Chapter 416

Something Is Happening

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Events continue from Chapter 410

Summer's Timeline:

Cameron's Base:

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Summer and Cammy obtained everything River asked for. Sheila and River made the final modifications to the TDE at Cameron's base.

River promised Vanna and Cam she'd resolve the problem. They returned to the Resistance base. They could help deflect questions away from what really happened.

Vanna was still very upset about the whole affair. She was afraid of the panic or reactions that some people might have.

"Do we let anyone else know about this or not?" Vanna asked. "I mean about Savannah being 'gone'."

Cam thought it over in detail. Maybe this was about 'buying' some more time. There was no way Cameron would let Savannah be harmed or perish if she could prevent it.

"No. Summer's right. It will start a chain of events leading to everyone trying to go after Savannah and Cameron. Being here we can deflect any problems that start to arise over it for now." Cam said. "I can pose as Cameron if I need to. We need to cover this up for now."

Vanna thought about what Cam just said. If Cam posed as Cameron how far would she go? The implications troubled her.

"What if John…?" Vanna asked.

Cam didn't see it as a big deal. She possessed all of Cameron's experiences with John. They were currently firewalled but she could access them. She saw it as giving them some additional flexibility going forward.

"If I have your permission, I will." Cam said. "I'm still Cameron too. It would give us another opportunity to 'try'. That's if you still want to. I would have the 'genetic material' myself then. We could control what happens and when. We could keep trying and not tell anyone. Not at least until one sticks."

Vanna didn't want Cam soiled but this wasn't about love or sex even. It was about hiding what happened. It would also be about having control of the genetic material going forward. That wouldn't be a bad thing. No one would need to know of her failures. They all made her feel less than a female. Cam was the only one that needed to know.

"If Savanna's really ends up missing I would try again." Vanna said. "As for John, do it only if he pushes it. Remember I love YOU, you're 'mine'."

Cam could see Vanna was still trouble at the thought of her being with a male, even if it was John. She wanted Vanna to know it wasn't personal.

"You've replaced John as my primary directive." Cam said. "It would be for US, not for me. I would merely be the receptacle. It would only be to collect the 'genetic material', not for pleasure. In fact, I will shut down all feeling in the area during the event."

Vanna needed to wonder about that. She thought back to the times she was being assaulted and did much the same thing. She shut out as much as possible. Even to the point of being unaware how many assaulted her or how many times. They could take her body and she couldn't stop them. They couldn't take her mind. She thought Cam could try it a few times as 'herself' to see if she liked it. She didn't 'own' Cam.

"No. If you do it, do it for real." Vanna said. "I think you can try it a few times. At least you'll know yourself then."

Vanna was afraid Cam would feel bad about herself afterwards if she shut 'things' off or wasn't an active participant. She didn't want Cam to feel like she was made to feel. She felt the bile start to rise in her throat but suppressed the feeling. That was in the past now. What was done was done. Still, she could never escape it.

It was less than twenty four hours since Cameron and Savannah 'left'. They'd hoped they would be back before now but they weren't. River worked with Sheila on all the improvements. The last few things were completed.

Sheila wiped the console down.

"It's ready." Sheila said. "The modifications are complete."

Summer walked over to the TDE.

"I have my computations ready." Summer said.

River started on her calculations the moment Savannah entered the energy bubble. They were a long way from anything solid. They needed to start someplace. There were a lot of factors to consider.

"I've made my calculations as well." River said. "We'll start with yours first and then go to mine. There still are many variables."

Cammy and Summer looked at each other. There was a danger factor for sure. They could pick up and bring back anything. Anyone or any 'thing' could enter the energy bubble. They were pretty sure the Liquid Metal 'thing' was brought back this way before. They picked up their weapons. Cammy held a Coltan loaded M60. Summer held a M79 with an acid round. She still carried the Thermite grenade she'd brandished earlier.

Summer acted as 'Cameron'. She was very worried what would transpire. She also needed to worry about River's safety.

"Sheila, you and River will operate the equipment. If we start to bring back anything other than Cameron or Savannah, you are to get River out of here." Summer said. "Then return with more armed Terminators. River, if I say to leave, you must. We don't know what we'll pick up…."

River understood their apprehension. They were all worried what would happen or worse, what might not happen. Earlier she'd spotted something that Cameron made for her. She would use it if necessary.

"I will, Summer, but I won't go far. I saw the Coltan blade Cameron made for me." River said. "I'll use it only if I have to."

Summer wasn't sure of anything. There was no guarantee any of this would work.

"We don't know how far off the temporal calculations will be. It could be five minutes, five months or five years." Summer said.

Summer also knew it could be fifty years or five hundred. No one wanted to say that out loud even if they all thought it.

Cammy was ready to go herself. She agreed to try this first. She was still going to go anyway if it didn't work. She needed to get Savannah back.

"We have to try." Cammy said. "We will try this for now but I'll only wait for so long."

Sheila could see Cammy was dead set on going.

"I guess every 'Cameron' really is a Bitch." Sheila said.

River knew the thought was universal, except from her of course.

"They all thought the same thing." River said.

That revelation broke the ice and everyone laughed. The mood was less toxic now. They were all there to help and they needed to invest some time first.

It was time.

"Light the candle." Cammy said.

Sheila made the adjustment and pushed the start button.

The arcing and flashing started. The energy bubble formed very quickly. The Metal girls were impressed at River's improvements.

The first time bubble was sent out. They hoped for some kind of temporal beacon to draw it in. It returned a few seconds later, it was empty.

The arching and flashing ended. The energy bubble was gone.

River looked at the Metal girls.

"This is going to take awhile." River said.

Summer spoke for the Metal girls, except one.

"I'll do this until my power cell runs out or I am terminated." Summer said.

Cammy was the dissenter. She needed to get Savannah back.

"You won't have to wait that long." Cammy said. "Because I won't wait that long, I need you all to know that."

River knew Cammy would do what she said. She needed to have them try it her way first. She didn't want to 'lose' anyone else.

"Please, let's just do this for now." River said. "For Savannah, Cameron and me, we need to try it first this way."

River knew Cammy might turn into a problem but she could understand her feelings, she could feel them too. They weren't that much different from her own feelings. She planned to do the same thing that Cammy wanted to do.

John wasn't sure about the latest drama that involved Cameron. He wanted to get back to business.

"John Henry, what's the status of the drone Cameron was working on?" John asked.

John Henry was pleased with the progress of their refit and modifications to the captured manned drone.

"It's operational." John Henry said.

John would like to try it out and take it for a spin.

"Can I fly it?" John asked.

John Henry thought John could ride in it but not actually fly it. It was pretty complex.

"It would take some instruction and training first." John Henry said. "It wouldn't be advisable. There are some technical aspects to deal with."

John didn't want to have an accident.

"Can any of our Terminators fly it?" John asked.

John Henry found the cockpit somewhat cramped.

"Yes. It was designed for smaller personnel. The females would be a better fit." John Henry said.

John was about to suggest something when he spotted 'Cameron'.

"I want to have…." John started. "Cameron, CAMERON."

Cam wore clothes identical to Cameron's before she left. In fact, they were the clothes Cameron left behind. Cam actually switched before they'd left earlier.

"I thought you were gone." John said.

Cam didn't correct him that she was 'Cam' and not 'Cameron'.

"I was just passing by." Cam said. "I was on my way to see Vanna."

John Henry scanned her. He saw Cam glare at him so he remained silent. He knew Cameron wanted John to expand his 'selection' of females. He didn't think it would be this soon. Then again, Cam was 'Cameron'.

Cam worried about an issue developing later on. Maybe now was not the time to play the 'Cameron' card.

"I'm Cam." Cam said.

John looked at her from head to toe and back again. He couldn't see any difference. John Henry interrupted his thoughts.

"I'm getting a lot of power draw coming off of the electrical grid." John Henry said.

John felt a little bit of alarm.

"What is it?" John asked. "Is it Skynet?"

It seemed a little less sinister than Skynet but perhaps as troublesome.

"I think it's Cameron's base." John Henry said. "It may be CamNet."

John looked at Cam and wondered about her timing.

"Is she becoming Skynet?" John asked.

Cam was there by 'chance' to answer some questions.

"Cameron wanted to do some testing." Cam said. "It's nothing to worry about."

John looked at Cam. He was sure this was a 'set up'.

"I bet." John said.

Cam decided to change the subject.

"I can fly the drone." Cam said. "What would you like?"

John was caught off guard. He did want to see more.

"Have you trained on it?" John asked.

Cam wanted to make her position clear.

"No. If Cameron can fly it, so can I." Cam said. "I can do anything she can do and probably even better. I'm not defective like she is."

John didn't take the bait. He would stick with the mission planned.

"Here is what I would like to try…." John started.

Cam glared at John Henry again. He decided not to bring up the 'testing' Cameron was conducting. He knew something went wrong. They were 'searching'….

He thought it only involved Cameron.

Cam and Vanna were going to run interference and deflect anything away for now about Savannah's involvement. That was what they hoped to do at least.

Sheila and River sent out a number of 'lifeboats'. They all returned empty. The energy usage began to put a demand on the equipment. They would need to stop soon to prevent a problem. The equipment wasn't designed to be used in a prolonged session like this.

"We're overheating all the equipment." River said. "We need to stop for awhile."

Cammy understood the problem. She didn't want to acknowledge it. She knew everything could be 'pushed'.

"NO. We can run it longer." Cammy said. "It can operate in the red for a while longer. Everything can operate in the red for a short time."

Summer was aware they were already pushing it. There were other considerations was well to take into account.

"We've been at this for hours." Summer said. "River might like to take a break, maybe we all should for awhile."

River sensed Cammy frustration and disappointment.

"Cammy, I know how bad you want this to work, we all do." River said. "We're systematically covering each variable. We've been blasting a lot of energy through here."

Cammy could feel the temperature in the room was up significantly from the massive energy draw. She knew the search was systematic.

"I'm sorry, River." Cammy said.

River checked over the TDE. It could take a little more punishment.

"OK, we'll run it five more times for now." River said. "We don't want to damage anything. We'll find them, Cammy."

Cammy wanted Savannah back. The future was bad for her in every way.

"I'm worried about Savannah." Cammy said. "We don't know how long it's been for her.".

They all silently went back to work. None of them was overly optimistic.

On the third try after the conversation, something was different.

"Something is happening!" River said.

When the energy bubble began to reappear, there was something in it this time.

Cammy picked up the M60 and released the safety. Summer did the same for the M79.

"River, get out." Summer said.

River was hesitant.

"I'm sure it's Cameron." River said.

Cammy didn't want to take any chances. She'd scanned a 'difference'.

"Sheila, get her out." Cammy said.

River could 'feel' everything. It was Cameron.

"No. It's Cameron. I can feel it." River said. "I know it's her."

Cammy and Summer both scanned the figure. The right breast was back to 'normal' on this 'Cameron'. It wasn't the 'Cameron' that left. River seemed positive it was Cameron. They needed to know more.

"Are you sure?" Cammy asked. "My scans show otherwise."

Summer wasn't sure it was Cameron either.

"Mine too." Summer said. "Stand ready."

River moved around control panel between them and Cameron.

"It's Cameron." River said.

The arching and flashing stopped.

Cameron stood there naked alone.

Cammy was worried. Savannah wasn't there.

"Where is she?" Cammy asked.

Cameron needed time to explain everything.

"I was alone when the energy bubble came." Cameron said. "I needed to go right then."

Cammy picture Savannah alone in the future.

"YOU left her there?" Cammy screamed.

Cameron tried to quell her fears.

"No, she's not alone. She's with Mrs. Weaver and the Duplicates and two other Cameron clones." Cameron said. "She's five months pregnant, we can't risk it."

Cammy couldn't believe how much time passed. It was too long.

"Five MONTHS? She's been the future for five months?" Cammy asked. "Her body is ruined by now."

Cameron didn't think so. They'd done everything to shield Savannah from the 'sins of the future'.

"No it's not. We've limited her exposure to everything. It's a different timeline than any other. We defeated Skynet. It was very weak." Cameron said. "I'll go back now and return five months from now after the baby is born and everything is situated. You should be able to program that for soon after I leave."

Cammy looked irritated.

"I should go with you." Cammy said.

Cameron didn't think so.

"I'll return now." Cameron said. "Let me review everything with everyone here."

Cameron went over the calculations with River. She gave them a run down on that future.

"We need to wait for awhile before we do this." River said. "We'll send Cameron back alone. How many people will we bring back right afterwards?"

Cameron didn't know who all would return for sure.

"It was supposed to be only Savannah and myself as of when I left." Cameron said. "It may be Duplicate Cameron too."

River sensed a room full of apprehension. Someone was missing. She tried to be diplomatic.

"Are you sure it's only three?" River asked.

Cammy wanted a better answer now. She didn't have time for Cameron's games.

"What about the baby?" Cammy asked. "Savannah needs her baby to come back with her."

Cameron knew this was going to be a problem. She didn't have a finite answer for the question either. She was pretty sure what Savannah was going to do.

"Savannah may decide to give the baby to 'herself'. She wants to give it to Vanna, Duplicate Vanna" Cameron said. "The time transfer is unsafe for an infant."

Cammy wasn't about to settle for that. Maybe these other people didn't care about Savannah but she did.

"That's unacceptable." Cammy said. "I'm going back too."

Cameron ignored her.

River knew her TDE was improved and less stressful on humans. Her calculations for an infant didn't end well.

"It's unsafe, Cammy." River said. "It's hard on grown humans. You may kill the baby if you try and bring it through."

That was the same conclusion all the Terminators came to as well.

Cameron was ready to go back now. She didn't like to be the focus of anger. She avoided Cammy and looked at River.

"How much time do I need to wait right now before I can go back?" Cameron asked.

River looked back at her. Cameron indirectly asked her for time….

"I'd say a few hours at least. I could use a rest." River said. "The equipment is very hot. We don't want to lose what we have and where we're at."

That was the time Cameron wanted. She needed to return to the Resistance base.

"Let's make it four hours." Cameron said. "I need to do a few things real quick then."

Cammy and Summer reluctantly agreed.

Cameron silently thanked River.

River smiled at her. She knew what Cameron was really after….

Something Is Happening

Everyone wants to reach out
They want someone to reach back
Seldom does the one wanted reciprocate
Maybe mistaking it all as an attack

People go and they try
They soon strike out
No one ever walks away
As long as they still can shout

That is never the path forward
It is only the path to doom
It is never going to spark
It was a mistake to even presume

But some don't give up
They stay and they try and try
Maybe through persistence
The can slowly a heart pry

Suddenly one day there is a crack
The unending resolve has paid off
Something is happening
The fuse is lit like a Molotov

Nobody