Chapter 522

Just In Case

Previously:

Jesse left a body behind along the trail. She'd killed a man who stalked a young Asian girl. A Scavenger was a Scavenger in any timeline.

Gail led the way back to their SUV. She never heard a shot fired so she knew Jesse used her knife on the man. She wondered if she did anything else. It was an old habit of hers. She didn't want to ask. She didn't see anything in plain sight. There were no budges in her pockets.

Jesse could see how Gail looked her over. She knew what was on her mind.

"He was after the girl." Jesse said. "I just wanted the girl to make it through the park."

Gail was glad to hear that.

"How did you know he was the perpetrator?" Gail asked.

Jesse quickly glanced at Gail.

"He carried a small bottle of chloroform, a dirty rag that was crusted with dried body fluids and a short length of rope." Jesse said.

She'd actually found that after she'd killed him. She killed him because she remembered what happened to her. The man stalked the female. She wanted revenge for what was done to her. No matter how many men she killed. That desire was never satisfied. There was one less future Scavenger now. That was all that mattered.

A phone rang.

Gail looked at Jesse. It wasn't either of their phones. She knew the ring tones.

It rang again.

"I took his phone." Jesse said.

Gail took it and looked at it.

She knew that Jesse planned to go to the man's residence and see what else she could find. Usually it was a collection of female underwear or bras. They were kept as a 'trophy' from their act of violence. For this man it was a series of photos. The man photographed them several times. Evidently their pain and misery excited him. She knew each photo was of a ruined life for a young lady. There was a voice mail message on his phone so she knew what he sounded like.

"Yeah…." Gail said in a male voice.

"Did you get one?" The male voice asked.

"Yeah…." Gail said in a male voice.

"Is she pretty?" The male voice asked.

"She's prettier than the last one." Gail said in a male voice.

"Is it a blonde?" The male voice asked.

Gail looked at Jesse.

"It's an Asian girl." Gail said in a male voice.

"That's fine. They always look ten years younger than they are." The male voice said. "I like that."

"She's a tough little devil." Gail said in a male voice.

"You know I beat the spunk out of them." The male voice said.

"Yeah…." Gail said in a male voice.

"I can hardly wait." The male voice said. "You round them up. You know where to bring her. I have your money."

The line went dead.

Gail was angered by what she'd heard. She better understood Jesse and Sheila by extension.

"We'll track him down." Gail said. "You can do as you please with him. I will assist you in this case."

They went back to their SUV. They would use CamNet to come up with a location for the man on the other end of the phone.

Gail just started the SUV when the alert from the Resistance base sounded. They immediately searched around them for any impending threat. None was apparent. The next thing was to determine the nature of the threat. The man would need to wait.

Was Judgment Day about happen? Was the Resistance base or a Detail house under an actual attack? Was someone attacked or terminated? Was anyone captured?

There were so many questions with no time to think or react. Maybe it was one of them. Maybe it was all of them. Hopefully it was none of them.

The only information they received was that there was an 'attack imminent'. If it was Judgment Day, they needed to seek cover. If the base was under assault they needed to return to launch a counter attack or a rescue mission.

Jesse told Gail they needed to return to the base. She was worried about her friends, her FAMILY. Gail reminded her they needed to use caution. They didn't have any idea what specifically was wrong. They only knew this wasn't a drill.

They always traveled with firepower. They would be able to do a lot of damage if an enemy attack force could be identified. They sought out any other personnel who were outside or near the base. They would link up if possible to coordinate the best response.

They were able to contact Holly and Allison. They'd left the base not too long ago. Holly needed to restrain Allison from rushing back immediately. Both groups were headed for the base and would link up two blocks outside of the base. They would decide what to do then.

Ed and Frank were also out in the field. They would coordinate with them from the opposite side. They would all be in position soon. Everyone was in a hurry to do - something.

CamNet fed them what she knew. There seemed to be a lot of confusion in the Command Center at the Resistance base.

Gail and Holly both saw the women they loved were worried to no end about Cameron. They both knew the girls loved Cameron more than them, even though they were in physical relationships with the girls and Cameron wasn't, nor ever was. It was the purest form of love. It was true emotional love that remained unclouded by any physical aspect.

Jesse and Allison made it clear to Gail and Holly before things ever happened, who they loved. It was no surprise. The girls loved each other and they all loved Cameron. That is the way it was…. Everyone knew the rules going in.

Jesse spotted the other SUV and pointed.

"There they are." Jesse said.

Gail already spotted them several seconds ago.

"I see them." Gail said.

The two SUVs pulled up alongside of each other.

The 'stand down' order was issued by this point. Everyone was able to relax a little but not much. They were still on high alert. This event made it all real. The ever present threat from Skynet loomed over them along with the never ending threat of Judgment Day. It would be the world they knew destroyed and billions dead when Skynet acted.

Sometimes it was easy for them to forget the future and the Hell they grew up in. That seemed like a good thing most of the time. The future was best left forgotten.

Jesse went through a little reminder earlier in the park. She'd stopped a young Asian female from being assaulted. That act seemed to give her some personal validation. She was able to help someone without them ever knowing. That's real help. Nothing was expected in return.

She always hoped it would make her forget the past – the future. It never did. It only reminded her that it happened and it was a terrible place.

All four girls piled into one SUV to talk better and be closer. They all sought the comfort of each other. Jesse and Allison were pleased to be in the company of each other right now. It was just different than being with the Metal girls. There was a deeper connection as to what they both could feel.

Gail was updated by Jim. That said a lot in itself since John Henry was inopreatable at this point. They received the full scoop.

"OK." Gail said. "There's no attack or assault at present at any of our facilities or with the Details."

Holly and Allison shared a long look over the last part. That meant Young Allison, Summer and Claire weren't being attacked. That was a relief for both of them.

Jesse was worried by what triggered it all. Something very different must be at play.

"Do we know why the alert was issued?" Jesse asked. "Something must have happened. That wasn't a drill."

Gail was apprised of some of the details. The nature of the attack appeared to wreak of Skynet.

"John Henry and Cameron are both incapacitated and were possibly attacked themselves somehow." Gail said. "It wasn't a physical attack on them."

Allison was very aware that Cameron experienced 'problems' over the years. Not all of them were physical. They ranged over many different issues.

"So we don't know if it was a glitch or a cyber attack." Allison said.

It seemed pretty straight forward to Holly. Cameron was damaged in a gun battle and was patched up. That was why they were just at the Resistance base. She'd shared time on the server with Cameron. It must be related to that event.

"Cameron was shot up and acting strangely." Holly said. "John Henry was in contact with her through the server."

Allison already mulled over that fact. It also pointed out another possible problem. She hadn't wanted to address it head on but maybe it needed to be. Holly could be 'corrupted' as well.

"So were you." Allison said. "Are you OK?"

Holly didn't want this to come out like this. It made her feel inadequate. She didn't like to seem like 'less' to Allison.

"I think so." Holly said. "I don't feel different. I'm running diagnostics currently."

Holly wasn't sure if she was corrupted. Everything seemed normal to her. She knew of the pain and anguish Cameron always felt. Maybe this was a manifestation of that grief. She hadn't detected anything 'different' in Cameron. She did know that Cameron blocked a lot of information from her. She hadn't gone near it since it seemed to upset Cameron if she did. Maybe that was where the 'problem' was. She knew that Cameron carried a lot on her plate.

Gail looked at Allison and Jesse. They all knew they would need to keep an eye on Holly, at least for a while. It wasn't spoken out loud but they knew how things worked.

Holly picked up on their apprehension as soon as Allison made her remarks. She knew she would rather terminate than ever hurt Allison. She could see and feel their trepidations.

"If I do anything to endanger anyone, you need to immediately deactivate me." Holly said.

Holly handed Allison her Taser.

Allison was reluctant to take it.

"I don't think I could use this on you." Allison said.

Holly didn't want to be responsible for hurting any of the girls.

"I don't want to hurt you or anyone else either." Holly said. "Please, Allison, for me…."

Allison frowned but knew the danger.

"OK, Holly." Allison said. "We will all look out for each other."

Allison wondered how she was supposed to Taser Holly and deactivate her. They loved each other. How do you 'kill' the person you love? Maybe Holly wasn't infected by whatever happened to Cameron and John Henry. Maybe she was. All the guess work caused her even more stress and worry.

Gail handed Jesse her Taser as well.

"This is for 'just in case'." Gail said.

Jesse felt just as unsure as Allison and just as worried. It would be hard to take down someone you care about.

"Sure, love." Jesse said.

Jesse wasn't sure if Gail wanted her to use the Taser on her or Holly. She hoped she didn't need to use one on anyone. Jesse knew Gail shouldn't be affected from anything. Maybe Gail did it so Allison didn't feel so bad about needing to Taser Holly if it became necessary.

All it did was add to the 'sick' feeling Jesse and Allison felt. They were both worried about Cameron and still the possibility of an attack. It was a reminder of the future, which both of then wanted to keep in their past.

John coordinated the different groups out in the field. He was now in contact with Holly, Gail, Allison and Jesse. He knew they wanted to 'come in' and 'see' Cameron but that was being dealt with. That was out of his hands for the moment on several levels.

Allison asked about the Young Detail. John already checked with them. Everyone was secure in the bunker. Hanna and Anna were with Young Allison, Summer and Claire. The Terminators from the Detail were there as well but still outside the bunker. They would engage any threat.

John thought it would be best if the four of them, along with Ed and Frank, went there. Ed took Gail and Jesse's SUV. He would lead the trio of SUVs. Gail and Jesse would stay with Holly and Allison. That was in case anything happened to Holly. Gail would drive. Frank would bring up the rear and follow them.

John decided to go to the lab. Everything was under control for now. Derek and Kyle remained in the Command Center with Jim. No further threats or incidents were identified or materialized.

He decided to take the long way to go to the lab. It allowed him to inspect the base at the same time. He passed by the commissary and his quarters. He passed by all of the living quarters. He paused outside of Savannah's room.

John thought about what almost happened. He'd been one second away from making love to Savannah. He'd really wanted to claim her virginity too. He wanted to know for sure he was the first. With Savannah he knew that. Cameron made sure Savannah was unspoiled for him.

He didn't know that Cameron was outside the room as he was about to make 'entry'. He didn't know her eyes glowed bright red as she blamed him for trying to 'steal' Savannah from her.

He moved on past the other girl's rooms. He thought about the girls moving around naked in the hall as they room hopped at night. He seen plenty of that over the years.

John reached the lab. He reached for the door handle and paused. He decided to look in the little window first and see what he could. He saw that John Henry moved his arms in some kind of a test. He entered the lab. He didn't care for the dirty looks the girls gave him. He didn't think any of this was his fault. He didn't know that Cameron was outside Savannah's room earlier.

"How are they doing?" John asked.

Cammy looked at John.

"Cameron is still offline." Cammy reported. "John Henry is active."

John Henry sat up and then stood. He was a little embarrassed about what happened. He didn't think he should be but it was what he 'felt'. He'd run several internal scans as well.

"I think I'm fine now." John Henry said.

John was surprised to see him up and moving around like nothing happened. Maybe that was a good thing. What went wrong?

John Henry stood before John.

"What happened?" John asked.

John Henry wished he could give an accurate answer to that question. He still wasn't really sure. It was all very unsettling. He wondered how Cameron dealt with such issues on many occasions.

"I was overwhelmed as I thought about what could've happened if Cameron was captured and the information was gleaned from her chip." John Henry said. "I was in contact with Cameron earlier on the server and somehow I experienced an 'episode' like she's experienced before. I apologize for all the trouble that I've caused."

John could see how uneasy John Henry looked. It wasn't like him at all. He was nominally confidant and sure of himself. Now he looked a little lost. Perhaps it was best to spin everything as a 'test'.

"Don't worry about it. It was more like a real 'test' to see how we performed." John said. "We will evaluate all that as well."

John wanted a full report form everyone as to where they were and what they did. If this was a real attack or worse, if it was Judgment Day, where each member of the Resistance was could determine what the future would be. It was doubtful they would all survive. They would lose power to run the TDE and be unable to 'fix' anything that way.

Vanna and Savannah both looked over Cameron.

John wanted to rush there first but he needed to be a leader and not caught up in his own love interests.

"What's wrong with Cameron then?" John asked.

Savannah smiled at John. She wanted the moment that almost happened earlier as much as he did. She was ready to become a 'woman'.

"We don't know yet, John." Savannah said.

She was dressed now and returned Cammy's shirt back to her. She used the extra set of clothes that they always kept for Cameron in the lab. The clothes were for Cameron to change into if she was shot up.

Savannah looked Hot.

John looked down and realized he was only wearing his pants and shirt. His underwear and shoes were still next to Savannah's bed.

Vanna and Cam weren't sure what 'happened' with John and Savannah and how this was related to Cameron's current 'condition'. That most likely didn't help. If it wasn't the trigger, it was surely an accelerant.

Vanna went to check in on Savannah after the alarm sounded and saw John's shoes and underwear, along with the wedding dress and Savannah's bra scattered about the floor. She also noted the open and messed up bed. It was clear that someone 'used' it. John's things in the room seemed to indicate what must have happened. She'd resisted the urge to look for a 'wet spot' on the sheet but was pretty sure something did happen. All the evidence was there anyway. She wasn't happy about Savannah becoming 'woman' but it was going to happen at some point. To share with John was better than being held down as the men lined up to take a turn.

She mentioned what she saw to Cam and Cam reassured her IF anything happened, it was what Cameron wanted. It would restore the 'Natural Order'.

Vanna wasn't so sure about that. She honestly believed that what Cameron said she wanted and what she really wanted were two vastly different things.

"You can finish getting dressed." Vanna said to John. "Maybe we will know more by then when you come back."

Vanna and John held a long look.

John left.

He knew that she knew….

He was sure she 'read' more into it than actually happened. He hoped it wasn't going to be a problem.

Just In Case

All who play the game
Hope to draw an ace
Chances are better than even
They'll get slapped in the face

People tend to get grabby
They invade personal space
Much too quickly for most
They try to speed up the pace

Time seems to be the enemy
In life's trudging daily race
If things are not thought out
One may soon feel disgrace

It's better to take things slowly
And stop at every base
Or every misstep forward
Will the previous ones erase

Things will work out fine
If everyone remembers their place
Many still keep a foot in the chase
That's for - just in case

Nobody