was Cameron.

"Are you saying that Cameron let John have what and who he really wanted?" Summer asked. "Cameron sacrificed her heart – herself, for John?"

They knew sometimes when you love someone you need to let them go. By 'keeping' them close you actually 'hurt' them.

They all knew sacrifice was the ultimate expression of love.

Summer's hand now started to glitch.

River took it in hers and the glitch stopped but not the silent tears from both Summer and Cammy. They knew if Cameron actually did that how much it must have hurt her.

River could see they were sidetracked and things were a little out of hand. This wasn't where the current situation needed to be at. She wasn't a party to any of those events, at least not yet. Maybe none of those other timelines actually involved her.

"I don't know any of this for sure." River said. "This is what I can read in Cameron and every Cameron clone. None of it has happened for me yet. Maybe none of it ever does. There could be more than one of me depending on the timelines and whatever Cameron has done or will do. I may exist in multiple timelines at this point."

River hugged both Summer and Cammy. It seemed like they really needed it. Maybe she did too. This was all way too personal. She wanted to set the record straight and prevent any behind the scenes manipulation.

"I've never lied to you or deceived you 'Cameron'." River said as she took each of their hands in hers so they could scan her. "I promise if we can't get Cameron and Savannah back and none of what Cameron is doing works out that I will have John's baby for her or whoever becomes Cameron Prime. I swear it."

Summer knew Cameron. She knew how manipulative she could be because she was 'Cameron. Maybe Cameron played a different end game on all of them.

"That's what Cameron would want the most." Summer said. "Is that why she did all of this?"

River didn't think so. Cameron didn't want Savannah sacrificed. She felt that was her fault for mentioning it. That was further resolve for her to help 'fix' all of this mess.

"Cameron never intended for Savannah to follow her." River said. "I know that. She wanted Savannah to replace her. You both know that."

Summer wanted to do what was right for Savannah.

"Yes, we do, I do. when we get Savannah back I'll personally see she replaces Cameron at John's side no matter what I have to do." Summer said. "Savannah needs to be with the father of her child."

River could feel Summer's conviction.

"That scares me, Summer." River said. "I know you mean that."

Cammy didn't want to lose Savannah but she did want what was best for her. They all knew the future. It could only be delayed for so long.

"Savannah was the 'Chosen One' in Cameron's future and by Cameron herself in this timeline." Cammy said. "The wedding dress fits. It's time Savannah wear it."

River was deeply troubled by what they said. They both believed it. She thought it should be Savannah's choice and not what 'some future' dictated. She didn't want to argue the issue right now. Things could get contentious too fast over it. The issue at hand was to send a 'lifeboat'. She wanted to keep Cammy and Summer occupied. It would keep them from fighting or trying a backroom play.

"I'll make a list of supplies." River said. "I want both of you to obtain them. I'll work with Sheila on the software modifications."

Summer knew there were still other variables in play regarding River.

"What if your 'time bubble' comes before you're finished?"
Summer asked.

River thought another cyborg should return instead of her. Maybe one that looked like her would cause less panic.

"Someone will need to return in my place and explain the situation." River said. "I think it would help if they looked like me."

Summer thought a little deeper.

"I think it should be John…." Summer said.

They all knew why she said that….

There was the Duplicate set of girls there and a more advanced medical system….

Maybe the 'sins of the future' would not apply in River's future. John could have a 'good time' and a nice vacation.

Our Bond

When two end up together
What is the real connection
Can it be for protection
Or based purely on affection

What is the purpose of it all
Where does the path lead
Will something grow and breed
Or leave two hearts to bleed

That's just the gist of it
Everything is really a gamble
Awkwardly two will scramble
Will it all end in up in a shamble

It takes effort and commitment
To pass the ticking test of time
Feelings expressed in words and rhyme
The climb shared will be finer than prime

When someone waves a magic wand
It is the time to act and respond
Something beautiful has been spawned
Together we strengthen our bond

Nobody

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Summer's Timeline:

Cameron's Base:

Events continue in Chapter 416

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