Chapter 423

You Can Check - Again

Jim and Steve loaded the two deceased Grays back into their car. Jim drove it to one of the local canyon roads and stopped near a small cliff on a sharp curve. He got out with his foot still on the brake. He was satisfied with where the car would go and released the brake. The car was in drive and it started forward. He closed the door and watched it go over the side in slow motion almost. He went to the edge of the cliff side and watched the car bounce several times before it impacted the canyon floor. It wasn't that far of a drop. It was only several hundred feet. The car didn't explode. It was in heavy brush. It might not even be found until the next fire raged through the canyon. It reminded him of the story of Rupert Chandler and his associate Fred Jeffers. The car that the Terminator sent Jeffers down the side of a canyon road remained undetected for fifty years.

Cameron was 'all over' John on the way back to the base. Bob and Derek needed to refrain from looking back to see what all was going on.

Bob was pretty sure that Cameron didn't want John to ask too many questions about Savannah or even her for that matter. He remained silent.

Everyone returned to the base.

John wondered at what point Cameron would start in on him about being out in the field. It always came up. He only wanted to do his part as did Derek and Kyle. They all wanted to protect their families now and in the future itself. They felt a responsibility to do so. They didn't like the burden to always fall on Cameron's back. She didn't need to take all the risks.

John arrived in the Command Center after he used the restroom. He didn't see Cameron in there with them. He thought that was odd. He figured she would be there already.

John Henry, Bob and Steve both went through the phone logs of the Gray's phones. They were able to glean quite a bit of information.

"This is very interesting." John Henry said.

John hoped for some definitive answers and a few leads they could run down. First he needed to see who exactly they'd dealt with. Grays weren't the only problem.

"Were they Grays or the anti-Metal faction?" John asked.

John Henry rechecked a few things.

"It seems we have one of each of them." John Henry said.

That seemed a little confusing to John. Those groups hated each other.

"Do you mean an anti-Metal faction member was working with the Grays or that he'd infiltrated them?" John asked.

All John Henry could determine so far was that one of the groups infiltrated the other. They'd encountered that before.

"There's no way to tell." John Henry said. "It could be the other way around. We will need to investigate all the leads further."

John was ready to say that he would head out again with a few teams and check it out himself.

Cameron strode boldly into the room.

John wondered if she'd been lurking outside the Command Center and listening.

Cameron ignored everyone. She faced John. With her stint 'in some future' she hadn't been with him for five months. She wanted to make up for that missing time. He didn't know she'd been gone all that time since he'd seen her yesterday.

"When will you be done here?" Cameron asked.

John didn't think there was enough data to work with.

"Soon, there's not much more we can do until they get all the information processed." John said.

John didn't want to get into an argument about him going out on a mission. He figured that was the next thing that would happen.

Cameron faced John Henry and Bob who looked at her. They worked next to Steve who didn't, he concentrated on the job. She slowly turned from side to side nonchalantly. She turned back to John.

"I need to take a shower." Cameron said. "When I crushed that Gray's face it got blood on my knee. I could use my back washed too."

Cameron started to walk away before she paused, turned her head and winked at John. She gave him her sly little smile and left.

Everyone sat in silence. They all wondered what that was all about.

John never received the rebuke he was sure would come about him being out in the field.

"Was that really Cameron?" John asked. "She seems 'different'."

John Henry did conduct some scans of Cameron. Some things didn't add up. He could only report his observations.

"The last physical scans I did on Cameron were different. The individual I just scanned has the same sheath dimensions of Cameron from when she was rebuilt. Not the Cameron I scanned several days ago."

That left a few options in John's mind.

"Is she a clone or a Duplicate?" John asked.

Since the known facts didn't add up. All John Henry could do was to speculate as to what was what.

"That's unknown at this time." John Henry said. "Cameron may have been terminated and that is her 'replacement'. There's no way to tell. I'd need to see her chip to tell if it is the same chip I was on."

They all knew of the extensive 'testing' going on with Cameron's TDE over the last two days. That left a lot of unexplained questions in itself.

"Beautiful." John said. "Now what do we do?"

None of them 'saw' Cameron as a threat to John. There wasn't a whole lot they could do at this juncture.

"Play the game as see where it goes." Bob said. "It looks like a 'Happy Ending' either way."

John was aware Bob made a joke but he wasn't in a joking mood. He still wanted to know for sure what was different than before.

"Let me get this straight." John said. "You're saying this 'Cameron' doesn't have the damaged right breast that Cameron told me she has but I can't tell. I've looked many times and both seem, look and feel the same to me. Nothing ever seems any different to me."

John Henry looked at John. That seemed like an overly complex evaluation of his earlier statement.

"Yes, that's what I said." John Henry said. "She made a point of letting me scan her from side to side and back again. She wanted me to scan her."

That seemed like something Cameron would do to 'show off'.

"So basically she just 'flashed' you?" John asked.

John Henry was sure of that.

"Yes." John Henry said. "She wanted me to see she was 'perfect'."

John frowned some and shook his head. He thought the word 'perfect' was open to interpretation.

"She may be perfect physically but I don't know about elsewhere." John said.

John Henry, Bob and Steve didn't take the bait to John's statement. They didn't want to deal with Cameron later if they commented about her 'mental' condition.

There was a second issue that bothered John. It seemed Cameron tried to redirect him away from it several times as well.

"Speaking of that, have you seen Savannah today?" John asked.

John only saw her from a distance but it sure looked like she'd gotten breast implants. It never crossed his mind that she gave birth to his child 'in some future'.

"No. I can call up the security feeds." John Henry said. "I know her and Cammy are back from Australia. Savannah went to see Young Jesse recently."

Now John felt he'd invaded Savannah's personal space. What she did was her own affair. She was entitled to some happiness or love.

"Forget I asked." John said. "It's probably nothing. I don't want to intrude or seem rude."

John really didn't want to seem like he was hitting on Savannah, when he was about to be with Cameron or some Cameron clone that may have replaced Cameron.

He finished up with the three Terminators and headed for his room. He wasn't sure what was waiting for him or who.

On the way he decided he didn't care. He would play whatever game Cameron planned. Like she said, her program was her….

John knew he was often a spectator to his own life. It seemed others often controlled his destiny and wrote his future for him.

He thought about Bob's joke from earlier. He NEEDED a 'Happy Ending' right now. He really didn't care 'who' that happened with.

He planned to check out everything really well to see if he could see or feel anything 'different'. He actually hoped that he could. He'd like to know for sure if he really was the 'first' and not go by what someone 'said'. 'Seeing is believing' and nothing he'd seen with Cameron backed up her claim that he really was the 'first'. Maybe with a different chassis or a clone he really would be. John smiled. Maybe today would be a good day after all.

Cammy scanned and checked Savannah herself. The radiation levels were slightly elevated but not by much. It appeared Cameron kept her from most of the toxins of that future like she'd claimed. That was a good thing.

Savannah and Cammy exited out of the shower.

Savannah was glad to have a lot of hot running water again. Cameron did hook some up for her before 'in some future' but it failed sometimes and the clean water was limited.

"It is nice to have all the comforts of home again." Savannah said.

Cammy could both see and detect from the scans that Savannah was troubled.

"What else is wrong?" Cammy asked.

Savannah didn't really want to get into it for fear that it would make things worse. She loved Cammy so maybe she would understand.

"I'm worried about Hope." Savannah said.

Cammy suspected as much. She was still upset with Cameron over the whole episode and for 'trapping' Savannah 'in some future' for almost a year.

"The Cammy and Cam there, as well as your mother, will protect her." Cammy said. "The Duplicate versions of Vanna and Jesse both will be able to feed her and maybe Allison too. Your mother will make sure she has everything she needs even if she has to take it from someone else to obtain that. You know that."

Savannah knew her 'mother' was ruthless. In this instance she didn't care. She wanted the best for her offspring. The part that seemed ridiculous was that she was just there a few hours ago. Since that was all in the future, none of it happened yet, even if it already had.

"I do, Cammy." Savannah said. "I already miss Hope. I've only been gone from her for three hours."

Savannah made a face that showed a slight look of discomfort.

"Are you alright?" Cammy asked.

Savannah didn't want to say but she involuntarily looked down at her breasts for a second. That was where the discomfort was at.

"I have a lot of pressure built up in 'these'." Savannah said.

Savannah indicated her bulging breasts.

Cammy knew Savannah could use a little 'relief' to get the pressure down. She moved forward, stooped, looked up with her big brown puppy dog eyes and then took a 'pull'. She was almost instantly rewarded with results.

"It has a slight sweet taste. I can relieve then pressure for you, until we can get your hormone levels under control." Cammy said. "There will need to be some pressure to make your body cut back on production. That's just how it works."

Savannah was excited by what Cammy did. She wanted more. She dropped her towel.

"That's not the only thing I need relieved…." Savannah said. "I've only had 'myself' for awhile."

That wasn't exactly true but Savannah didn't want to get into that yet. She would tell Cammy later on about everything. She was away for ten months. There was a lot that happened. Maybe some of it she was unaware of herself….

Cammy knew Savannah was very sexual. She doubted Savannah was celibate but that wasn't her concern. Savannah's well being was what was important.

"It looks like we will be able to fix all those problems." Cammy said. "I have to say those 'jugs' look hot. None of the girls or Cameron or the other Metal there would 'accommodate' you?"

A further explanation of what actually occurred might be sooner than Savannah thought. It was very complicate, even if it wasn't.

"We can talk about that some other time. When your mother is a protective Liquid Metal Terminator 'things' are more difficult." Savannah said. "I hope I don't end up with stretch marks."

Savannah wasn't ready to talk about anything that 'happened' there like that.

"Who cares?" Cammy asked as the two headed for the bed. "I don't. You are however you are. I love you no matter what."

Cammy relieved the pressure in no time….

It was Savannah's blood pressure that was up now.

Everything that was already pink on Savannah was now really pink. That always happened as her excitement level rose.

John Henry waited until Steve and Bob departed and checked the security feeds on Savannah. The scans showed some disturbing 'changes'. This was a troubling development. So many things were 'different' since she'd left on her trip to Australia. Even her radiation levels were slightly elevated. That might be the most worrisome part of it all. There were only a few ways that could happen and some of them were worse than others.

Cameron and Savannah both scanned as two 'altered' individuals from what they were only two days ago.

This would call for further investigation….

John Henry hoped neither of them was now some type of Liquid Metal Terminator. If they were, the Resistance may have been infiltrated. He was afraid they all may be in danger. If this was an infiltration mission they could all be terminated and the Resistance exterminated.

He didn't like to 'make waves' but protocol demanded he take some action. That was his job.

John entered his room. Cameron's clothes were strewn across the floor. He heard the water running in the shower. He peeked around the corner.

"Take your clothes off and join me." Cameron said.

John checked in the drawer for her rings.

"I'm wearing them." Cameron called from the shower.

'Great'. John thought. 'She's 'on to' me – 'on to' her.'

John dropped his clothes in a pile and headed for the shower. Only Cameron would dare wear her own rings…. That was what he hoped anyway. If this 'Cameron' was a replacement, maybe she would as well.

Cameron opened the shower door for John as he approached. The water cascaded off her naked body in rivulets. She was glad for all the comforts of home and that didn't just apply to the infrastructure. She took in John's naked form. She planned to change his 'slack' condition soon enough. She really believed the human male body was poorly designed for certain things. It just couldn't keep 'up' with a female.

John thought Cameron looked Hot as she stood there with nothing but a smile on her face.

'What the Hell.' John thought and entered the shower.

He planned to play this for all it was worth. What would it hurt really?

John looked at her, everything seemed the same. He never could see anything different anyway.

They playfully washed each other and got out.

John thought everything felt the same so far too. Cameron's breasts felt no different to him. She seemed to kiss and touch him in the same way.

John started to dry Cameron off, she quickly dried him off.

John stood there and looked at her. He took in her naked beauty.

Cameron could see him check her out 'everywhere'. It irritated her a little bit. For him, she'd been with him a day ago.

"Haven't you ever seen a naked female before?" Cameron asked.

John wanted his suspicions to be known. Maybe he could get a little more out of her. He'd really like to know who she was.

"I'm not sure I've seen THIS naked female before." John said.

That statement irritated Cameron a little more. She knew he didn't believe her. It was just like he didn't believe her before about something else. That was another thing she'd found insulting as well as degrading.

"Let's find out. You can check again this time in case I'm 'new'. You can see." Cameron said. "That's what you want anyway."

John knew he hit a sore spot again. He didn't want to spoil the mood.

"Cameron, stop." John said.

Cameron thought maybe she owed him an explanation. She thought it was personal too. She didn't want him to look at her with suspicion. Maybe she really didn't want him to be with her and think she was someone else. She'd be further upset if he would seem to enjoy her company more if that was the case.

"I repaired my sheath, John, that's all." Cameron said. "It bothered me the way it looked before. I didn't like being smaller on one side than I was originally. It's a 'girl' thing."

Cameron scooped John up in her arms and carried him to the bed.

"I love you, John, and you love me." Cameron said.

"I love you, Cameron, and you love me." John said.

"Prove it, mister." Cameron said.

John did prove it. He also checked out everything else as well. Nothing looked or seemed any different to him. It never did.

You Can Check Again

There is what someone says
There is what one will believe
Some are out to lie or deceive
Lying is another way to thieve

Maybe it all comes down to trust
That is often nothing but a bust
Words are little more than dust
When some are guided only by lust

People hear what they want to hear
Even if they know it's not true
Everything becomes crooked and askew
When one cares about noting but two

Some may blame it on instinct
It is really nothing more than greed
They want it all at a fast speed
They don't care whose heart will bleed

Many question what they are told
There are very few wise men
It may not be very Zen
You can check again

Nobody