Chapter 999

It Is Now Static

There was no apparent activity that seemed imminent at the port. The follow up attack by the Syndicate or the counter attack by the Skynet forces never materialized. It was decided the teams would head for home. Savannah asked if they could drive over the big green suspension bridge that was at the port.

Cammy led the caravan of three SUVs. She headed for State Route 47 and was on the Seaside Freeway. The Vincent Thomas Bridge loomed ahead of them. It was very large, impressive and very, very green.

They drove up the semi steep approach to the bridge itself. Soon they were on the bridge. It offered a panoramic view of the port area on both sides of the bridge. Savannah was very impressed. It was the first time she'd been over this bridge.

"This is a really big bridge." Savannah said. "The view is fantastic."

Cameron scanned everything in her field of view. She searched for anything that looked out of place or caught her eye. She thought about driving back over the bridge for a second look at everything. She decided to make that offer to Savannah.

"We can go over the bridge in both directions so you can get a better look." Cameron said. "I don't mind."

Savannah really liked to see everything. It was night when they'd arrived in the port area. It was daylight now. To see everything that was new to her was refreshing, exciting and educational. There were ships in the harbor channel below the bridge. There were container ships, a very large Navy ship and something that caught her eye. There were passenger ships almost below them. There were two or three pools on the upper decks that she could see. It seemed like something that would be fun to get away from it all for a few days or a week. She wondered how it worked to be a passenger on one of them.

"I see some big passenger ships down there." Savannah said. "They look very nice and fancy."

Cameron knew exactly where they were. She'd actually studied this area previously. She wanted to get an overall look at the container traffic that came in and out of the port. There were often cruise ships parked at the terminal. They all used the same channel to reach their destinations.

"That's the cruise terminal down below us. Several different cruise line companies dock there at different times of the year. On the satellite photos I reviewed for this operation, I've noted many of the ships come and go."

The fact that there were a lot of ships and different cruise companies seemed to offer a lot of opportunity.

"How long do they stay in port?" Savannah asked.

Cameron was actually surprised with the quick turnaround. The ship's spent most of their time at sea and only a few hours in each port that they visited. The passenger complement usually changed on what was the temporary home port for the ship.

"Usually around six to ten hours." Cameron said. "One cruise ends and the next one begins. The ships are away for different amounts of time because they go to different destinations. Most of them return to the same port and run the same schedule again. The routes vary with the season."

The passenger prospect seemed alluring to Savannah. There was a practical concern in her mind as well. She'd always learned not to concentrate on the obvious. When someone wanted to pull a fast one, they wouldn't do what was expected. They would try to slip it by unseen to get away with it.

"I know we're watching the ocean shipping lines for containers, can the cruise ships carry cargo?" Savannah asked.

Cameron tilted her head slightly. She thought only supplies for the cruise ship were carried on board at any given port. Most of the items loaded onto the ship were food items. There was a very big turnover of food on the ship. Supplies for the ship itself were much less common.

"They could carry very small shipments only. They're set up for passengers and are usually on a seven day cruise cycle." Cameron said. "They also do three and four day cruises sometimes. There's a lot of luggage that needs to be unloaded and then loaded for each new cruise."

Savannah was intrigued by the size of the cruise ships. They were mostly painted white with colored attributes and trim. They were impressive to look at and radiated glamour and glitz.

"Can we go closer?" Savannah asked. "I'd like to see the ships up close."

Cameron told Cammy she was taking the lead. The other two vehicles would become chase vehicles now. She wanted to be able to respond to Savannah's directives in a timely fashion. The threat level seemed very low at this point. She would still need to be vigilant but any attack on them at this point seemed rather remote.

Cameron exited off the bridge and took some side streets and came back around at ground level to the cruise terminal. She found the road signage rather confusing and didn't follow them. She called up past satellite images and 'dead reckoned' towards the objective. That way she knew exactly where she was at and where she was going.

Savannah looked around at Cameron, Gail and herself. They were all still dressed in combat gear. There were weapons in plain sight. She didn't think that that would go over very well if there was some type of checkpoint when they approached the cruise terminal. She remembered once she read about an incident somewhere in the Mediterranean where some terrorists took over a small cruise ship and killed some of the passengers. She didn't want to get pegged for something like that.

"We need to stow all this hardware." Savannah said. "Have the other girls do the same thing."

The long guns and vests disappeared into the back and were covered over.

Cameron communicated to the other SUVs to 'button up' as well.

There was a large street that ran right in front of the cruise terminal and seemed to parallel the channel. Savannah was a little surprised when she spotted something between the main road and the cruise terminal.

"Hey look, there's a streetcar." Savannah said. "I didn't know they had any of those left."

The streetcar was lettered 'Pacific Electric' on the side of it.

Cameron knew the streetcars were long gone from the Los Angeles area thanks to the largest vehicle manufacturer, a large tire producer, a giant oil company and a set of corrupt officials who effectively eliminated street car service in the Los Angeles area. Everything was replaced with bus service and a major increase in pollution throughout the area. She was aware that what they viewed was simply a throwback to the past for local visitors.

"It is part of the tourism industry along the waterfront here." Cameron said. "It doesn't go anywhere else other than back and forth along the main channel of the port."

Savannah thought that was a shame. Maybe sometime she could revisit the area and ride on it. She didn't think anything like that would happen today.

Gail double checked the interior of the SUV.

"Everything is stowed." Gail reported. "I feel under armed now."

Cameron felt they were adequately armed for the current threat level. They carried the weapons that they normally carried.

"We each have a Taser and M9." Cameron said. "Don't forget you're a weapon too."

Savannah figured their group was a sizable force, especially of what it consisted of.

"There are eight Terminators." Savannah said. "And three SUVs full of weapons."

Cameron knew the traffic level would pick up significantly around the cruise terminal in a very short while. With more than one ship at the cruise terminal, there would be five to six thousand people who got off of the ships and then a very short time later there would be the same number who would board the ships. That was a lot of people in and out in a very short period of time. There would also be a certain amount of the crew that was allowed to get off in the port as well. That would probably be a few thousand more between the ships.

"There will be a lot of passengers coming and going soon." Cameron said. "The parking lot looks full. It will become very crowded and chaotic for a short period of time."

Savannah could see more clearly now what was going on along the side of the ship. She couldn't see that from the bridge.

"I see they're loading large pallets into the side of the ship." Savannah said.

Cameron could look and see what some of the pallets that were being loaded were marked with on their plastic coverings.

"That's mostly food and supplies." Cameron said.

Savannah was still worried there could be some type of clandestine activity that could occur. She thought if something was done in plain sight that no one would pay any attention. Things that were routine were boring to people and no one would be concerned with them at all.

"If someone knew how to game the system, they could transport other things disguised as food and supplies." Savannah said. "I bet no one gives them a good going over."

Savannah could see Cameron think about it. Customs would probably not even look at items labeled as some food product on the ship. It would be the same thing that happened every single time the ship was in port. The same trucks would bring the same pallets of consumables and supplies. She figured the port authorities would be more concerned with some of the passenger's luggage and whatever contraband they would smuggle in from any other ports that they'd visited.

"No, I don't suppose they do." Cameron said. "They would be worried about people bringing in illegal drugs more than anything."

Savannah thought about what Cameron said earlier. It would do Cameron and John some good to go on a cruise for a week. They could leave everything behind and spend a peaceful time together. She thought that would be a good bonding experience for them. She didn't like seeing them less than pleased with each other at times. She understood all relationships went through different phases. She still thought it was something that they should do. There were plenty of other individuals that could fill in for both of them. Cam and Cammy would both be there so 'Cameron' would be well represented. John Henry and CamNet could take over for John. Some of the other members of the Resistance could sit in the Command Center and help with the decisions as well.

"You and John should go on a cruise." Savannah said. "You could get away from it all."

Savannah saw Cameron's head tilted slightly to the side.

Cameron was intrigued by the idea and Savannah's choice of words. She said something that she'd wanted to do for a very long time. She didn't think it was possible, now it was possible.

"I always wanted to 'get away from it all'." Cameron said.

Cameron often wanted to be someone different as well. Maybe if she went on a cruise she could be someone different.

Savannah could see Cameron was captivated by the idea. She wanted to encourage it.

"Now is your chance." Savannah said. "You can have fun and a good time."

Cameron looked over at Savannah. She wondered if just Savannah and her could go. She didn't say it but the look in her eyes indicated it.

Savannah picked up on Cameron's desire. She wanted to direct Cameron in the proper direction that she believed she needed to go. She wanted Cameron and John to be together.

"You know I mean with John, Cameron." Savannah said. "I want you to be with your husband."

Cameron quickly tried to make a 'workaround'. She could still go with John but if Savannah was there too, maybe something else could happen.

"Cammy and you could go with us." Cameron said.

Savannah would like to do that. She would like to go but this wasn't the right time. She wanted this to be about Cameron and John. It wasn't about her.

"I wouldn't want to be a distraction for either John or you." Savannah said. "I really mean that, Cameron."

Gail was confused by the whole concept of using a ship to go from point A to point B and several other locations and then return to point A. She thought flying would be more efficient to get from port to port if they couldn't drive there. Maybe there was something else that happened on the ship.

"What's there to do on board?" Gail asked.

Cameron hadn't really looked into everything that a cruise ship offered in detail. She knew that there were plenty of blogs and online videos that she could view, even of a specific ship, to get the gist of what was available.

"I think it is all about leisure and luxury." Cameron said. "There's on board entertainment and activities. There's a lot of food too."

Savannah didn't know everything Cameron did in the past, present and future. Somewhere along the way Cameron may have already done some of this.

"Have you ever been on a cruise, Cameron?" Savannah asked.

Cameron hadn't actually gone but she did think there could be a special time for two people to go. It would give them the excuse to go anyway.

"I've thought about it." Cameron said. "It seems like it would be a nice thing to do for a honeymoon."

Savannah thought that was a wonderful idea. It actually sounded very romantic. It could be just two people alone by themselves with their own private room and a waiting bed twenty four hours a day. They didn't need to drive anywhere or pack and unpack. The ship did all the driving and their clothes were always in the room. There was room service for food if they wanted it. They could even stay in the Honeymoon Suite for the entire voyage if they didn't feel like doing anything else. She wasn't sure if there was a Honeymoon Suite or not but it was a pretty good bet that there would be something like it anyway.

"That's even the more reason you and John should go." Savannah said.

Cameron was a little worried about their security. She remembered seeing a movie one time about a newlywed couple on a cruise ship. Things ended badly for the groom. She couldn't help but think of John in that scenario. For some reason it made her wonder about herself. What would happen if she malfunction or if she went bad again? Would John end up in the 'drink' with a snapped neck? If it was just the two of them, would John end up in Davy Jones's Locker?

"I don't know. I'm afraid John might not be protected well enough. I don't want it to turn into a - Deadly Honeymoon." Cameron said. "Maybe we're going to be involved in more combat operations."

Savannah didn't think there was any way out of that for the Resistance. There would always be a new challenge in the past, present and future for them to face. They couldn't deal with 'what ifs'. They needed to play the cards they were dealt. Not all the players needed to be on the field at the same time all of the time. She really wanted John and Cameron to spend more time together. She felt it was important. It was important to her. It should be important to them as well.

"That's always going to be the case." Savannah said. "People need time to connect and stay connected to each other."

Cameron still looked skeptical.

Savannah looked at Cameron.

"Everyone does, Cameron." Savannah said.

Cameron could tell that Savannah was very sincere with what she said. She still needed to think about Skynet. There were so many things that could happen or go wrong.

"We would be tied up for a few days if anything went wrong." Cameron said. "It would be hard to get off the ship when it has a sea day."

Savannah looked at her phone. She called up some of the sailings from Los Angeles and Long Beach. There were multiple departures from both locations along with different destinations and routes.

"A California Coastal Cruise makes port almost every day." Savannah said. "Look, it goes right up and down the coast."

She showed her phone to Cameron.

"Everything is still close to our operations. We could have the Blackhawk meet the ship in a few hours if needed." Savannah said.

Cameron wasn't sure how that would play out if they were at sea and couldn't wait to make port.

"I know we could always use the Blackhawk, even if we were at sea, but that would be noticed by everyone and recorded on a bunch of phones." Cameron said. "That would be sure to bring unnecessary attention to us."

Gail didn't think the security of the ship would be hard to provide for.

"You could have drone support as well." Gail said. "Any vessels that approached yours could be sunk before they could reach it."

Savannah looked at the itinerary for the California Coastal Cruise and tried to point out some of the ports of call to Cameron and what she could see.

"One of the ports is San Francisco." Savannah said. "You get to go under the Golden Gate Bridge."

Cameron had been to the Bay Area before. She felt the entire Bay Area was plagued with homeless people and crime. The crime along the East Bay was very much out of control. She thought about the green suspension bridge that they'd just crossed over twice.

"I've driven on the Golden Gate Bridge before." Cameron said. "It's much bigger than the one we just traversed. The views from it are much more majestic than the working port we could see from the local bridge"

Savannah thought it might help Cameron unwind some to be away from everything for a week. It would be nice for John to spend time with her and she would be undamaged. She didn't want it to make it seem like it was something Cameron had to do. She just wanted to make it an option that was available to her. She thought Cameron needed to think about John as well. He didn't get out much. He would be much more secure on a cruise ship that was at sea almost every night and only in a port for a few hours a day. John could do some of the things that he never was able to do. She understood there were more things that he'd wanted to do in Las Vegas that he couldn't do. Many of those same things were available on the cruise ship.

"It's something I want you to think about." Savannah said. "You need to think about your husband as well. Nobody likes to look at four walls all of the time."

Cameron looked at Savannah.

Savannah needed to remind Cameron again it would be for John and her. She could tell that Cameron still wanted to go with her. That just wasn't going to happen. Well, it wasn't going to happen before Cameron went with John. She needed to make that abundantly clear to Cameron.

"I mean for you and John." Savannah said.

Cameron frowned slightly. She wanted to go with Savannah but she heard everything that Savannah said.

"I'll think about it." Cameron said.

Cameron did think about it. There was an idea in the back of her mind. She thought about what Savannah said, that no one likes to look at the same four walls every day. Maybe that's how John felt about her sheath at this point. Everything was the same on it every day and every time he saw it. Maybe it wasn't exciting for him anymore. There was a way to offer him some variety. She was her program. She would like to bring the Metal girls along. She could swap chips with a different one of the girls for each day of the cruise. That would give her a chance to be 'someone different' yet still be herself. She would just be in a different chassis. This would be great for John. Not only would he have the excitement of her with a different sheath everyday, he would be able to claim the virginity of each of those sheaths with her inside and in control of them. She would relive her wedding night over and over and reset her programming for each encounter. She didn't think the Metal girls would mind her losing their virginity for them with John. She would offer to share the file with them when she returned their 'broken in' chassis. She might even allow them the freedom to have male sexual partners after that. Nobody cared about a used chassis.

She decided not to share this thought with Savannah. She didn't think Savannah would like her plan for John and what she would take from each of the Metal girls with him. She would still try and get Savannah to go along. She still wanted John to 'break in' Savannah and have her close for his protection. The anti-Metal threat always loomed in the background. The threat of assassination was a real possibility. One of the human girls needed to step up.

Cameron felt very worried about John now. Maybe she needed to make sure he was restricted to the base at all times. If he wasn't out anywhere, nobody could get to him.

John watched the caravan of the girl's SUVs from some drone footage. It didn't look to him like they were headed back to the Resistance base where they should be headed.

"What are they doing now?" John asked. "That's not the right way home."

John Henry thought he knew what they were up to. The fact that their coms were off indicated a little more was going on than they would like to have known in the Command Center.

"It appears they are cruising around the port area." John Henry said. "All their communications are off."

John looked a little more intently at the drone footage. None of them currently wore their vests so he couldn't see anything from their body cams or hear anything from the body cam itself. If their coms were off, he couldn't hear anything at all. He believed that could only mean one thing.

"Great." John said. "That probably means they're planning something. It must be something questionable or objectionable for them to cut the link."

John Henry thought it could also be something personal. The girls may not have cut their coms at all. It could be CamNet that decided to block everything for her own reasons. He wasn't going to even inquire to find out. It was most likely a can of worms that he didn't want to open.

"There's not much around them." John Henry said. "I only see the two cruise ships at the dock. The container terminal is on the other side of the channel."

From the drone footage, John could see that one of the large container terminals was right across the channel from where the cruise ships were docked. He wondered if that was their objective.

"It looks pretty close to me." John said. "Are they checking out the containers on the large green ship?"

John Henry looked at a wider drone image.

"I don't know." John Henry said. "I see a second container ship has entered the harbor now. It just passed the breakwater."

John checked on some of the other drone footage. There were even wider views from drones at higher elevations.

"There are even more cargo ships and a couple more cruise ships just over a ways to the east." John said.

John Henry could see exactly what John referred to.

"That's Long Beach. One of the ships there is the Queen Mary. It is more of a tourist attraction. It is now static."

John Henry actually viewed recent reports that indicated the Queen Mary was in bad condition. One proposal what's to tow it out to sea and sink it rather than attempt to keep it as an attraction. It was all about money. It was cheaper to sink it than fix it.

John started to receive locations with dates on one of his screens.

"What's this?" John asked.

John Henry received the same information on one of his screens as well. He quickly determined what they were.

"It appears to be cruise ship itineraries." John Henry said.

John began to look them over, it seemed rather confusing. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to be looking for. He wondered if it had something to do with what they thought they were waiting for at the port facility. He couldn't make a connection with anything.

"Why are they showing?" John asked. "Did something happen?"

John Henry was a little surprised at the source of the transmission.

"CamNet sent them over for you to view." John Henry said.

John quickly glanced up at the security monitor before he turned his attention back to the screen before him.

"Why?" John asked. "Am I missing something?"

John Henry hoped that there would be some elaboration from CamNet. There wasn't.

"I really don't know." John Henry said.

John and John Henry were confused as to why CamNet would send these items directly to John.

Anna watched Young Allison ask CamNet to forward some specific items directly to John. She wasn't sure if this was appropriate. She didn't think so.

"What are you doing?" Anna asked.

CamNet provided Young Allison with Savannah's and Cameron's audio transmissions about the cruise industry. She thought it was an excellent idea.

"I'm helping John and Cameron out." Young Allison said.

Anna believed it was more meddling than it was helping.

"I don't think you should be involved with doing that." Anna said. "That's not your function, not yet."

Young Allison was a little irritated with Anna's response. She believed that it was appropriate.

"I asked CamNet to send him some information." Young Allison said. "It's no big deal."

Anna wanted to know what Young Allison was after.

"Why?" Anna asked. "What are you trying to do?"

Young Allison felt she only took the ball from Savannah and ran with it.

"It was Savannah's idea." Young Allison said.

Anna wasn't sure what Young Allison referred to. She wasn't privy to the same transmission from CamNet as Young Allison was.

"I didn't hear that." Anna said.

Young Allison shrugged her shoulders. She didn't think now was the time to tell Anna that she wasn't part of the 'Natural Order'. She decided to keep it simple.

"I did." Young Allison said.

Anna didn't think Young Allison should eavesdrop on Savannah or anyone else for that matter.

"Maybe that's something else you shouldn't be doing." Anna said.

Young Allison felt defensive. She only heard what came through her com. She hadn't initiated anything on her own. She didn't think it should be an issue or big deal.

"It came over my com." Young Allison said. "I didn't do anything."

Anna thought there was a basic principle that needed to be followed.

"Everyone needs privacy sometimes." Anna said.

Young Allison still didn't feel that she'd done anything wrong. She wanted to make that clear to Anna.

"I didn't do anything." Young Allison repeated. "CamNet sent it to me. I only thought that looked like something John and Cameron could share so they could take a break for a while. They could 'get away from it all' for a few days and reconnect."

Anna believed dealing with Skynet came before pleasure and recreation.

"What about operations?" Anna said.

Young Allison glanced quickly at Anna.

"I think we both know a couple of people that could fill in for John." Young Allison said.

Anna wondered if Young Allison did that so she could 'step up'. She wondered now if maybe it wasn't just meddling. Maybe it was actually manipulation on Young Allison's part.

Anna knew that Young Allison was ready to step up and ready for everything. She just needed to wait for her body to catch up. At this point Anna doubted she was going to wait for that. She was going to need Cameron's and Savannah's help with this to slow things down. She was sure the blame for anything deemed inappropriate by some, would have the fingers pointed at her. She remembered that Sheila equated Young Allison to a nuclear bomb. She was pretty sure that was an accurate assessment at this point on about three or four different levels.

Jesse finished up with Precious and returned back to bed.

Claire looked over at her and smiled.

"How did it go?" Claire asked.

Jesse was very pleased with the experience.

"It went fine." Jesse said. "Everyone is happy and satisfied."

Claire reached over and gently touched Jesse's cheek.

"I know I am." Claire said. "I need to check on Summer and Allison – Young Allison."

Jesse figured it was time they got started anyway. She'd spoken briefly with Vanna earlier.

"We can get cleaned up and dressed and then head out." Jesse said. "Vanna said she would cover the rest of the day."

Claire was worried about her daughters. She wanted to do more herself.

"Can you take me to the armory?" Claire asked.

Jesse quickly looked at Claire. That wasn't something she expected to hear from her.

"I can." Jesse said. "Are you sure that's where you want to go?"

Claire wasn't sure what the right move was. She just felt the need to do more. To do more, she was going to need to learn more.

"I've received some training." Claire said. "I want more if I move here."

Jesse experienced a few close calls since she'd been in the past, the present.

"Be careful what you wish for, love." Jesse said. "I've experienced a few close ones."

Claire felt some tightness in her gut.

"Were you almost killed?" Claire asked.

Jesse thought of her love for Cameron.

"Yes." Jesse said. "Cameron saved me more than once."

Claire felt the tightness in her gut worsen.

"Has Allison almost been…?" Claire asked. "I don't even want to say it."

Jesse was aware their business was 'death'.

"Yes." Jesse said. "All of us have come 'close'. I'm not talking about the future either. I think you know that."

Claire overpowered the tightness in her gut. A mother was supposed to protect her children. She'd failed to do that in Allison's future. Everything that happened to Allison she blamed herself for. She wasn't going to let it happen again.

"I don't want Allison – Young Allison to have to do this." Claire said. "I would rather do it myself for her."

Jesse didn't want Claire to get in over her head.

"That's not the way any of this works." Jesse said.

Jesse and Claire were both in the shower now.

The girls washed then dried each other off.

"I have something I need to show you." Jesse said.

They dressed. Jesse checked with Samantha one more time and they left.

"I have a file about Savannah." Jesse said.

Claire imagined that Jesse might have a lot of compromising files about others. She knew that some of Jesse's sexual exploits were rather extreme. That was actually one of the things she liked about Jesse. Jesse was the 'bad girl'. She didn't want to intrude on anyone's privacy.

"If it's personal, I better not see it." Claire said.

They arrived at Jesse's room.

"It is something personal but not in the way that you're thinking. It's Savannah on operations." Jesse said. "It's a combination of body cam footage, surveillance footage, drone footage and Terminator video files."

Claire swallowed hard. She remembered watching the bullet impact next to Savannah's head the other day. It was just the other day.

"I have seen some of it." Claire said.

Jesse didn't think some of it was enough.

"This is the entire compilation." Jesse said.

Claire felt 'goose bumps' on her skin.

"I don't think I want to see it." Claire said.

Jesse held Savannah's actions in awe. She didn't know if she would have been able to make some of those same choices the way they were made.

"She's remarkable." Jesse said. "I think it will cure your quest to want to see action. Savannah has seen some real action."

Claire remembered some of the things she saw with her own eyes on a live operation. The bullet that smashed into the wall right next to Savannah's face still haunted her. It was only a few seconds after that when Savannah was almost killed again. Gail took the damage for her. That damage would have killed Savannah.

A mother was supposed to protect her children. There was no reason she couldn't take over all of the things Young Allison was supposed to do. She was ready, willing and able to step in right now. She would need to remind Cameron again that her body was available to be used in any manner Cameron wanted it to be used in. If that was in John's bed, so be it.

Now it was time to watch the video presentation.

How We Work

From day to week
We can work side by side
What do we really
From each other hide

Our feelings can grow
They can expand out of control
Will they make us whole
Or leave a gaping bleeding hole

We don't know
We are afraid to engage
Will we open a heart
Or only someone enrage

If we roll the dice
The odds say we'll lose
Don't we have a right
For our heart's love to choose

Sometimes we gamble, sometimes not
Be careful where you lurk
I don't think you understand
How we work

Nobody