Chapter 769

Longer Than You Thought

Cameron debated what to do. She knew where Savannah was at but she wasn't sure how to approach this and not make it worse. It was clear that what she thought was going to be a good idea actually turned out to be anything but that. She was sure this was such a 'problem' because Savannah was so young when she 'lost' her parents - all three of them.

She waited outside the room Savannah was in. She needed to think what to do.

There was nothing to do. It was time to act.

Cameron opened the door and went in.

Savannah stood between her 'parents'. She didn't turn to look at Cameron.

Cameron thought because Savannah ignored her that maybe she should leave.

She was sure this was all one big mistake at this point in time.

Savannah was lost deep in thought. There was an opportunity here to 'see' her parents again. There were parts of them 'alive' with the 'Neural Interface'. Even with that, it would still only be an illusion. Her parents were dead. The idea to speak with them again was very enticing. What she would speak to would still not be her parents but a cyborg programmed to think that they were her parents.

It was hard for her to move forward when the direction was unknown. Was this really a step forward or was it really a step backward? Maybe it was nothing more than a misstep. What possible good could come out of this? Wouldn't it all more hurt for her in the long run if not sooner?

Savannah heard the door open behind her but she didn't look. It could only be one person. She knew Cameron was there.

Cameron did not say anything and Savannah knew she was about ready to leave.

"Come here, please, Cameron." Savannah said.

She still hadn't turned around to look at Cameron.

Cameron came up behind her.

"They look so 'alive'." Savannah said. "Even as they lie here 'dead' they look like they're sleeping."

Cameron wasn't sure exactly what she should say. She wanted Savannah to know that they were the same as her. She wasn't sure what that was worth but she thought it might mean something to Savannah.

"They're machines, like me." Cameron said.

Savannah felt very conflicted inside of herself. What was she doing here? What did she think was going to happen here? Was it possible for any good to come out of this? Why did life need to seem so complicated at times?

"I don't know what to do." Savannah said. "My parents are dead and have been for more than a decade or longer. It's hard for me to remember them."

Cameron was terrified she was losing Savannah. That was her worst nightmare. She felt she needed to say something to try and fix things.

"Savannah, I apologize for this." Cameron said.

Savannah turned and faced her.

Cameron saw Savannah's eyes were welled with tears and her face was red with grief or anger. Maybe it was both. She hoped that she wasn't looking at the face of hate. Her worst fear was for Savannah to hate her and reject her.

Savannah didn't want to be angry at Cameron. She understood Cameron wanted to do something special for her. She loved Cameron dearly and knew Cameron didn't try to hurt her by doing this. She knew that Cameron wasn't human and human emotions were hard for Cameron to understand no matter how much she tried and was around humans. Maybe what she needed right now was a hug from Cameron. She wanted to be close to someone and Cameron was the one who was dominant in her heart.

"Hold me." Savannah said.

Cameron moved up and very gently held Savannah until she felt Savannah grasp her and hold her tight. When that happened, she did the same thing. She could feel everything that was inside of Savannah reach out to her. Savannah wanted her for more than sexual comfort. Savannah wanted her because she was her. She couldn't help but remember how she was treated with such disdain for who she was by Sarah, Future Derek and even John when she first became associated with them. Savannah never treated her like that. Vanna and Allison never did either. Jesse took a little longer to win over but she was able to win her over completely. She felt if she could make Jesse love her that she'd accomplish something. Future Allison took a little while to get on board. After what she'd tried to do to Future Alison, it seemed quite understandable that it would take her a little longer to believe she was there to help her and to save her. She was very pleased that she'd been able to accomplish that as well

Right now Cameron was very unsure of herself and questioned all of her actions.

"I make everyone hate me." Cameron said. "I'm sorry, Savannah."

Savannah looked up at Cameron with tear filled eyes. She didn't want Cameron to think the wrong thing. There was no hate or animosity in her heart for Cameron.

"Hate you? How could I ever hate you?" Savannah asked. "I love you, Cameron."

Savannah looked into Cameron's eyes.

"Cameron, earlier…." Savannah said.

Cameron shifted uncomfortably.

Savannah adjusted her arms as she held Cameron, she touched something. It was a Thermite grenade.

She remembered what CamNet told her. She was a little worried when she'd heard that. She told CamNet that she didn't believe Cameron would use it. CamNet assured her that she would if she felt she needed to.

"CamNet said you would bring that and threaten her." Savannah said.

Cameron felt that she lost control of CamNet more and more each day. She believed Savannah was a counterbalance to that issue.

"I did. CamNet is me but I'm not CamNet." Cameron said. "You've taken control of CamNet from me."

Savannah didn't feel that way at all. That was never her intention. She wanted to assist CamNet. Maybe what she did with CamNet is what Cameron wanted to do with her 'parents'.

"No, I'll be a positive influence on CamNet." Savannah said. "I control - Nobody. It's wrong for anyone to control anyone else. Everyone needs to be who they are."

Cameron was aware that the apple didn't fall far from the tree.

"CamNet is flawed, like me." Cameron said.

Savannah wasn't sure that flawed what's the proper term. Everyone was flawed if that was the case. It was more about actions than it was the makeup of a person's mind. Savannah believed that redemption was available to anyone who was willing to accept it. Not everyone was willing to be redeemed. Her dealings with the homeless were a case in point of that. Some people were offered a way out and a path forward and they didn't want to take it. They would rather live in misery and squalor. It really made no sense.

"CamNet overstepped HER bounds." Savannah said. "I will guide her down a different path. I'll 'fix' her."

Cameron was sure that Savannah would take CamNet down more than one path. Maybe that's what needed to be done if she wanted to be fixed. She believed Savannah was able to fix her. Maybe if she could fix her she could fix CamNet too. She believed that Savannah saved her life in more ways than one.

"You've 'fixed' me." Cameron said. "I'm still here. I wouldn't be, if it wasn't for you."

Cameron knew she would have been destroyed in combat facing Skynet several times over if not for Savannah being there for her. Savannah even stayed to die with her. She wanted to protect and save Savannah. Instead Savannah protected and saved her.

Savannah released Cameron. She then turned and kissed each of her 'parents' on the cheek before gently covering them back over. Savannah knew that life moved forward. It was time to do just that. To dwell on the past and what could have been was the road to nowhere.

"I need to go see Young Allison." Savannah said.

Cameron knew that Savannah thought deeper than sexual gratification or activity.

"Are you going to 'fix' her too?" Cameron asked.

Savannah believed anyone could be fixed if they wanted to be.

"I'm going to try." Savannah said.

The tears were gone and the beautiful smile was back on Savannah's face.

Savannah took Cameron by the hand and led her out of the room.

"We can dwell in the darkness or shine in the light." Savannah said.

Cameron thought of some of the events of her existence. Many of them didn't leave her with a positive feeling at all.

"I dwell in the darkness." Cameron said.

Savannah looked at Cameron and smiled. She didn't believe Cameron was stuck there.

"I shine in the light." Savannah said. "So will you. The light will guide you from the darkness."

Cameron looked knew that she needed to trust Savannah. Savannah believed in what she said.

"I'll try." Cameron said. "I know you'll guide me."

Savannah gave Cameron's hand a loving squeeze.

"Let's go see OUR future mate." Savannah said.

Cameron's face lit up with a smile. Those were the kind of words that she liked to hear. It was part of the goal of her existence to make that happen. Savannah was by her side to make sure that her mission was completed. Savannah always gave her hope.

Savannah was very pleased with Cameron's change of demeanor.

"See, you are a ray of sunshine." Savannah said.

Cameron learned something a long time ago. It started when Savannah was just a young girl. It seemed to grow over time.

"I am, when I'm around you." Cameron said.

Savannah wanted to make sure Cameron didn't forget that.

"Will you be like that no matter what we do?" Savannah asked.

Cameron wanted what Savannah told her was there.

"I'll become the sun as we do 'more'." Cameron said.

Savannah wanted to remind Cameron of the things that she did have.

"You have the best of both worlds at your command." Savannah said.

Cameron believed that was a two way street.

"You do now as well." Cameron said.

Savannah was in a more playful mood now. She wanted to give Cameron something to think about.

"My 'Yin' has no 'Yang'." Savannah said with a sly smile.

Cameron tilted her head slightly as Savannah led her away.

It was clear in the Command Center that Cammy wanted to do something. She wanted to lead an assault. John wanted a better plan that might involve less damage to their Terminators. They came up with one. Not everyone was pleased with it.

John Henry listened to the plan that was laid out. He saw only one possible outcome from every scenario that was related to it.

"John, they're going to go hot." John Henry said.

John agreed with that assessment. They need to find out if one of the big trucks was actually there or not was what guided him more than the safety of the Terminators involved who would be the ones who found out.

"I can see that." John said. "Let's see if the 'Trojan Horse' works."

John Henry didn't like the plan.

"We still don't have a good plan." John Henry said.

John was tired of fooling around with the Skynet forces. He wanted action.

"If we want to find the trucks, we need to do something other than what we've done." John said.

John Henry was painfully aware that his efforts to find them on his own hadn't bore fruit.

"Agreed…." John Henry said.

John wondered about the other teams of Terminators that were out there searching as well. Cammy's team wasn't the only one with a lead.

"What about the other teams?" John asked. "They must have some leads."

John Henry felt that he'd undertaken a Herculean effort to go through every single frame of footage on every camera they could find to obtain a clue.

"Both CamNet and myself are working to find them. We're reviewing every surveillance camera and every traffic cam along every route." John Henry said.

John was aware of their hard efforts. He knew that they didn't like getting played any more than he did. The issue of the missing trucks along with the missing HK equipment was now personal to all of them more than it was professional.

"I know you're both working on it." John said.

John Henry did feel that they'd uncovered a few things they hadn't anticipated like the secret bunker on the grounds of the nuclear power plant at Serrano Point.

"Look at the other things we have accomplished in this search." John Henry said. "Maybe we did get lucky on a few of them."

John was reminded of the danger that he'd watched Savannah go through at that location at several different points in time. None of them sat well with him.

"We also experienced a few close ones, especially Savannah." John said.

John was still troubled by what he saw Savannah go through and do. She always took the risk. She put the burden and the danger on herself. She was also willing to sacrifice so that others would be spared. He wondered if he could have done half of what she'd done and not buckled. He honestly didn't think so.

His mother tried hard to prepare him for the future. He saw her in action and her bravery. He saw all that in Savannah too. Like his mother, Savannah rose to the challenge. She met that challenge and exceeded it. Maybe he did see his mother in Savannah. Then again his mother did have a hand in Savannah's upbringing. If his mother was a positive influence on Savannah then his mother did a much better job with Savannah than she'd done with him. He believed that was something his mother should be proud of.

John knew he was only a punk teenager until he went into the alternate future he'd created. It was in combat there that he was able to use the skills his mother taught him. He didn't have his mother or Cameron to rely on. He needed to do that job himself. He felt that he rose to the challenge. He believed that he made a difference there and accomplished something. He also knew that he received a lot of help to do that.

He thought back on that. It made him think of the way he'd needlessly destroyed Cameron when all they needed to do was wait a few days.

Seeing Cameron's destroyed and lifeless form in that chair would forever haunt him. How did she end up like that? How could he have done that to her? Why did he do that to her?

He needed to get his head back in the game. They were about to have troops in combat soon.

Now Cammy's team was headed into action.

"Our team is on the move." John Henry said.

"It's Showtime." John said.

Cammy moved in along a row of stacked old pallets. Some of the stacks were collapsed against others. The entire area looked unstable. It was actually a wonder some of the homeless hadn't started a fire and burnt them trying to stay warm. That was a common occurrence. She'd observe pallet yards on fire before on the news. They burnt intensely.

Bob was on the backside of the building. He was in motion as well. He was actually on the other side of a fence on the property in back of the one they were after. It totally concealed his progress as he closed in on the target building.

Sheila was on the main street. She held a map they'd found in one of the vehicles they'd appropriated. It was a map of Oregon but for this endeavor all she needed was a map for a prop. The real props that would do all the 'talking' were barely contained within her blouse right now. The beauty of it all is that they wouldn't need to say a word but merely show themselves.

The three Resistance members all moved into position. They were all ready to go.

"I'm in position." Cammy said. "I'm about to move in on the door on the west side. I see no one."

"I have the back covered." Bob said. "I see no external activity."

"I'm in front and look like a 'drongo' with this map all unfolded." Sheila said. "I don't see anyone either."

Cammy began to wonder if anyone was even inside. So far they hadn't personally observed anyone.

"Maybe they're out." Cammy said.

Bob felt it could be more sinister than that. Maybe they'd been made the moment they arrived. Maybe one of the two men that he wanted to terminate had warned them. Since the two men were homeless there wasn't a lot that they wouldn't do for money. To sell someone out seemed to be one of those things.

"Maybe they're waiting for us." Bob said.

John was a little worried about Sheila's bold plan. He knew it was a Terminator thing but he thought it applied more to Cameron and it did the other Terminators.

"Sheila, are you sure you still want to go in the front door?" John asked.

Sheila knew it was a good plan. They'd used similar ones before against the drug and sex trade groups. What she didn't care for on this one was the map that she carried. It made her look like a doofus.

"We need to act soon. I don't think they'll see me as a threat. I only have a loose tank top on." Sheila said. "But I still feel like a 'dill' with this map."

John was well aware how Sheila could get anyone to focus their eyes on one or both of her nipple rings when she exposed a breast or both of them.

"I don't think they will look at your map." John said. "You have a way of 'distracting' people, both men and women."

Sheila enjoyed when she made people look where she wanted them to look. Her only worry going up against the Skynet forces was that she wouldn't be able to wear any type of armored protection. She didn't want her breasts damaged any more than Cameron did. It wasn't that they actually did anything since they were non functional but they were part of her sheath and part of what made her who she was.

"Those are 'props' I don't mind using." Sheila said. "But I don't have any body armor on now."

Sheila was worried she may get shot up. She didn't want to lose a nipple ring and the breast it was attached to. She'd seen the damage done to Cameron before. She was aware that some of the damage was so horrific that things couldn't properly regenerate without waiting many months. Even that wait may not have fixed the damage. Cameron was lucky enough to get some appropriate replacement sheath material and a new influx of Allison's DNA.

Sheila was glad there was a group of 'Jesse's' to tap into for fresh DNA if she ever needed it. If she ever did need a fresh DNA sample, she hoped that Young Jesse would be the one to provide it.

Cammy's words brought her back to 'now'.

"I offered to go in your place." Cammy said. "I have everything you do."

John Henry didn't want the Metal girls to think about the modifications that they'd done to their sheaths. They needed to concentrate on the mission right now and not each other.

"Stay focused on the mission." John Henry said.

Sheila was still in a playful mood.

"John won't be after hearing that." Sheila said. "He's seen what I have."

Cammy continued to move her position forward. There was no opposition nor were there any type security devices visible.

"I see no surveillance cameras." Cammy said. "I've moved to the side door."

Bob observed nothing in the rear either. He decided to move his position up to be ready to strike instantly.

"I've pried a metal section in the rear fence loose." Bob said. "I'm about to advance to the rear door."

He'd be able to move through the fence rather than climb it. It would help keep him less visible that way.

Sheila decided to get the ball rolling. She was the one who took lead on this operation.

"I guess it is time for me to 'ring' the bell." Sheila said. "I would rather have my 'bell' rung."

Sheila walked up to the front door and tried it. You never know.

It was locked.

She figured someone watched her from inside. It was time for some bait.

Sheila fumbled with the map and pretended to get off balance. A breast with a nipple ring popped out.

The door was immediately unlocked and it opened.

It appeared her suspicions were correct and someone just took the bait.

"What do you want?" A gruff voice asked.

Sheila played the part.

"Hello, Mate. I'm new in town and lost." Sheila said. "I'm looking for 'City Hall'."

The gruff voiced man looked out and then up and down the street.

Sheila made a point of covering her breast while folding the map and then having it pop out again as she put the map in her pocket.

The gruff voiced man's eyes were transfixed as he looked at it.

Sheila noticed. She made a point to slowly tuck it back into her tank top.

"I'm sorry." Sheila said. "We have topless beaches where I come from. It's no big deal there. Everyone here seems uptight about it. I'm not sure why. It's something that all females have anyway. I say if you have it, then go ahead and flaunt it."

The gruff voiced man looked up and down the street again.

"It's not something you see everyday here." The gruff voiced man said. "Are you by yourself and alone?"

Sheila wanted to convey the fact that she was lost and alone.

"I got separated from my tour group." Sheila said. "We're only here for a day."

The gruff voiced man checked the street one more time. He wanted to make sure there were no witnesses. He was aware that some of the homeless types frequented the area but he didn't see any of them currently.

"So nobody knows you're here?" The gruff voiced man asked.

Sheila knew what was about to come next. She wanted to make sure that she was 'invited' in the front door.

"Nope…." Sheila said. "I lost my phone too. They couldn't even find me if they needed to."

The gruff voiced man's eyes were focused on her tank top. He absent mindedly adjusted the front of his pants.

"Really?" The gruff voiced man asked. "So no one can track you either…."

Sheila wanted to sound a little indignant.

"Track me?" Sheila said. "I'm not a 'Roo'."

The gruff voice man took another look up and down the street. It was clear.

"You can use our phone." The gruff voiced man said.

The door opened all the way.

"Thanks, Mate." Sheila said as she entered the building.

The gruff voiced man went outside behind Sheila and looked up and down the street again. He double checked to make sure it was clear and no one observed what was about to happen.

She heard the door close and lock behind her.

Sheila knew the Grays thought they'd just taken her captive.

"You're going to be staying a little longer than you planned." The gruff voiced man said. "You're about to learn a few new 'customs'."

Sheila thought she'd be teaching a few new customs instead.

It was clear that the sheep didn't have a clue that they'd invited the wolf into their pen.

In A Situation Like This

What you've done
You can never justify
Did it ever matter to you
How you made me cry

Aren't my feelings
Of importance or concern
As for another you yearn
While me you spurn

I should matter
I too am somebody
It kills me to death
To be made to feel like Nobody

I still cling on
Snapping at any scrap
It's been proven true
Love itself is a trap

If it was another person
YOU had to watch me kiss
How would you feel
In a situation like this

Nobody