Chapter 790

Where's The Beef

The Command Center watched as the two vehicles departed from the area of the destroyed building. It appeared to be the end of the current activity at that location.

John was worried about both Savannah and Allison. He was actually more worried about Allison since she normally wasn't out on this type of operation anymore. He wanted to get her safely returned back to Palmdale.

"I think this operation is wrapped up." John said. "Everyone can return home."

John Henry was more pleased with what they'd actually been able to recover. He'd been worried for quite a while that they lost the contents of the two boxcars. It took them longer than he thought to track down the three trucks but eventually they did. He was worried at some point it was going to come back on him for being unable to find HK equipment. It was from under his nose that the HK drones were removed from the boxcars and he continued to track the empty boxcars because he didn't know that they were empty.

"We recovered the contents of the two boxcars. I think that's what was important here." John Henry said. "It was a very successful mission."

John felt that they'd been lucky on this operation and he knew that they'd also pushed it on some of the interrogations in a manner that he didn't normally approve of. The underlying issue that bothered him the most was how many boxcars we're still out there? They had no idea how many there were or where to look to find them. It was very troublesome that Skynet I was able to get so much constructed under their noses without them having a clue that it was going on. They'd blindly stumbled upon the old newspaper plant and what was going on in there. It also troubled him greatly that Skynet was still able to get their hands on Coltan in this time period. Cameron and CamNet controlled all the known reserves.

"How many more are out there still?" John asked.

John Henry attempted to calculate how many boxcars there could be but there were too many variables. Now that the Skynet forces knew that they were on to them, there were probably boxcars being unloaded at remote locations or the equipment was transferred to big rigs.

"That remains unknown." John Henry said. "We don't have enough information to come up with an accurate assessment."

John Henry was sure there were more out there and he wanted to find them. He kept all his search efforts up. Skynet tried to pull one off in front of them. That was going to stop. He took it as a personal challenge of Skynet against him. He knew that CamNet was better equipped to deal with Skynet than he was. He still wanted to beat Skynet at its own game.

The van and the 4X4 truck departed from the destroyed building and the surrounding area. The team was done with that location for now and hopefully for good.

Cammy drove the van. Sheila was in the back as she 'worked on' the two captured Grays. Savannah told her to 'take it easy' and not go Scavenger on them if she could help it. With all the recent events, that may or may not happen.

Cameron drove the 4X4 truck. She followed behind the van. They were headed for 'home'. The operation was concluded there for now. She wanted to get Savannah and Allison away from all of this. She really tried to figure why she'd allowed Allison to come along in the first place. Maybe it was because she missed her. She really didn't know how much danger she may have exposed Allison to but it was probably a lot more than she should have.

Allison wanted to stay with Sheila and Cammy in the van. She'd been a witness to interrogations in the future. She didn't think it was that big of a deal.

"I could have stayed with them." Allison said. "I wanted to."

Savannah decided to lay it out for Allison. It was better if she knew the truth. She was out in the field with them now. She didn't know how graphic she wanted to get.

"Sheila is going to interrogate the men." Savannah said.

Allison didn't think that was a problem for her.

"I have been around interrogations before." Allison said.

Savannah chose her words carefully. She wanted to convey the brutality of what was going to happen without specifically spelling it out.

"It might be done 'Cyborg Jesse' style." Savannah said.

Allison didn't say anything at first. She knew what that meant. She'd seen the work of Scavengers before. It was as brutal as it was horrific. She actually felt sorry for the individuals who survived. When they first got closer to Jesse, once she returned to the past, she reluctantly confided in them as to the nature of some of the things that happened to her and some of the things that she'd done to other people purposefully.

"Jesse told me what she's done to both men and women." Allison said. "She told both Vanna and me what kind of person she'd been. She'd even collected 'souvenirs'…. She only kept the ones she'd taken from the living before they died or she killed them. She kept them because the people knew what was done to them. It was very brutal and barbaric. Some were left to live."

Allison thought of what was done to the females by Jesse. Something like that almost happened to her, well, Duplicate Allison, when the biker gang captured Duplicate Vanna and Duplicate Allison. She was glad she wasn't part of that. That's where they'd first come into contact with River.

Savannah didn't want Jesse to be tainted by her past. She most certainly didn't want any of that taint to be rubbed off on Young Jesse.

"Is Jesse that person anymore?" Savannah asked.

Allison was able to answer that question without even having to think about it.

"No, she isn't." Allison said. "She is very loving and caring now."

Allison remembered that Jesse told her that she'd done those things to other people. She hung out with some Scavengers because she thought it would make the pain that was inside of her go away about all the things that had been done to her. Jesse confessed they didn't make the pain go away. They actually made it worse. That was when she left that barbaric lifestyle and tried to join the Resistance.

Savannah believed that who Jesse was now should be the only thing that mattered. The past was in the future. It wasn't in the present.

"Then that is all that matters going forward." Savannah said. "She's on our team. I know Jesse. I have seen both Duplicate Jesses. I know both of them. All of them are reformed. Young Jesse will NEVER take that path. That's part of Camille's function. I'll do everything I can myself to prevent that as well. I know that Jesse will too."

Cameron specifically wanted Camille to make sure that Young Jesse never found the darkness that lurked inside of her.

Allison knew Jesse and Vanna both suffered much more than she did at the hands of others. To be subjected to that lifestyle was bound to have an effect on every individual in the most negative way at some point in time.

"It was because of the things that were done to Jesse." Allison said. "You're right, Jesse is reformed now."

Cameron wasn't so sure about Sheila. She'd tried to work with Sheila herself on multiple occasions. Instead what usually happened was she ended up watching Sheila do her handiwork on both male and females who usually were involved in the sex trafficking of young females. She didn't actually participate but she did watch. What she reached as a conclusion of all of that was some things were unfixable.

"Sheila is unreformable." Cameron said. "I'll need to reprogram her or deactivate her one day."

Cameron was sure as time passed that Sheila became more sadistic and seemed to almost take sexual satisfaction out of what she did to individuals with her 'enhanced interrogation'.

Savannah was a little surprised at what Cameron said. It was the first that Cameron spoke since they'd started home. She hadn't been sure if Cameron was really back to one hundred percent.

"I don't agree with that." Savannah said. "You're changeable. I believe all of the cyborgs are. Every human is changeable as well. We can still find some decency in anyone who isn't already a Scavenger or a Gray."

Cameron wanted to share her personal observation with Savannah.

"It's sexual to Sheila." Cameron said. "She enjoys it."

Allison was around Hanna a lot now that she was her mother's girlfriend. Holly and Hanna switched at least two nights a week. That was something that they all enjoyed. She would always ask Hanna about what Sheila, Ally and she did on the 'off the books' operations. Hanna always told her that she couldn't tell her everything.

"Everything is sexual to Sheila." Allison said. "Hanna told me many stories about Sheila. Ally told me Sheila 'damaged' her sheath once on purpose. It was very graphic."

Allison remembered when Ally came to her and asked to 'compare' part of her regenerated damaged sheath 'area' to the corresponding 'area' on her. Everything was the same again and Ally was very happy. Since everything was already 'out' and on display, Ally and her decided to try it out. Ally was pleased everything was back to normal and functioned properly.

Savannah believed that in order for people to be helped that they needed to help themselves. As long as they were willing to do that, there was hope for them. If they thought that someone else was going to be able to change them on their own, it wasn't going to happen.

"There can still be good in everyone." Savannah said. "That's everyone who wants to be good. Sheila wants to be better. I'm trying to help her."

Cameron was very pleased to listen to what Savannah said. She liked her upbeat and positive attitude. It was so much different than the negativity she was exposed to when she'd first come to this time period.

"That's one of the qualities I love about you, Savannah." Cameron said. "You can see the good in everything."

Savannah believed that was something to look for in every individual.

"I can." Savannah said.

Allison didn't want to seem sarcastic but she wasn't sure that there was good in everything.

"Can you even see good in Skynet?" Allison asked.

Savannah thought about that for a moment.

"Yes." Savannah said. "If it wasn't for Skynet, I wouldn't know you. We never would have shared and Cameron wouldn't exist. I can honestly say that some good came out of Skynet, even though most of it was bad if not evil."

Allison thought about some of the things that happened to her. The fact that there were other versions of her and that she currently lived with the younger version of herself were all sort of mind boggling at times. It seemed a lot of things were mind boggling.

"I'm going to have to think about that for awhile." Allison said.

Everything Savannah said was true but she still didn't like Skynet and everything it'd done to make all those things happen. The things that were done to Vanna and Jesse were the indirect result of Skynet. She knew she was lucky to have only been assaulted a few times. She did understand that's how things were in her future and that every female that she knew was forced to become a woman against her will.

Cameron wasn't proud of everything that she'd done. She was actually disgusted at the things that she needed to do when she was a slave of Skynet. She was glad to be free of that nightmare and be part of the Resistance and be with the people she currently was with now in her life.

"There's nothing to think about." Cameron said. "Savannah is correct."

They followed the van in silence.

They each thought how their lives were directly and indirectly affected by Skynet.

It made Savannah think of her parents. Both of them were dead because of Skynet. A lot of people lost their families when Skynet launched Judgment Day. Her family was one of the first that was killed before Judgment Day. It all seems very unfair to her at times.

That thought made her think of her 'parents' in Cameron's menagerie.

She tried not to think of them but she always did. She knew they weren't really her parents but in a way they were. They both looked so young as the cyborgs that Cameron created of them. Maybe the thing that fascinated her the most was because Cameron did the 'Neural Interface' with both of them at some point in time in the past, there was actually a part of them that was still 'alive' as part of a computer program. She often thought about asking Cameron or CamNet to allow her some type of interface where she could communicate with those parts of her parents that were part of the computer program without their chassis actually being activated. She just didn't know if she was ready for that last part.

Everyone in the 4X4 was lost deep in their own personal thoughts. Most of them were thoughts of the past in each of their lives.

Cameron saw the lights on the van flash a few times.

"Cammy's signaling me." Cameron said. "We need to pull over."

Savannah instantly became alert. She touched her weapons.

"What's wrong?" Savannah asked.

Savannah brought her M4 up and held it ready.

Cameron was a little worried that she startled Savannah like that.

"Relax, Savannah, I don't think it's a problem." Cameron said. "They must have information for us."

That information was just as troublesome to Savannah. The fact that they didn't use the com system or even their phones indicated something of a clandestine nature. Those usually didn't turn out to be things that were good either. She could only call it like she saw it.

"This must be off the record stuff." Savannah said. "It can't be good."

Cameron knew that Savannah was correct. She really wanted to get Allison home and away from all of this mess. She wanted Savannah to go with her.

"I'll have Cammy take both of you back." Cameron said. "You've both done more than enough already."

Allison was about to ask what exactly it was that she'd done. She didn't think that she'd done anything yet.

Savannah wasn't about to allow that to happen. She wasn't going to let Cameron go off on her own no matter what.

"You know that's not going to happen, Cameron, especially after what happened earlier." Savannah said.

Cameron still wasn't all sure of all what happened earlier. She seemed to only recollect fragments of it. That was often how those episodes were. It was very disturbing.

"I'm fine." Cameron said. "I experienced a few issues that bothered me. Everything is fine now."

Savannah wanted to know how that actually worked. So far she'd never heard a good explanation.

"How did you resolve them?" Savannah asked.

Cameron glanced back at Allison and then at Savannah. She tried to give an honest answer.

"They were resolved by accepting that they were unresolvable. Simply put, it's what is necessary and what needs to be done to protect the future." Cameron said. "It's my function. It will be so."

Allison was very confused by that statement. She saw it as the potential for something else.

"THAT sounds like another 'melt down' waiting to happen." Allison said.

Cameron felt a slight glitch impulse but suppressed it. She really didn't want to have another one of those anytime soon.

"I hate to admit that but it's more than likely." Cameron said. "That's what you two can help me with like you always do. You don't know how much I appreciate when you help me and how you help me."

Cameron reached over and took Savannah's hand and smiled at her.

Savannah squeezed Cameron's hand gently and smiled back.

Cammy pulled off the highway. It was an exit that put them on the 'old road'. Cameron pulled up and stopped behind her. It appeared to be a very remote area. The only light was from the Moon.

Cameron got out. Allison went to get out as well.

Savannah reached back and touched her to stop her. She was a little afraid what the back of the van was going to look like.

"Allison, please wait here." Savannah said. "Let me check first."

Allison looked at her but said nothing. She sat back down. She'd seen plenty of dead and the work of Scavengers before. It would be nothing new to her. Time somewhat dulled those images in her mind. Maybe she didn't need to reestablish them with new ones. She felt she already had enough things to have nightmares about. She certainly didn't need any more.

She didn't like the fact that Savannah was used to seeing those images. That meant this was happening more often than they'd told her. That wasn't a good sign. She didn't want to create any more problems for Savannah right now.

"OK, Savannah." Allison said.

Savannah felt as relieved as she did guilty.

"Thank you." Savannah said.

Allison wanted to say something that she truly believed and actually thought about not too long ago.

"Savannah Weaver has always tried to protect me, every version of her and me, just like she will with Young Allison." Allison said.

Savannah felt a compulsion within her to always do that.

"I will. I'll do whatever I have to do to protect her. I swear it." Savannah said. "I'll be back."

Allison knew that's what Vanna did for her. She did it without hesitation as well.

Savannah got out and headed for the van.

Sheila came out of the side door and quickly closed it. Savannah saw she was still dressed and not covered in blood. That was a good sign, she hoped.

"I want to look inside." Savannah said. "May I?"

Sheila looked a little defensive.

"I did the bare minimum." Sheila said.

Savannah smiled at Sheila and gave her a hug.

"Thank you." Savannah said.

Savannah then moved away from the van.

Sheila wondered where she was going. Didn't Savannah want to see she was telling the truth?

"Aren't you going to look?" Sheila asked.

"I don't need to." Savannah said. "You did your best. That's all I can ask for. That's what I want. I want you at your best."

Sheila saw that Savannah showed her that she trusted her. That act made her feel good about herself. She would have to show Savannah her appreciation in a real special way the next time they were together.

Savannah went back to the truck and brought Allison out.

Cammy and Sheila ran down what Sheila was able to find out. The actions of the Resistance over the last few weeks severely hurt the efforts of the Grays and disrupted all their plans and timetables. Their efforts to get Skynet up and running was thwarted on every front.

That pretty much sounded like standard fare to Allison. She thought there should be more.

"Where's the beef?" Allison asked.

The three cyborgs all tilted their head slightly to the side with that question. They didn't have a clue what it meant. They didn't see any bovine involvement.

Savannah smiled. She'd seen the old TV commercials on YouTube. It was from a TV commercial by a fast food hamburger joint.

"What's the real issue?" Savannah asked. "There's something more here."

Cammy knew that the real issue was something that they'd long suspected.

"There are two different Skynets fighting for control." Cammy said.

Cameron nodded her head. A lot more of the pieces of the puzzle fit together.

"We suspected as much." Cameron said. "It is probably two Skynets, from two different futures."

Sheila wasn't so sure it was only two.

"It may be more than that." Sheila said. "These blokes were positive there were more."

Savannah hoped there was something substantial to confirm this.

"What made them so positive?" Savannah asked.

Sheila wasn't so sure how the information was going to go over.

"It was when they saw Cammy." Sheila said. "They wanted to know what future THAT Skynet was from."

Allison was a little confused by that statement.

"What?" Allison asked.

Savannah didn't like her interpretation of what Sheila said.

"Are you saying that they thought Cammy was Skynet?" Savannah asked.

Cammy looked a little worried.

"Yes." Cammy said. "They said I was Skynet."

Cameron suddenly felt as if a great weight was on her. It seemed to be crushing her. Somehow it was happening from the inside of her. This information seemed to validate her greatest fear.

"They weren't talking about her." Cameron said. "They were talking about me. I knew this was going to happen."

Savannah could tell Cammy hadn't said everything.

"What else?" Savannah asked. "There is more to this."

Sheila thought the revelation about Cammy or Cameron was the good news.

"They said she was the 'Good Skynet'." Sheila said.

Cameron thought that statement should make her feel better but it didn't.

"What future are they from?" Cameron asked.

Cammy wanted to know that herself but she didn't.

"I don't know." Cammy said.

Cameron was a little irritated with that answer.

"Let me question them." Cameron said.

Cameron moved toward the van.

Sheila wanted Cameron to know that she'd tried as well.

"I tried to get that out of them." Sheila said.

Cameron wasn't sure what the delay was about. It seemed important.

"I'll do it." Cameron said.

Sheila figured Cameron was going to need to use the TDE to do that.

"It's too late." Sheila said. "They aren't talking any more."

Allison thought of the things that Savannah indicated Sheila would do to the men.

"Did you torture them to death?" Allison asked.

Sheila didn't feel this was on her.

"No." Sheila said. "They actually killed themselves."

Cameron opened the side door and looked in the van.

The men were still bound hand and foot. There was some pink foam or froth around the to deceased Fanatics mouths.

"This group of Grays appears to be some kind of 'Fanatics'." Sheila said. "They don't 'work' for Skynet, they 'believe' in it."

A group like that sounded like bad news Savannah.

"Was this group of Grays the same group as the others we encountered recently?" Savannah asked.

Cammy thought things were a little convoluted between the different groups.

"I don't think so." Cammy said. "They wanted to stop the group we took down at Serrano Point."

That didn't make a whole lot of sense to Allison.

"Why?" Allison asked. "They're all Grays."

Cameron was aware of her various experiences with different versions of Skynet.

"Each Skynet wants to rule." Cameron said. "I've seen it myself."

Sheila needed to share some more information that she wasn't comfortable to share.

"The two Fanatics were deathly afraid of one thing." Sheila said.

Cameron didn't see what that could possibly be.

"What?" Cameron asked. "You mean something other than me?"

Now Cameron started to wonder what else she'd done.

Sheila briefly looked at Savannah and faced Cameron.

"Yes." Sheila said. "They feared 'The Redheaded Witch'."

Savannah figured she knew who that was.

"Do you mean my mother – Mrs. Weaver?" Savannah asked.

Cammy pressured the two men on that subject.

"They didn't know about Liquid Metal." Cammy said. "At least they didn't admit to it."

Sheila looked at Allison but not at Savannah.

"They said the 'Redheaded Witch' was human." Sheila said.

Savannah was a little confused by all of this. She was aware 'In Some Future' that the true nature of her 'mother' was kept hidden. She wanted everyone there to believe but she was a human female.

"No one in the one future we went to knew my 'mother' was Liquid Metal. Only the Restorators knew and the Duplicate girls." Savannah said.

That was also Sheila's first assumption.

"I thought of that. I showed them a photo of Mrs. Weaver." Sheila said. "They didn't know who it was."

Cammy looked very uneasy at this point.

"I took a gamble and asked Sheila to show them another photo." Cammy said. "It was on my phone…."

Sheila stole another quick glance at Savannah.

"When they saw the image they asked if she was HERE. I said she was." Sheila said. "That's when they killed themselves. In their mouths, there was some kind of 'poison tooth'."

Cameron found this type of behavior very disturbing.

"This is unlike anything we have ever heard of." Cameron said. "Were you able to ascertain their strength?"

Sheila gathered they were relatively unorganized.

"I think it is a small group." Sheila said.

Allison heard everything that was said but none of that made any sense to her.

"I'm missing something here." Allison said.

Allison looked confused.

"That's why we're having this off the record conversation." Cammy said.

Savannah looked at each of the three Terminators and then and Allison.

"I already know what it is." Savannah said with a glum look on her face.

Cameron nodded. She didn't like the implication.

"We all do." Cameron said.

Allison was still confused.

"I don't." Allison said.

Cammy held out her phone and Allison took it. She just stared at it.

"Was the 'Redheaded Witch' supposed to be good or bad?" Cameron asked.

Sheila didn't know for sure but she doubted it was anything good.

"They didn't live long enough to say." Sheila said.

Allison looked at the picture on Cammy's phone.

"That's 'The Redheaded Witch'?" Allison asked in befuddlement. "I don't understand."

It was a photo of Savannah.

"I guess we know where the beef is now." Savannah said. "There's the beef."

You Know I Didn't

Sometimes we all error
And do something foolish
We only need worry
If it becomes ghoulish

Before our eyes
We have what we want
Some are still driven
To continue the hunt

Does it not matter to you
Who you hurt
It seems that way
You continue to flirt

I'm not to blame
For what you're doing
It's not me
That you're pursuing

To hurt you this way
You know I wouldn't
I don't even have to say it
You know I didn't

Nobody