Chapter 537

Not Looking Forward

Holly exited the jamming field and was able to report on what was happening below. There were currently no immediate targets.

Just a few minutes ago the target area erupted into a major battle. Their drones selected targets of opportunity. All of their team members wore transponders. It was unknown if their drones could pick up the codes but they did know what each of their team members looked like. Either way there was no 'friendly fire'. No more Skynet HK drones appeared.

John was pleased to hear that everything was under control for now. He was still worried about more HK drones and whatever created the jamming field.

"Can you tell what's jamming communications?" John asked.

Holly looked the area over. There was nothing with any antennas that she'd spotted. It was most likely camouflaged as part of the building or the outlying smaller structures.

"Negative. It seems to be only within the target area." Holly reported.

Savannah asked for the Blackhawk to be scrambled earlier. With the jamming field in effect it was decided to hold it a safe distance away.

"I'm holding the Blackhawk out of range for now." John Henry reported. "I want to make sure there are no more Skynet HK drones."

Cammy left the machine shop with two thirds of her team and was about to arrive at the foundry. She wanted to know where they were needed the most. Every Terminator with her knew that Cameron and Savannah encountered Skynet Terminators. That was all they knew before all communications were lost.

"I'll arrive with my force within minutes. Where do you want us, Holly?" Cammy asked.

Holly couldn't communicate with Savannah or Cameron. She was deeply troubled by that. She could only make recommendations by where the battle activity happened earlier.

Holly told Cammy to split her force and directed them where to go.

Cammy wanted to get inside the building and find Savannah.

Holly saw a massive explosion below a few seconds later.

"I have communications." Holly reported. "The jamming field has been knocked out."

John and John Henry were able to establish communications with everyone. There was a minimum amount of damage to their Terminators. That was a relief.

They started to receive reports from their Terminators. There were two glaring exceptions to the force on the ground.

"I can't raise Cameron or Savannah." John Henry reported.

John wanted to slam his fist down on the table but held it together. He knew that Cameron would endanger Savannah. He feared the worst. He needed to remember the job they were there for.

"Secure the facility and all the materials." John said. "I want every third Terminator search for Cameron and Savannah."

Cammy ran into the building as soon as she was there. She headed for the last reported position of Cameron and Savannah. She was appalled by what she saw.

"I'm looking for them." Cammy reported. "There's a lot of damage in their last known location. The floor is littered with fired casings. There are dead Grays here and there. There's a lot of blood…."

John and John Henry looked at each other. Now John felt more like throwing up. He was sure that it was Savannah's blood. This was all Cameron's fault.

John Henry wanted to start the 'clean up'. There were several downed HK drones to collect. Both locations were secure so he used the 'MIKE Force' to get the job started.

"The Blackhawk dispatched its troops to retrieve the downed HK drones." John Henry said. "They've commandeered several of the trucks from the facility and will load the damaged HK drones into those."

They needed to get the downed HK drones collected and away from the area. They didn't want them spotted by anyone. They hadn't anticipated any HK drones even though they knew it was always a possibility.

John Henry was in control of all 911 calls and able to suppress any that were made.

Earlier:

Savannah was next to Cameron. She was offline. Savannah heard Metal approach her position. She could tell by the sound of their running footsteps. There were two of them. She moved in front of Cameron and raised her M4 and Taser. She planned to hold her position and defend Cameron. She knew she would be able to drop one of them, if not both. She also figured this is where she would die. They would get her too.

They were almost there.

Savannah saw the Terminators turn the corner. Her finger closed on the trigger. This was it.

Savannah let out her breath and relaxed some.

It was Steve and Bob.

Savannah wanted Cameron out of the immediate combat area.

"Bob, get Cameron. Make sure her power cell isn't ruptured. If it is, take it out." Savannah said. "You and Steve get her out."

Bob looked around and saw the three downed Terminators. He knew there was a vicious battle. No wonder Cameron was incapacitated and damaged.

"I won't leave you alone." Bob said "You must accompany us."

Savannah still couldn't raise any of the troops. She didn't have control of the battlefield.

"Do either of you have any communications?" Savannah asked.

They didn't earlier. They both checked again.

"Negative." They both replied.

Savannah could see their apprehension. She would cover their withdrawal.

"Steve, you lead. Bob will follow with Cameron. I'll cover the rear." Savannah said.

Steve and Bob both looked at Savannah and then at each other. They wondered why she wasn't down. She looked like a mess.

"How bad are you injured?" Bob asked.

Savannah wondered what they referred to. She then looked where they looked. She looked down at herself. She was covered with 'blood' but it wasn't hers.

"I'm uninjured." Savannah said.

Bob and Steve weren't so sure. They figured she was in shock.

Steve touched her neck to scan her.

Savannah didn't want a scan right now but saw they needed it to put them at ease.

"Her adrenalin level is extremely high. Her heartbeat is double normal and she's been under a high level of stress." Steve said.

Savannah wanted to sum it up and get Cameron away from there.

"I'm the one still standing and there are a number of dead Grays and three Terminators who aren't. Cameron and I knocked them all out." Savannah said. "We won and they lost."

There was a massive explosion somewhere outside.

There was some crackling noise and communications came back on line.

Savannah needed to know how her troops were and what happened at the other location.

"Everyone report." Savannah commanded.

Savannah, John and John Henry listened to the reports as they came in.

"What about the machine shop?" Savannah asked.

Cammy reported they'd taken it down and everything was under control.

Savannah and her group made it outside. They went out the way that Bob and Steve entered. They didn't see Cammy inside the building. She'd followed the path that Cameron and Savannah took.

John didn't want to ask because he was sure he already knew the answer. Everyone reported except one person.

"Where's Cameron?" John asked.

Savannah didn't think this was the time for this. She needed to worry about everyone in her command. She kept it simple.

"She is currently inopreatable." Savannah reported. "She'll need some repair."

Savannah briefly went over with John what happened on a private channel.

John was upset that Cameron was damaged again. This was right after her last repair.

Savannah didn't want to dwell on Cameron's condition. There was work to do.

"I need to tend to the rest of the troops and the operation here, John." Savannah said. "Drop it. Do your job."

Cammy ran up to where they were. She'd followed a trail of blood drops out. She didn't know if they were from Cameron or Savannah. She was about to hug Savannah.

Savannah stopped her. They were in the middle of an operation.

"Cammy, I need you to take control of Cameron with Bob. I want you two to take her and leave now." Savannah said. "Steve, you stay with me. Let's make sure we got what we came for and then flatten this place."

Cammy looked at Savannah and frowned. She then followed her orders.

Savannah could see that was going to cause a problem later on for her. This wasn't the time for anything else. She heard Holly's earlier report. She needed to know if anything changed.

"Holly, do you have anything new?" Savannah asked.

Holly made two sweeps of the area in the manned drone.

"Negative." Holly reported.

Savannah wanted to finish the job and get everyone out.

"This is what I want…." Savannah started.

She proceeded to give instructions and sent a group of Terminators to recover the Skynet Terminators that were deactivated. They collected what they wanted and destroyed the rest.

John and John Henry oversaw everything as well. It seemed Savannah had everything under control.

John was worried about Cameron and worried about Savannah. There was a cold hardness to her as she spoke and gave commands. Cameron and Sarah trained Savannah for more than half her life. It showed now as she took control. She made her own decisions as Cameron was offline and Cammy was sent to remove Cameron from the area.

John Henry noted the same thing John did. He was sure that Savannah sent Cammy with Cameron to show that she was the one in charge of the operation.

Holly and their drones covered their extraction and truckloads full of bounty. The captured materials would be taken to a secure location for examination and their usefulness determined. The main thing they were after was the Coltan and they'd retrieved all of it.

John wanted Savannah to return to the Resistance base.

"I'm not done with the operation yet." Savannah said.

Savannah went with Steve to the machine shop and viewed the results of their 'work' there.

Once Savannah personally checked both sites again, she made sure everyone was away and headed back to base.

Holly orbited around with the manned drone to make sure Savannah and Steve made it back safely.

Everyone knew that Savannah was the first one on the battlefield and the last one off of it. She'd personally checked with every Terminator for their damages and made sure the damaged drone was tended to. That made an impression with everyone.

It showed Savannah cared about everyone equally and made sure the job was done herself. It was clear she wouldn't have left until it was.

A report that damaged Terminators were about to return came into the Resistance base.

Sarah let Jan off at Riley's room. She wanted to assist with the repairs.

Riley was ordered by the doctors to take it easy and avoid all stressful conditions. She didn't want to lose the baby she carried for Cameron. She still planned to give it to Cameron.

"I'm sorry I can't do more." Riley said. "I don't want to lose Cameron's baby."

Sarah was disturbed to hear Riley say that again. She heard about Derek's and Riley's 'offer' to Cameron. She didn't think Cameron would take their baby from them. This wasn't the time to discuss it.

"It's fine, Riley." Sarah said. "I feel better knowing Jan is with you. Help her with her school work and play with her later if she wants to."

Sarah headed to the lab. Vanna and Jesse were there already, Gail and Cam were as well. They were all ready to make repairs on the damaged Terminators as they came in.

Sarah knew there were some 'problems'. No one filled her in on the details.

"Is there any further report on Cameron and Savannah?" Sarah asked.

Cam didn't know much in detail. She'd only heard what Bob and Steve observed. It sounded bad even if Savannah downplayed it.

"Cameron is heavily damaged and inopreatable." Cam reported. "Savannah may be injured. She's reported as covered in blood."

Vanna and Jesse both shed some tears as they heard that. Death and destruction was no stranger to them. This was much closer to home and personal to all of them. Now it was time to face the music.

Sarah gave both of them a hug and wiped her tears away as well. She wanted to give them some encouragement.

"It will turn out OK." Sarah said.

Gail tilted her head slightly. She possessed as much information as Sarah did. There was no way to reach that conclusion at this point.

"How can you know that?" Gail asked.

Sarah did something she never thought she would do. It was something that popped in her head. She'd made a call after she let Jan off with Riley.

"I just spoke with Sheila. She reported Cameron's TDE is fully functional into the past." Sarah said. "I'll lead a force myself to 'fix' anything we have to, if we need to. I won't allow Savannah to be injured or killed. Not like this."

Vanna was surprised as anyone to hear that. It sounded just like Cameron. She knew that Sarah and Cameron used to butt heads at times in the past. Now they were on the same page.

"Just like Cameron…." Vanna said.

Sarah thought about some rough times in the past. That was all water under the bridge at this point. Cameron kept John alive and as safe as possible all this time. Cameron also protected her and everyone else too.

"I don't always like the way she does things." Sarah said. "But I've learned she usually knows what she's doing and when it needs to be done. None of us would be here now without her."

Sarah looked up the security feed.

"I hope someone else starts listening to Cameron before it's too late…." Sarah said.

She knew John and John Henry would see it.

John listened to the reports and would need to go check on the troops as they arrived. Right now he watched his mother make her little speech. He could have done without it.

John Henry expected to hear John comment. He was silent. He wasn't sure if John caught Sarah's meaning.

"She's talking about Savannah." John Henry said. "My 'sister'…."

John looked away from the monitor with disgust and at John Henry. He just didn't need to hear this from everyone all the time.

"I know what she's talking about." John said. "I didn't want Savannah to go in the first place. Cameron still ended up getting terminated."

John Henry received a report from Bob and then Cammy. Cammy's report was detailed.

"Cammy reports Cameron's repairable." John Henry said.

John was irritated again. First by the reports of damage to the Terminators, then by his mother's comments and now by the condition of Cameron. He saw all of it differently.

"What about right now - this second?" John asked. "Is Cameron functional or 'alive'?"

John Henry tilted his head slightly.

"She is currently 'terminated'." John Henry said and than added. "She is repairable."

John thought he'd made his point. He needed to go and make his presence known as the troops returned.

"They should start coming in now. I'll go to the lab to check everyone over." John said. "I know they'll kick me out soon enough."

John Henry knew who John wanted to see specifically. He wanted to know if John preferred one over the other at this juncture.

"Do you wish to see Cameron or Savannah?" John Henry asked.

John didn't really need to think about that. He cared deeply about both of them.

"I want to see both of them." John said. "I love both of them. Cameron's MADE me love both of them."

John Henry knew that wasn't true. You can't make someone love someone. Then again, Cameron was very persistent in her 'manipulation'.

John got up to leave. Now that the jamming field ended they could review all the body cam footage as the Terminators returned. It was all the information they'd missed in real time. Now it was available 'after the fact'. It would fill in all the missing blanks.

"I want you to go over all the missing footage during the blackout of what happened so we can see what went wrong. You should be able to put a pretty good picture together." John said. "I want to know where Savannah went wrong and got Cameron terminated."

John Henry didn't know what happened either. He thought John's words were a little harsh. It did seem from the reports that Cameron was busy protecting Savannah.

"I'm already begun to compile that data. I'll have it ready when you return. Once Savannah arrives I'll have the last of it. It won't be too long afterwards before it's ready." John Henry said. "It sounds like Cameron took down three Terminators protecting Savannah. I'll have the footage ready for you."

John frowned. He was sure that was the case.

"I want to go to 'all Metal' for the strikes in the future." John said.

This was old news to John Henry.

"Just like Cameron's been telling you, for years." John Henry said.

John thought of a lot of things he'd heard over the years from Cameron. Most of them he'd like to forget but not all of them.

"Yes. She's been telling me a lot of things for YEARS." John said. "Maybe I better start listening…."

John Henry wanted to point out one thing that Cameron believed, even if there was no proof.

"She may have done all this before." John Henry said.

John was headed for the door. He paused and looked back at John Henry.

"I don't always like the way she does things." John said. "Time has proven her to be correct in most of them."

John left the Command Center and headed for the lab. He didn't look forward to seeing the condition Cameron or Savannah would be in. He knew Cameron could always get a new chassis or use her replacement chip. Savannah could do neither.

Not Looking Forward

When two are in a relationship
They should look to the future
All of the troubles from before
It will help heal and suture

Everyone should think what's next
As they look forward to tomorrow
Working together united as one
Each other's strength they can borrow

That's not how it often plays out
Together they should evolve
Sooner rather than later
Things seem to quickly devolve

What was once a Prince and Princess
Seem only to quarrel, argue and fight
Each can hear but neither will listen
When both are wrong neither is right

Everything wrecks when one only looks behind
The direction for each is away not toward
They get stuck in the past by choice
Because they were not looking forward

Nobody