Chapter 510

Pure Sweet Love

John reviewed all the recent activity their group was responsible for with John Henry.

"What's the local law enforcement feedback of the earlier operations?" John asked.

John Henry didn't think it was a problem.

"So far all the police reports and news coverage have been of rival drug gangs fighting over turf or drug sales." John Henry said. "We've been able to cover our tracks well."

John was aware how Cameron was able to cover up much of what they did with 'items' from her 'off the books' operations which included the drug, crime and sex trafficking trade.

"You mean Cameron has." John said. "That's all her doing."

John looked the other way with Cameron's 'private' vendetta. It didn't bother him. He figured those involved in those illegal tasks would end up as Scavengers after Judgment Day. Their weapons and resources would better serve the Resistance than their criminal ways.

John Henry tried to vary the 'events'. There weren't that many choices.

"There can only be so many 'natural gas' explosions, meth labs exploding and drug deals gone bad." John Henry said. "Our two servers can control the information flow and direction."

John wondered if there were any behind the scenes drama between JH and CamNet. It seemed like there might be at times. Cameron was the program behind CamNet so it was possible.

"Do your servers ever 'fight' with Cameron's servers?" John asked. "Is one set dominant?"

John Henry didn't want to really discuss this topic. He figured it was best to make it sound good and 'blow it off'.

"No. They coexist and cooperate in everything." John Henry said. "It's almost as if the two systems exist in harmony. CamNet is always in the background, waiting."

John wondered what CamNet was 'waiting' for. It seemed pretty straight forward to him.

"That's actually YOU and Cameron in reality." John said. "You've both shared chip space and server space. You have a 'relationship'."

John Henry enjoyed the times his server and Cameron shared as well as when they were on the same chip.

"That may be one way to see it." John Henry said. "To share existence with Cameron is beautiful. The love, joy and hope that exists, along with the pain, hurt and trauma, all at the same time, is beyond description."

John noticed the far away look in John Henry's eyes as he spoke. He looked like someone in love.

"Do you love her?" John asked.

John Henry faced John. He didn't have anything to hide.

"Yes." John Henry said. "For anyone to say otherwise would be a lie. We ALL love Cameron. You're the lucky one. She's chosen YOU."

John still wondered if that 'love' was programmed into Cameron by Future John. He knew he wasn't the only one that Cameron loved.

"She's chosen River and Savannah as well." John said. "I know she loves both of them and Future Allison."

This was 'old news' to John Henry.

"Yes, she would choose any of those three as her mate if not for you." John Henry said. "We all know this."

John felt a 'punch in the gut', he was well aware of those facts. He often wondered how he could compete with the girls. Cameron was unable to reproduce so she didn't 'need' him. He didn't want to get left behind if Cameron decided to 'move on'.

"Do you know how I can do what she WANTS without hurting her?" John asked. "I want to move all our lives forward."

John Henry thought all the answers were right in front of John. He just needed to act. It didn't seem complicated.

"John, I don't know how to say this." John Henry said. "If you don't take Savannah as a wife, your wife, Cameron will take her for herself. She'll move on without you. I know she'll take Savannah and Future Allison to the past to live a life with them, the three of them alone. She's certain she may have done this in a 'previous life'."

John knew that Cameron believed that she'd done that already. He needed to think about Future Riley and his transgressions. He didn't see how the same 'reaction' would not repeat. What Cameron 'said' and what she 'wanted' were two different things.

"How do I do that and NOT hurt her?" John asked. "I want her to be with Savannah but if she does that, that will be all she wants and not me. Savannah has only ever shown Cameron love and caring."

John Henry knew how Cameron felt and why. Cameron even told him before that since she was incapable of reproduction it didn't matter if her mate was male or female. She was a machine. There was no other aspect to it.

"It all comes down to timing." John Henry said. "It all has to happen at the same time in some way. It's obvious that Savannah and you have chemistry and you both have a desire."

John Henry witnessed that desire in the Command Center during the last operation. He didn't need to scan them to know what they both felt and wanted. He noticed that Sarah and Kyle witnessed it too.

John knew he held strong feelings for Savannah. He was afraid to SAY he loved her but he knew he did. He knew Savannah loved him and Cameron as well. He knew they all loved each other. Even if it was obvious it was still convoluted somehow.

"That's all Cameron's doing." John said.

John Henry doubted that. It happened in the future without Cameron involved when it did.

"Is it?" John Henry asked. "Or is it the 'Natural Order' asserting itself like Cameron has ALWAYS said it would."

John believed that Cameron made all the girls in any timeline 'better' and more desirable as she enhanced their natural abilities and beauty.

"I don't know." John said. "Savannah, every one of them and every Allison are beautiful women. Cameron's done everything to make them more beautiful and desirable."

John Henry could see that in their current timeline that Cameron 'added' to the 'Natural Order' in her own way. It was a 'bonus' for John and the girls.

"Don't forget the 'dessert' Cameron has added." John Henry said.

John thought about all the 'overtures' from Jesse and the visit of Young Jesse.

"Do you mean Jesse?" John asked. "ALL of them? I haven't forgotten."

John Henry nodded.

John thought about the girls Metal girlfriends. Each one of them shared a clone of her. It seemed Cameron's problems all landed at his doorstep again.

"I know she's provided her clones to live the life she wants and desires. Cameron says it's to help 'protect' them but she loves them." John said. "The females have ALWAYS treated her with love and dignity and respect. That's more than Future John or I've done. I know that's why she LOVES them. They've always offered and provided for her everything she seeks as an individual. They offer love and emotional bonding without question or fault. It never mattered to them she was Metal. It was always unconditional pure sweet love. They all possessed the faith I lacked from the beginning."

John saw the girls all go off to 'die' with Cameron or for her. Their love for Cameron meant more than their own lives.

John Henry was aware of the sacrifices that the girls were all willing to make for Cameron

"Do you think their love is stronger than yours?" John Henry asked.

John thought about how Cameron 'split up' Vanna and Allison as well as Jesse and Derek. That was to make Allison, Vanna and Jesse 'available' to him. He saw how Savannah was 'isolated' from any males other than him.

"Yes." John said. "None of them has ever wavered, no matter what Cameron has done, even with their 'altered' relationships with each other. They've all followed Cameron to certain doom and never hesitated. They all did it out of love. They would all do it again too."

John Henry saw it a little differently. Those were logical decisions made by Cameron for John's benefit.

"Cameron never intended to split them up. She only tried to provide for them." John Henry said. "She did everything for YOU."

John lowered his head in resignation. It always seemed that he was the problem.

"I know." John said. "Don't you think I HATE all the things I've done to hurt her both now and in the future? I know she can never get past them. They all haunt and torment her. I can't fix it. I've tried."

John Henry didn't see things as being too far off the mark. Cameron still performed her 'duty' to John.

"She's still here protecting you and protecting the future." John Henry said. "She sees it as her 'function'."

John wasn't sure he liked that terminology. That didn't sound like 'love' if it was a 'function'. At some point her self interests would take over. It seemed the clock was 'ticking'.

"For how much longer will that be?" John asked. "I have nothing to offer her as a man or husband or leader. At some point her love for them will outweigh her 'function' and 'duty' to me. She's advanced beyond her programming long ago."

John was sure of that fact years ago. He was actually surprised Cameron still tolerated him.

John Henry tilted his head slightly.

"I don't know." John Henry said. "I don't think she does either."

John didn't get much reassurance from John Henry.

"Beautiful." John said.

Cameron set Ally and Anna off to Palmdale. She decided not to accompany them at this time. She'd received a 'hit' on the surveillance devices she'd left at the suspected Gray location. She slipped out of the base unnoticed. She didn't want to make a big deal about it. There was no need to endanger anyone else.

CamNet kept her updated as she closed in on the target location. She wanted some answers and to know who this group was. She was sure some other group of 'Grays' infiltrated the Grays sent back from her future.

She parked five blocks from the location and advanced on foot. She hoped to take them by surprise. She didn't want to kill them outright. Not yet anyway.

Cameron checked with CamNet. There were two men inside the building. She wasn't sure when the other one arrived. It almost seemed as if he been inside already. That didn't make any sense unless there was a secret room she'd missed. One of the Grays held a phone.

She halted her advance. She wondered if they knew she set up surveillance. Maybe this was a ploy to get her to show up. They might want to capture her. They certainly wanted to terminate her. She quickly withdrew from where she was. She took a different route back to her SUV than she'd entered the area from.

She went back seven blocks and then approached her vehicle from behind it. It was worse than she'd thought. There were two men at her vehicle she could hear them speak to each other as well as someone else. One of them held a phone.

"What do you mean you lost her?" The first Gray asked.

They listened to someone else speak to them on their phone.

"She's not here." The unseen Gray said. "We were ready for her."

"She was right in the kill zone almost." The second Gray said.

"She tripped the sensors." The unseen Gray said. "She just vanished."

The two Grays at her SUV looked in the direction she'd left from earlier.

"We don't see her coming back this way." The first Gray said.

The second Gray took the phone.

"Double check your area." The second Gray said. "They said she's really slippery and has a lot of tricks."

Cameron was sure this operation was far from over. There were at least four more Grays involved.

"You know the 'Boss' wants her chip." The unseen Gray said.

"What if we can bring her down in one piece?" The second Gray asked.

"You can do as you please with her chassis before we turn that over to the 'Boss'." The unseen Gray said. "Just make sure you pull her chip first."

The first Gray looked at the second one. He lightly licked his lips.

"I heard it's just like the real thing on a 'Metal Bitch'." The first Gray said.

"It is." The second Gray said. "You can't tell the difference. You can try her after I do. It will be real smooth for you."

Cameron didn't like the direction of the conversation. It offended her greatly. She approached the Grays from behind. They still looked in the wrong direction. She kept the SUV between her and the Grays as she rapidly approached them.

She punched the second Gray in the back of his neck and snapped it. The phone flew from his dead hand. She grabbed the first Gray.

"To be terminated by a 'Metal Bitch' is just the same too." Cameron said. "It's the real thing."

A look of terror filled the Gray's eyes.

"You're real." The first Gray said. "You're real."

Cameron wondered what that statement was supposed to mean.

She wanted the phone the second Gray dropped. She pulled the first Gray over to it. She reached down to pick it up. The first Gray broke free.

Cameron watched as he drew a pistol. He didn't point it at her.

"You'll never make me talk." The first Gray said. "We know what you do to humans."

He lifted it to the side of his head and pulled the trigger.

Cameron watched the other side of his head blow out.

CamNet warned her there were more Grays in the building now and some were headed her way. She quickly searched the two dead Grays and looked underneath her vehicle.

She didn't want to get ambushed. Her SUV looked clean so she started it and made a U-turn. She ran over both Grays as she did. She would need to dump it and pick up a clean one.

She wasn't done with this group yet.

Ally and Anna headed out to Palmdale. The underground bunker at the Young residence started to fill up. Cameron stocked it with Metal, a lot of it.

Holly looked around, she was worried. Allison was only human, and there was a LOT available to her right now. The new Hot ticket was 'Anna'. Savannah was already desirable, now there was a Metal version of her. Somehow it was really like Savannah too. Holly didn't think she could tell the difference between them if she wasn't Metal herself. Allison and Claire were unable to tell Anna wasn't Savannah.

She knew where that was going to lead. She knew Allison loved Savannah, this version of her, a Metal version, ran Cameron and Cammy's program with 'Savannah' thrown in with the 'Neural Interface'. She knew there was little she could do but watch.

Holly watched Young Allison and Summer. For some reason the younger girls could always seem to tell who was who, even with Cameron's clones. Holly knew Savannah could always tell the difference. She wondered how since they were literally identical.

She noted Young Allison and Summer both hung back. They knew Anna was someone 'different'. They weren't afraid of her. They just knew it was a 'new' person, a stranger.

Hanna shared the same fears as Holly. She wanted to confront Anna about them.

Hanna took Anna to a different room. Anna and Hanna faced off.

Hanna was worried about this 'development' as well. She knew Anna was the 'younger' version of herself. Hanna knew that would make her more desirable to Claire and Allison both.

She knew visual looks or appearance seemed to be something that humans craved over who the person 'inside' was. Beauty was transitory but still seemed to make a big difference and played a big part in the choices humans made.

Cameron always liked to look Tight for John. Hanna knew Cameron understood appearance was what motivated humans. She knew Cameron tried to keep John from seeing her when she was damaged. Cameron knew appearance mattered to John. Cameron wouldn't allow any Terminator to look better or TIGHTER than she did.

Hanna faced Anna with a stern look.

"Are we going to have a problem?" Hanna asked.

Anna expected this confrontation. The 'Cameron' and 'Cammy' in her were ready for it.

"That's up to you." Anna said. "My base program is Cameron and Cammy. I have enough problems, what are a few more?"

Hanna looked a little shocked. She didn't want to go up against Cameron, any 'Cameron', let alone 'TWO' of them.

Hanna hoped to appeal to the 'Savannah' in Anna's programming from the 'Neural interface'.

"Please, think of Holly and me before you 'act'." Hanna said.

It looked like the 'Cammy' in Anna responded.

"We can always act together." Anna said.

Hanna and Anna shared a long look.

"Maybe we can." Hanna said. "That would be interesting."

Anna wanted Hanna to calm down some.

"It would be rewarding for everyone that was involved." Anna said.

Holly watched and listened from the distance. Yes, it would be, she thought….

Anna saw Holly watch her from the other room. She went over and took her player from her. She selected a song.

"This song is for everyone…." Anna said to all of those who looked at her with hungry eyes.

'Loco-motion' by 'Little Eva', drifted around the room….

Anna knew there was a new 'sheriff' in town.

Pure Sweet Love

Love is more than physical
It is actually mental
When the lines blur
Things become judgmental

Sex can be just sex
It is an animal act
Animals don't do it for fun
That's just nature's fact

People bend the rules
Everything becomes perverted
It isn't long after that
Everything is soon subverted

It is much harder to find
The one that will be true
Everything will fall into place
Events began to construe

Two hearts and minds meld
They fit together like a glove
That's when everyone knows
They've found pure sweet love

Nobody