Chapter 1310
They're Gone
Cameron exited the Control Center to enter the Owner's Suite. She was completely naked. She'd experienced some type of episode when she was in the Control Center. She wasn't exactly sure what happened.
Summer was there to help her. Summer was able to touch her deeply without any verbal communication. Maybe she was at the edge. If she was, Summer was able to bring her back. She was extremely worried about the events she'd set into motion because of her personal selfishness.
She listened as she moved back up towards the main bedroom of the Owner's Suite. She thought she could hear John making love to Holly. She wanted to rush forward and stop them. She didn't. She'd promised Holly 'one time' with John for taking her virginity from her. She now wondered if being a true virgin was worth the price. Sheila and Hanna still needed to collect as well. She knew it wouldn't be just sex with any of them, it would be love. She'd made them love her and she'd made them love John. It was all on her.
Cameron soundlessly moved up to peek around the corner into the bedroom. She stopped. Did she want to 'see' things so the image would forever be burnt into her mind? The images of when she'd caught John after he spent the night out with Future Riley, forever haunted her thoughts. She always saw the smirk on his face as he went up the stairs. It was as if he'd spit in her face when he did it. He rubbed it in her face.
When things happened with Future Riley, she knew she loved John deeply. She believed he loved her as well. Evidently he loved Future Riley more. It was never a good feeling to be replaced by someone. She couldn't help but feel she was 'not good enough'.
At the time, she believed he loved what Future Riley had to offer more than just herself. She saw the way he cried in his mother's arms later on after she was dead. It was at that point, she knew John truly loved Future Riley.
Evidently Future Riley loved him as well. She died for her love. She'd confronted her manipulator and was involved in a fight to the death with Future Jesse. She lost. She didn't want to betray John. She didn't need to think about it right now. She thought about it enough anyway. Now wasn't the time. It probably never was.
Cameron could hear a rhythmic sound. It must be John with Holly. It could be Holly on top of John. She wondered if Holly would face forwards or backwards. She figured it would be forwards so she could look at John as he delivered his essence. He could also fondle her and she could bend down to kiss him.
She'd been in both directions when she was in control of Holly's chassis earlier. John liked it when she faced him so he could fondle Holly's voluptuous breasts. By sharing the file with Holly, she'd 'taught' her what to do and what John liked. It was actually what Holly asked her to do.
The rhythmic noise stopped. Cameron knew what it meant. It was done. She thought about going back and getting Hanna so she could get her turn out of the way. She would allow Sheila her turn when she saw her again. Since the 'cat was out of the bag', she decided to have Claire and Jesse visit John before they left tomorrow. At this point, what difference did it make?
"That felt great, Holly." John said.
Holly sounded very cheerful.
"It's what I learned earlier by having it done to me." Holly said. "I hope I did it the same way."
John sounded even more elated.
"Whatever you just did, it was perfect." John said. "I never experienced anything quite like it."
Cameron felt a slight glitch impulse start. She was able to suppress it. She'd needed to pay the piper. She was the one who'd made the promise. She was the one who'd stripped the virginity away from the Metal girls. It appeared greed did have consequences. Maybe she shouldn't have been so selfish. She wondered if any of the Metal girls would be scarred by the experience.
What was done was done.
Everything came with a price.
Nothing was free.
Gail took her shower. She could hear Jan and Summer playing in the bubble bath whirlpool tub and knew they were having fun. She wanted to have fun too. She decided to finish up and get out of the shower. She turned off the water and reached for her towel. She dried herself off and stepped out of the shower. Normally she would dry outside the shower but the shower was huge. All of the showers were very large in the luxury suites. She thought it would be nice if they were this large at the base.
She stood naked and faced the girls as she retrieved her bath robe. She put it on. She thought about getting some more comfortable clothes to wear.
From the bubbles of the whirlpool tub, Jan and Summer both watched Gail dry off and put her robe on.
Jan really wondered how she was going to look when she was an older teenager. They all knew what Summer was going to look like. Metal Summer was a total knockout. Everyone thought she was prettier than Cameron.
Gail walked past the girls.
"I need to obtain additional clothing." Gail said.
Jan wondered what for.
"Just wear the robe like Holly did." Jan said. "It is more fun that way."
Gail wanted to have fun.
"OK." Gail said.
Summer wanted Gail to feel at ease.
"It will be like a sleepover for us girls." Summer said. "We'll all have fun."
Gail almost told Summer she would only be a 'girl' for one more night. She caught herself at the last second. She decided to keep it simple.
"I want to have fun." Gail said.
Summer thought maybe it was time to get out of the tub so they could play some games with Gail and maybe start on a movie.
"I'm going to get out." Summer said.
Jan thought it was time too.
"I've been in here a long time." Jan said. "My fingers are starting to get wrinkled."
Summer stood up and stepped out. Her towel was right by the tub. She heard Jan stand up. She looked over and saw Jan really was naked. She thought she would wear her underwear if nothing else. It was nothing else.
She didn't want to stare, even if she did. She thought everything she saw was beautiful. She thought what was inside was even more beautiful. She knew it was what mattered more anyway.
"Where is your towel?" Summer asked.
Jan looked over at the rack full of plush towels. She'd been in a hurry to get in the tub. She'd pulled off all of her clothes except her underwear. She thought about it for a few seconds and slipped them off too. She hadn't thought about what would happen later on. She was pretty sure she wanted Summer to see her naked. She really hoped Summer would have been naked as well. There was always next time.
"I didn't get one." Jan said.
Summer handed Jan her towel. She could sense Jan's level of excitement. It was almost as great as her own. She knew it wasn't the place for anything to get carried away.
"Here, use this one." Summer said.
Summer was in her swimsuit.
Gail hurried back into the bathroom.
"Let me get everything for everyone." Gail said. "It is my job to take care of both of you."
Gail took a towel off the rack and handed it to Jan.
"Thanks." Jan said.
Gail thought maybe she should get their bed clothes for them.
"I'll bring your bed clothes here." Gail said.
Summer and Jan finish drying off.
Sheila looked at Mary. Both of the new rings were in. She now had four of them. The second two were in a different location.
"You're good to go." Sheila said.
Mary examined herself.
Laura and Leticia watched her.
"Can I see them?" Laura asked.
Mary felt very good about herself right now.
Sheila wanted Laura or Leticia to do it as well.
Mary let Laura and Leticia get a good look.
"Who wants to go next?" Sheila asked.
Laura and Sheila looked at the three sets of rings Sheila laid out earlier.
Laura looked at Mary. She was still a little 'pain leery'.
"How bad did it hurt?" Laura asked.
Mary felt pretty good right now. It was more of a dull continuous throb. She was surprised there wasn't even a drop of blood. If there was, she never saw any.
"There was an initial sharp pain." Mary said. "It passed quickly. It made me feel so alive. It was beautiful."
Ally watched the whole thing.
Sheila could see Laura was thinking about it. She didn't want to 'lose' her.
"I have some pain medication." Sheila said.
Leticia looked at Mary and Sheila. She wanted to look as Hot as they did.
"I'll do it." Leticia said.
Sheila was even more pleased to hear it.
"Let me get out the pain medication." Sheila said.
Sheila reached in the bag and brought out the medication and a syringe. There was both topical and injectable pain medicine.
Leticia looked at Sheila. She wanted to feel 'alive'. She'd watch Mary do it without any pain medication at all. It was the part which made her decide to do it. She always liked a lot of pain to go along with a little pleasure. It made the pleasure so much more intense.
"I won't need it." Leticia said. "Let me try anyway. I like to experience things as they actually are."
Sheila smiled and went to put the medication away. The more she looked at Leticia, the more she liked her. The more she heard about what she was willing to do, the more she wanted to do for her.
Laura wanted to do it the easy way. She knew the pain medication took some time to take effect.
"Wait!" Laura said. "Give me the medication. I'll do it too. I just don't want to feel it."
Ally watched Sheila. She could see how excited she was. She did have to admit it was pretty Hot to be a part of. She could tell Leticia operated on a different level than the other girls did.
Young Allison and Anna watched as everything seemed to fall apart in a few seconds. The danger and threat level was off of the scale. How things were being sucked into the portal was unknown. They just slid towards the wall and disappeared into the hologram and the portal behind it.
Everything else was concerning enough. It was when Cam went down they knew she was seconds from being lost.
Young Allison knew of Savannah's 'order' for everyone else to evacuate. She decided to issue a new 'directive'. It was the right thing to do at the moment. She didn't make it in 'order'. It was possible anyone who assisted Cam would be sucked in along with her.
"I want everyone to try to help Cam." Young Allison said. "You must also consider your own safety."
It seemed like an hour passed. It was only a second.
Young Alison watched as smaller objects from around the room were pulled into the unknown portal.
"Why isn't the power off?" Young Allison asked. "Cut the power."
John Henry did. The building went dark but the portal still was energized somehow. It was drawing power from within itself. They didn't know how.
He remembered Cammy's earlier speculation that the electrical connectors were some type of power amplifier. It indicated the power came from somewhere else as well. It was probably the power which controlled the portal. Maybe the massive power use with something needed to charge whatever controlled the portal. All of the energy might have been going to wherever the portal originated from. They must have damaged it earlier with the barrage of ordnance.
Seconds ago:
Cam was as surprised as everyone else was when everything started being sucked into the portal. It all happened so fast.
She heard Savannah's order to evacuate. She ushered Steve and Tom in front of her to exit the building.
The last thing Cam saw was Cammy and Savannah were about to be sucked in as soon as the lathe went it. Her forward momentum stopped and she was pulled over backwards. She hit the floor hard and started to slide towards the portal. Her finger tips found a groove in the concrete for the roll up door. She held on for all she was worth. She could feel her fingers slipping. She could see the SUV being pulled in. It was right in front of her. She wondered if she would be sucked in before Savannah and Cammy. She really wondered where she was going to end up at.
Steve and Tom were out of the building but being slowed by the pull of the void. They heard Young Allison's directed. They'd technically followed Savannah's order to evacuate the building. They wanted to help Cam without going back.
Tom grabbed onto the side of the door track frame and crushed the metal with his grip to make a handhold. He took Steve's arm.
"Grab her." Tom shouted.
Cam couldn't hold on. She slipped away from the slight groove which had restrained her for a few moments. She figured she was a goner. She felt something grab her ankle. She didn't think it was going to do any good. The pull was extremely strong now.
Steve was able to grab Cam's ankle before she was sucked away. He was the middleman. He held onto Cam and Tom held onto him.
The only trouble now was, none of them could move. It didn't seem like things were going to end well for any of them.
They heard the SUV slam into the lathe. It was followed by a shower of sparks. They figured Cammy and Savannah were gone.
Tom felt the metal framework start to rip loose from the wall. If he let go of Steve, he might be able to save himself. He wasn't going to. If Cam and Steve were going to go, he was going to go with them. It might ensure a better chance of their survival whenever they arrived at whatever the destination was.
The two drones above them still seemed to be able to move. Their altitude was much lower. The power plants were at full capacity now. They both screamed under the strain.
Tom was surprised as one dropped right down on top of him. He realized it was trying to assist him. He quickly transferred his grip from the half torn off metal door frame to a hold on the drone.
The drone started to pull the three of them away. It began to slow and then stopped. It was stuck. The engines screamed at full power. The drone could only hold its own. The second drone dropped down in back of it and began to push it. The five machines slowly moved away from the ever growing vortex.
Cam could feel her gear being ripped off of her as Steve held her ankle. She tried to look back to see what happened to Cammy and Savannah. Once the SUV hit the lathe it seemed like they were finished. All she saw were sparks.
As Cam was slowly drug away from the building, she realized she was only wearing her pants, socks and shoes at this point everything else was gone. It was literally torn off of her by the pull of the vortex.
As soon as she was almost out of the building, the lead drone angled off to the side to try and cut the pull of the portal with the building as a block or shield from the suction.
In a few more seconds she could stand.
"We need to go back for Cammy and Savannah." Cam said.
Steve reached back out and held her.
"They're gone." Steve said.
Cam struggled.
Tom thought he might have to help Steve restrain Cam. If she went back in the building she would be gone too.
"They're gone, Cam." Tom said.
Cam looked back in the darkness of the building. She didn't see them. She only saw the vortex grow bigger and stronger. It was clearly out of control. It appeared it would soon start to rip the building apart.
Young Allison watched in horror from the body cams and drone cams. It was all in infer-red, thermal or other scan spectrums.
She heard the news about Savannah and Cammy. It wasn't what she wanted to hear. She needed to keep it together.
"Get the other drones airborne and evacuate all our troops." Young Allison said. "Get our people out of there."
Anna sent out the command.
"Everyone is withdrawing." Anna said. "We only lost Cammy and Savannah."
Young Allison needed to concentrate. Cameron told her there would be losses at times. She needed to stick with the task.
"Is all the power off?" Young Allison asked.
Anna double checked.
"It was off in the first few seconds." Anna said. "Whatever is happening, is happening on the 'other side' of the portal. It appears to be out of control."
Young Allison thought the building would start to be sucked in soon. She wondered if there was any way to stop it.
She quickly checked with CamNet on her 'personal package'.
It was still a ways out.
"DAMN." Young Allison said.
Anna could see Young Allison was frustrated and angry.
"We don't know much yet as to what's happening." Anna said.
Young Allison wasn't about to wait around and find out. She intended to use every tool available to her. If she was successful, she was going to hit hard. She planned not only to send a message. She planned to make a statement as well.
"Have CamNet prepare for a 'temporal mission'." Young Allison said. "This isn't going to happen. Not this way. Not like this."
Young Allison didn't care if she created a new timeline or not. Things weren't going to end for Savannah like this. It just wasn't going to happen.
John Henry couldn't understand what was happening or how. Something must have happened with the power surge. He'd cut the power almost as soon as the power surge occurred. It seemed to have no effect. Maybe all the ordnance they'd unloaded onto the portal caused some effect there, wherever it was. This was the result once the portal was opened again. It was possible whatever controlled the unknown portal was damaged or destroyed.
He saw the heroic efforts of the Terminators as they assisted each other along with the two drones that helped them. They all could have been pulled in.
John Henry was aware Young Allison was up to something but he didn't know what. He heard her call for CamNet to prepare for a 'temporal mission'.
It didn't look good for Cammy and Savannah right now. He didn't want them to perish into the unknown. He would support whatever efforts were necessary to effectuate some type of rescue.
Claire awoke. She didn't know why. She reached over and felt the comforting form of Jesse. She couldn't really explain it. Jesse was special to her. She made her feel things no other human female could make her feel. She always delivered in bed and never stopped until there was a finish. It usually just wasn't one either.
She thought about the people she'd been with over the years.
There were a lot of guys she didn't even know who'd been with her at parties when she was either drunk or on drugs or both. Then there'd been a dozen females over the years prior to her marriage. Her marriage was something her parents 'made' her do. They wanted to 'cure' her 'confusion' about her body and its function. There was no confusion. It was what she wanted.
The married years were the dull years. Paul gave her two beautiful daughters so she couldn't complain about it. The funny part about it was, it wasn't just 'two daughters'. It was one daughter and at least 'five versions' of the other daughter. Then there were the cyborgs of her daughters….
Jesse stirred. Claire looked at her firm tight body in the gloom of the darkness. She knew Jesse's body had been through a lot. Jesse was with dozens of females and even more males. Most of the males took her by force in her early years when she was younger. She didn't want to think about it. She knew Vanna suffered the same fate and her daughter too. Allison was lucky. It was never more than one male at a time when she was taken. Both Vanna and Jesse told her there were times when there was a line.
Claire may not have had a gun to the side of her head, or a knife to her throat, but she was too incapacitated to prevent herself from having her pants pulled off and her underwear pushed off to the side. Her underwear was often taken by one of the males who'd just abused her. Some of the other girls told her they did it as a trophy. Some of the guys bragged about how many pairs they'd been able to collect. They only counted if it was without the females consent.
She even missed it when her virginity was actually taken from her. She didn't wake up until the guy was about to finish. Even then, she couldn't really even move. The second guy took her then too. They both went a second time and laughed about it as they left her laying half on the bed and half on the floor in the room. They both seemed very proud they'd bagged another virgin.
Claire was startled when Jesse spoke.
"Am I 'good enough'?" Jesse asked.
Claire wondered why Jesse even asked the question.
"What?" Claire asked.
Jesse wanted to know if her past was a problem.
"Am I 'good enough' for you?" Jesse asked.
Claire touched Jesse's cheek and gave her a kiss.
"Yes." Claire said. "You're everything I've ever wanted."
Jesse remembered other women and even some men telling her the same thing. It always ended in disaster at some point.
"I've heard it before." Jesse said.
Claire understood. Things often didn't work out as anticipated.
"I have too." Claire said. "Things change and people change."
Jesse knew she was different now. Cameron changed her by believing in her. Savannah changed her too. She wasn't who she once was. She was very displeased by what she'd become in her future. It was little wonder why everyone hated her there, well, almost everyone.
"I've changed." Jesse said.
Claire knew she wasn't who she was before either.
"I've changed too." Claire said. "Time changes everyone. It's how life works. No one stays in the same spot forever."
Jesse thought of what she'd made a few other females do to 'prove their love' to her. Two of them did it themselves in front of her. The other ones she'd needed to 'help'. They were hesitant to 'prove' their love. She wanted them to have a little reminder. She took everything from them. Sometimes she could still hear their screams. It was a slight consolation for their love. All they would have needed to do is prove they loved her.
"I would have asked something from you before to prove you love me." Jesse said.
Claire remembered the mutilations Jesse told her she'd thrived on. It was very graphic and life altering.
"You told me." Claire said.
Jesse wondered why she hurt people in such a savage manner. She felt bad about it now.
"I won't ever do anything to you." Jesse said.
Claire wanted Jesse to know she was committed to her.
"I'm yours." Claire said.
Jesse smiled. It was good enough now. She wanted to be able to keep Claire happy to keep her around. One thing worried her.
"Are you going to be with John?" Jesse asked.
Claire knew it was going to happen. She'd promised Cameron a baby for John and her. She planned to deliver.
"Yes." Claire said. "I'll do as Cameron has asked me."
Jesse thought it was deeper than just a promise now.
"I heard you speak with Hanna." Jesse said.
Claire knew what the current discussion was really about now.
"It was a private conversation." Claire said.
Jesse used to play by her own rules. She was trying to be a team player now.
"I don't always follow the rules." Jesse said. "I think you know that by now."
Claire could think of a few things she shouldn't have done.
"I guess we all bend them at times." Claire said.
Jesse knew no male ever satisfied Claire in bed.
"Hanna told you how beautiful it was for John to share with Cameron in her chassis." Jesse said.
Claire really wanted to finish once with a male. Just to see what it was like or if it was different. The empty 'used' feeling she was left with previously always bothered her.
"Yes." Claire said. "I wanted to know if John could really 'deliver'."
Jesse asked Sheila about the encounter with John and Cameron in her chassis.
"Sheila told me the same thing. He can." Jesse said.
Claire wanted the same experience. She wasn't afraid to say it.
"I need to try it at least once." Claire said. "I need to be satisfied by a male at least one time. I want to make sure it's not me. I've felt very incomplete about myself anytime I was voluntarily with a male. I know none of them lasted long enough. Somehow I felt it was always me who was defective."
Jesse wanted what Sheila described. It sounded beautiful. It was something in her mind from the moment she saw John. She knew she wanted more in the first instant.
"We'll both find out." Jesse said. "I want to try it one time as well."
Claire wanted to protect her daughter. The fear Cameron expressed to her was real. People could die if they were pegged as 'Metal Lovers'. She'd been with Vanna many times. She'd been with Savannah as well. She didn't believe the true calling of any 'Savannah Weaver' was with a male. Savannah wasn't the only one she wanted to 'protect'. Maybe it was all in her head. Maybe it was just 'motherly instinct'.
"Maybe if I please him, my Allison and Savannah won't need to share his bed in the future." Claire said. "The anti-Metal people may still try to assassinate him. They may kill those around him too. I want to protect the others too."
It was clear Claire would rather sacrifice her life, than the lives of Savannah and her daughter.
Jesse didn't want anyone hurt. She would try and protect all of them. She didn't see why they couldn't do it as a 'three way'. It would just be a different 'three way' than what Cameron imagined. Actually it was a 'four way' if Cameron was thrown into the mix. Somehow it just seemed to make everything even better just by thinking about it.
"We can do it together." Jesse said.
Claire was aware the threat of death was real.
"Even if it means we're killed?" Claire asked.
Jesse often thought of suicide when she was younger. She remembered one time in a Scavenger camp when she'd just been abused for two days straight. She could hardly even walk afterwards. She'd passed out at some point, because she wasn't crying and screaming with pain anymore, they'd left. She found a revolver in a pile of clothes they left behind. There were five fired casings in it and one live round. She spun the cylinder and closed it. She held it to the side of her head and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. She pulled the trigger again. Nothing happened. She wondered what she was doing. She'd been through the abuse a dozen times already. She could get through the new one too. Was there a point to living? The next words were tied to the past. They slipped out anyway.
"How long do you want to live anyway?" Jesse asked.
Claire held a secret she needed to tell Jesse.
"Hopefully long enough to have my baby." Claire said.
The words took a few seconds to sink in.
"What?" Jesse asked.
Claire told Jesse her secret.
"I'm pregnant." Claire said.
Jesse was a little confused. She'd seen the way males looked at Claire.
"Who's the father?" Jesse asked.
Claire could tell Jesse was worried.
"John." Claire said. "It's Allison's baby. Cameron implanted it in me like she did before."
It was news to Jesse.
"Does anyone know this?" Jesse asked. "Does Allison know?"
Claire was afraid she'd said too much.
"You need to keep it a secret for now. Only the Metal girls know." Claire said. "It's why they scan me every time they get close to me."
It was great news. Jesse wanted to be a mother and now she could have the chance with Claire.
"I want you to keep it." Jesse said. "I want the baby for us."
Claire knew it wasn't her baby.
"Allison will need it." Claire said. "It's her baby. I can't take my daughter's baby from her."
Jesse was ready now to be a mother. Working with Precious confirmed it.
"I want it for us." Jesse said. "It can be our baby."
Claire wanted to make Jesse happy.
"I don't know." Claire said. "I promised Allison before to have her baby for her."
Claire knew how upset Allison was because Future Allison was given her baby. She thought everything was agreed to ahead of time. Future Allison was her daughter too. Somehow it was all more complicated than it needed to be.
Jesse wanted her to reconsider.
"What about us?" Jesse asked.
Claire would like her own baby.
"When I'm with John, after I have Allison's baby, I'll have my own. It will be for us."
Jesse's eyes lit up.
"Do you promise?" Jesse asked.
Claire was excited at the thought. She was going to do it anyway. It seemed she had even more motivation now to do it.
"I promise." Claire said. "We'll have a baby to raise as our own."
Jesse thought about the internal conflicts she'd faced before.
"I wanted to ask my mother before to help me. I never did." Jesse said. "I can't ask Young Jesse to give up a child, her child. Seeing Riley with Precious and hearing Savannah cry at night before shows me how special it is."
Claire could only imagine the anguish a loving teenager would feel about giving up her children. She wondered how the relationship between Jesse and Savannah started.
"Is that when you were first with Savannah?" Claire asked.
Jesse remembered all the times Savannah made herself available to her as a very young teenager. It took all of her will to resist Savannah then. She was sure Cameron or Vanna would have killed her if she would have touched Savannah. She truly believed it was what would happen. She wanted Claire to understand what her hesitation was based on.
"Savannah wanted to be with me before she was with Young Jesse." Jesse said. "I was afraid Cameron or Vanna would kill me."
Claire thought it sounded like a real threat.
"Do you mean it as a figure of speech?" Claire asked.
Jesse was sure if Cameron didn't snap her neck. Vanna would shoot her dead. Actually, Vanna would probably have used a knife to make it personal.
"No. I mean kill me for real." Jesse said. "Vanna warned me to stay away from Savannah several times. We were in a loving relationship. I could see she was dead serious. I never did anything inappropriate."
Claire knew they were active.
"How did it happen?" Claire asked.
Jesse remembered waking up and Cameron was in her room. It was clear Cameron had been crying.
"Cameron told me Savannah needed HER Jesse." Jesse said. "Cameron used to hear Savannah cry at night too. Cameron made it clear it was OK for me to comfort Savannah to help her."
It still seemed like there was a lot of 'gray area' to Claire.
"Would you have been with Savannah if Cameron hadn't 'approved it'?" Claire asked.
Jesse knew if two people were around each other long enough, one of two things would happen. Either they would end up loving each other, or they would end up hating each other. She didn't think she would ever hate Savannah. It left only one other choice.
"I'm sure I would have been at some point." Jesse said. "The next time Savannah came to me, I held her in my arms all night."
Claire wanted to make sure what Jesse actually meant.
"You didn't do anything?" Claire asked.
Jesse remembered back on her first time with Savannah.
"Not until the next day. In the morning she touched me." Jesse said. "Her kiss is what did it. It was a kiss that begged for love and understanding. I kissed her back slowly, soft and tender. It was beautiful. I could feel her hunger for me."
Claire experienced almost the same thing.
"She kissed me the same way in Cameron's future." Claire said. "We were both very pregnant at the time. It was a kiss like I never experienced before. It was like you said."
Jesse knew it was the kiss of love. It wasn't a kiss just about sex or sexual gratification. It was much deeper. It wasn't someone knocking on the skin. It was someone knocking on the heart.
"Savannah is very special." Jesse said. "We made love after the kiss for the first time. I don't think I was ever the same afterwards. I knew there was real love and real beauty in the world. I knew someone wanted to share with ME because it was ME. Not what I could offer or provide for THEM, but for the person I was – am."
Claire felt the same way. The words she'd often heard just slipped out.
"We've all been 'touched' by the 'Chosen One'." Claire said.
Jesse felt a chill go down her spine.
"I honestly believe it." Jesse said. "If anything ever happened to Savannah, it would kill me."
Claire felt goose bumps on her skin.
"It would kill me too." Claire said.
Jesse felt something.
"It would kill all of us and probably kill the Resistance too." Jesse said.
Something gripped Claire from inside. She looked at Jesse with wide eyes.
"Savannah is in danger." Claire said.
Jesse sat up.
"I feel it too." Jesse said.
Claire felt things change inside her.
"I think we were just both 'touched' by Savannah somehow." Claire said.
Jesse got up.
"Something's happened." Jesse said.
Claire got up too.
"Let's go find out." Claire said.
Jesse knew where to go to get some answers.
"Let's go." Jesse said.
They both took off and headed for the Control Center. They were both naked. It was doubtful because of the panic that gripped them, they even knew it at this point. Even if they did, they wouldn't care. Savannah was the only thing that mattered.
The female Fanatic came up along the side of the building on the other side of the street. She carefully looked around the corner. She was a little worried at what she didn't see. She didn't see the Gray. She didn't know where he'd gone. She quickly dropped down to the ground. She continued to peer around the corner. she tried to see where he was at or if he was on his way back. She didn't think he could have made it all the way back to where she was currently if he'd spotted her.
She realized she now held her knife in her hand. She was ready to fight. She really hoped she wasn't bringing a knife to a gunfight. She lay on the ground and continued to peek around the corner for any sign of movement.
There was a chance he may have crossed the street to the other side. She looked intently in that direction. She still didn't see him. She glanced behind her to see if anything had changed. The car was still on its side in the street. There was someone screaming and kicking the car. She didn't know if they thought they could turn it back over onto its wheels. She figured it would need a Terminator or half a dozen men to be able to do something of that magnitude. A car on its side was hard to upright.
It occurred to her the car may have been blown over by the blast of the building blowing up. If it was, it was her fault. It was something she couldn't worry about. There was always collateral damage in wartime. Sometimes a target needed to be attacked. Oftentimes there were people in the vicinity who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. It appeared the driver of the car was one such individual.
It still didn't explain to her how the Gray was away from the building and moving back in the direction of the shopping center already. It made her wonder why he was going to the shopping center. Maybe he knew the men from the van were headed there to try and abduct a poor innocent female. She was pleased it didn't happen.
They picked the wrong 'innocent female' to mess with. They'd paid the price. It was when she realized they were Grays it disgusted her the most. Not only would they have jumped her there. It would have happened in the back of the van repeatedly before they brought her to the location she'd just flattened. At that point, she would be tied to the 'comfort bunk' until she died. She really didn't understand why they just couldn't take matters into their own hands. It's what she did, unless there was another female handy. It was much simpler and easier.
She'd recently been with a male lover. He was killed in one of the attacks against the Skynet forces. He was a nice guy and he treated her with some respect. He always made sure she wanted more before he advanced too far when they were together. It wasn't always the case with a male lover. Some of them expected her to do a lot of things for them. Those were usually the ones who never gave her much in return. Well, they usually left her with a mess to deal with. It was even more dissatisfying.
Female lovers were hard to come across in the past. She would need to go outside of their group to find one. She was the only female in her cell. Right now she was the only survivor from her cell. She really would like to find another group of SkyMaster followers. Operating on her own was very trying. She was pretty sure she'd been near Ascension half a dozen times in the last two days. Somehow fate and SkyMaster had looked out for her. She almost ended up tied to a comfort bunk several times. She checked her poison tooth. It was still ready to go. She would rather die fighting to achieve a higher level of Ascension if it was all possible.
There!
She'd spotted something.
The Gray moved up against the side of one of the buildings and waited for a moment to see if anyone appeared behind him. He really wished he still had a weapon. He couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched. He didn't think it was the driver of the other vehicle. The way he'd seen them behaving, he would need to shoot them to calm them down. He knew shooting somebody always seemed to have a way of calming them down.
A minute passed, he'd counted the seconds. There was no sign of anyone. Maybe he was just being paranoid after surviving the blast. He knew everyone else was killed. He saw two thirds of the building was gone. There were flames coming out the front. There's no way anyone could have survived.
He needed to get moving again. He continued to move up as close to the buildings as possible. He didn't want to be silhouetted and spotted. He checked behind him occasionally to see if there was anyone on the street or sidewalk. There wasn't.
He really wanted to find a vehicle as soon as possible. He didn't want to be climbing over fences and looking around behind any of the buildings to see what he could find. It would take a lot of time. He listened for any emergency response. He couldn't hear anything. He knew sirens were usually of a higher pitch tone. He wasn't sure if that part of his hearing would come back soon. He wasn't sure if it would ever come back. Right now he needed to put distance between him and the site of the explosion.
He wasn't worried about the fireman who might show up. He was worried about the police. Without a weapon, he was really a sitting duck. He checked behind him again.
CamNet's Terminators were both a little irritated they couldn't move in and terminate the two individuals. They were both the enemy. There was no need to continue to let them live. They should be dealt with and terminated as soon as possible. Their instructions were otherwise. They monitored the two individuals on the ground from the drone footage.
"The Gray thinks he's being followed." The first Terminator said.
The second Terminator thought it was a just presumption.
"He is being followed." The second Terminator said. "The female Fanatic isn't the only one who has their eye on him."
Both of the Terminators wanted to move in and terminate the Gray and the female Fanatic. They were both in the same area right now.
CamNet instructed them to let things play out. They were going to have to move. One of the two individuals was bound to spot them depending upon what streets they took. It was clear they were both looking for a vehicle. Their vehicle would attract them to it.
"We're going to need to move to a new position in the next three minutes." The first Terminator said.
The second Terminator was aware of the situation.
"I think we can go back to the supermarket." The second Terminator said. "There aren't a whole lot of choices for them to find a vehicle before they reach it."
CamNet's Terminators started their vehicle and headed for the shopping center.
The female Fanatic continued to lay on the ground and wait. She finally saw the Gray move. He was still three buildings away from her. He wasn't on the sidewalk anymore. He continued to move in the same way she'd moved. He tried to present as low of a profile as possible. She needed to be careful because the burning building was behind her. It would be easier for her to be spotted.
She considered going back down to the street where the car was at on its side. The Gray wouldn't be able to spot her if she did. If she were to run, she could get ahead of him again. He didn't seem to be moving very fast to her. She wondered if he was injured. She didn't know where he was at when the bomb exploded. He could have been in front of the building or he could have been in a vehicle. She didn't think it was the one on its side. She'd seen another vehicle behind her as she made her turn along the side of the target building. She remembered it was a different color than the one the man continued to kick the hood on.
She decided to take the long way around. The risk of being shot at was too great to follow the Gray with the burning building behind her. She didn't think she could make it across the street and take the next street over going towards the shopping market.
The female Fanatic needed to backtrack. She took off at a run towards the street she'd approached the building in the van on. She would need to pass by the intersection where the car on its side was at.
The Gray continued to look behind him. He would pause every now and then to make sure there was no one there. He looked close up against the buildings the same way he was moving. He didn't spot anyone.
He periodically checked this hearing to see if it improved any. He figured the more his ears rang, the more his hearing was coming back. He would be at the next cross street soon. He would have to determine if he wanted to continue on the street he was on or move one more street closer to the shopping market and the main street on the cross street. If he stayed on the street he was on, he could continue to watch behind him. If he moved up on the cross street and then took the next street over, it would put him further away from anyone searching the area.
He reached the next cross street and paused. He looked in the direction he was going to see if he could spot any vehicles up against any of the buildings. There were none parked against the curb. He looked both ways up and down the cross street. So far he still hadn't heard any sirens.
The Gray made his decision. He turned at the cross street to go towards the main street. He hoped to find a vehicle on the next cross street it came to as he made his way towards the shopping center.
CamNet's Terminators needed to reposition themselves. They decided to wait near the shopping center. They figured one or both of the individuals would arrive there soon.
They're Gone
Everyone wants to be treated fairly
Is it really too much to ask
They want to see the real person
Not the other behind a mask
To be who one is
May not often be pretty
It's the true reality
There shouldn't be any pity
If push comes to shove
Things have gone too far
The relationship is what suffers
There will be a permanent mar
One tries to accommodate harshness
A person can try to bend
But it's only so far
Sooner rather than later it's all pretend
One can only take so much
As upon the other it may slowly dawn
As they take a good look around
They soon realize they're gone
Nobody