Chapter 4

Tight

Sarah Connor:

When is a machine no longer a machine? Is it when it can think on its own? Is it when it can create things? Maybe it's when it can recognize beauty. When a machine can create art in the form of dance or poetry, is it still only a machine? If a machine can experience or express anger, joy, hate, jealousy and love, what separates it from humans at that point? When the machines are able to reproduce other machines in their image, on their own and teach them to learn, what are they? At what point does a machine which can do everything a human can, actually become a mechanical human?

Vanna stood there and looked at Cameron. She knew it was a machine she looked at. It wasn't a human. It wasn't a person. There was no denying the beauty of what she looked at. She understood humans could look at a vehicle or an aircraft and see beauty.

Her hand gently ran up the length of Cameron's body. The sheath was soft and smooth. It was perfect. The only thing missing were the little scars, here and there. It was Allison, Her Allison, in every way. She bent down and kissed Cameron's cheek ever so softly. It still wasn't HER Allison, even if they were identical. She was done for now. The cosmetic repairs were finished. The new connector was installed in the back of Cameron's neck. It was less cumbersome than the one originally used with John Henry in the back of his head. It was time for the interface with Cameron's server.

To see Cameron like this now in perfect condition made Vanna miss Allison even more. She appreciated the fact she was brought to the past, the present, from the future. The cost of leaving her beloved behind was too painful. If she had to do it again, she would refuse to go without Allison. It was better to live in Hell with the one she loved, than in Paradise 'alone'. It was a slow motion death as an empty heart withered. She was alone. Allison was in the future alone too. She may even be dead by now or worse. She could have fallen into the hands of Skynet or Scavengers. Being captured by Scavengers was a fate worse than death. She'd seen the bodies of the females, and even some males, after the Scavengers were done with them. Allison deserved better than that. All of them did.

Allison was her love.

Allison was her life.

Allison was her everything.

Allison was gone.

Vanna needed to refocus. She'd previously asked Sarah how Cameron should be dressed.

Sarah told her what to get Cameron for her clothing. She told her down to the last detail, even the purple underwear. The clothes were stacked neatly on the table in front of her. Cameron wore a hospital type gown. Before the gown covered her damage, now it covered her beauty.

Cameron was fitted with a compact neck port to connect her chassis with her server. It was more aesthetic and efficient than the crude connector John Henry was connected to his old server with. Cameron provided them with specifications through her server to improve the interface. It was much more discreet.

Vanna spent hours talking to Cameron on her server when she should have been sleeping. She'd grown very fond of Cameron the more she interacted with her. Cameron may be a computer program, but she was very pleasant to speak to. She became very attached to Cameron in the days they shared with each other.

It was much different than a physical relationship. Everything was done through verbal communication. Cameron asked not to have an image of her on the computer monitor when they conversed. It's somehow made their interaction more personal. It was very beautiful. They built a special bond.

It was time to get Cameron's chassis connected to the server.

Vanna looked at Sarah.

Sarah swallowed hard and nodded.

Vanna nodded at Mr. Murch.

Mr. Murch plugged the cable into Cameron's server. He was ready to instantly unplug it if there were any difficulties or issues.

Vanna plugged the cable into the back of Cameron's neck.

Cameron's eyes opened immediately.

Vanna sucked in her breath as she saw her 'big brown puppy dog eyes' look at her.

Cameron sat up and looked around.

Vanna took a few steps back to give Cameron some space.

Cameron looked at the three individuals in the room with her. She asked Mr. Murch and Vanna to leave for a few minutes.

Both of them left without a word. They were proud of their workmanship. They allowed Cameron the privacy to get dressed without an audience.

Sarah remained with Cameron. They were alone now.

Cameron stood. Sarah moved up and hugged her. She hesitated at first and then hugged Sarah back.

She scanned Sarah to see what the changes were, if any in her body. She always monitored Sarah for any changes. It was important to John his mother didn't get 'sick'. She checked whenever she could as discreetly as possible. There were no new changes detected since the last scan a few weeks ago.

Cameron looked down at her gown. She slipped the gown off. She stood naked in front of Sarah.

Sarah couldn't help but see Cameron's beauty, all of it.

Cameron was worried about her appearance. It was something which was important to John.

"Sarah, please be honest with me." Cameron said. "How do I look?"

Sarah looked at Cameron from head to toe as she slowly turned around in a circle. She wished she could have looked as beautiful herself when she was younger. She wished she could look like that now. Any female would wish she could look like that.

"You're perfect, Cameron." Sarah said. "You're one hundred percent."

Cameron checked every part of her body. She did internal scans and external physical checks. She was satisfied. Sarah helped her get dressed. Sarah brought a small mirror and makeup for her.

Sarah was a little surprised when Cameron used the mirror to check another part of her body. It was clear Cameron wanted to make sure everything was complete. She went ahead and dressed. She made sure her makeup was the way she wanted it.

Everything is perfect now Cameron thought, except I am stuck here with this cable. I'm tethered to a computer server. My mind is a prisoner in a metal box.

Cameron looked in the mirror at herself. Her clothing was perfect and her makeup was perfect. At least I look Tight again, she thought. She wanted John to be pleased when he saw her again. She'd been a little worse for the wear the last time he'd viewed her. It wasn't her fault. It was his. She wanted him to see her now. It was all that mattered.

It was important to Cameron to look Tight. She knew how much John liked her to look Tight. She could always tell when she'd scanned him. The Tighter she looked, the more John responded. She liked when John responded to her. It left her with a satisfied feeling. It also seemed to make him more compliant with her suggestions. She didn't think it was intentional on her part. It was an unintended byproduct. In her observation of human females, she noted there were other ways to make a male more receptive to their wishes.

Sarah looked around and gave Cameron one final inspection. The beauty radiated off of Cameron.

"You look perfect as always, Cameron." Sarah said. "You truly are beautiful."

Cameron appreciated the fact Sarah was there for every second of her recovery. She also liked the complements. Sarah wasn't always as nice to her. The earlier behavior could be overlooked since Sarah was responsible for her rebuilding and recovery. Sarah protected her chassis as well as her program. It wouldn't be forgotten. When it really mattered, Sarah was there for her.

Cameron understood what Sarah wanted and what her motivation was. It happened to be the same as hers. She made a promise to Sarah and herself.

"Thank you, Sarah, for everything." Cameron said. "As soon as I become mobile, I'm going to get John back for both of us. I swear it. I'll follow him to the ends of the earth or time if I need to."

Sarah was aware only Cameron could bring him back. She was what he would return for.

"I believe you." Sarah said. "I thank you with all my heart as well."

Sarah hugged her and left.

Vanna entered the room.

Cameron's back was to Vanna.

Vanna returned to see how the interface turned out. She stopped dead in her tracks as Cameron turned around.

Her mouth dropped open, her heart fluttered. Allison never looked this beautiful, ever. She honestly didn't think Allison ever could, even if she was in the past, the present. Look at - HER. Cameron was perfect. Just LOOK at HER!

Vanna was speechless. Cameron was stunning, ravishing and beyond gorgeous. It was incredible. She saw Cameron's beauty before. Somehow it was even better. It was amazing to see her alive and moving. She looked better than any person she'd ever known, even in the past which was the present.

Cameron studied Vanna's awe at her appearance. She hoped John would look at her the same way when she found him.

"Hello, Vanna." Cameron said. "Thank you for helping restore my chassis and sheath - my body. You've done an excellent job. I won't forget this. John will be very pleased when he sees me again."

Vanna continued to look at her. Words were beyond formulation for her right now. She saw her beloved standing before her, but it wasn't Allison, it was Cameron, a cyborg. She was totally captivated.

She wanted to say something but found it a little hard to think of any words right now. She was as infatuated as she was captivated.

Vanna became 'attached' to Cameron on her server as she'd interacted with her. They would talk for hours at night and make each other laugh. She was able to see the beauty in Cameron, even as a computer program. They'd become friends. She'd grown very attached to Cameron as she worked with her program on the server. This was the icing on the cake. This was the whole package. This was the real deal.

Cameron was unsure what to say. She could see Vanna's face and all its emotions changing and in flux.

Cameron visually scanned Vanna and everything about her.

"I know you." Cameron said.

Vanna's inner thoughts slipped out.

"And I know you." Vanna said.

Cameron's head tilted slightly to the side.

Vanna wanted to offer an explanation.

"I mean, I know Allison Young." Vanna said.

Cameron was now able to use all her Terminator abilities. She could put it all together. What she deduced is what she'd feared. There was more than one future now.

"You're Savannah Weaver from the future. You're a different Savannah than I knew in my future. Your hair is different. I also knew an Allison Young from my future."

Vanna wanted to hear more, even if it wasn't the same Allison. The idea of 'another Allison' intrigued her greatly.

"What was she like?" Vanna asked.

Cameron didn't want to elaborate. She wasn't proud of what happened on the aircraft carrier. There was a new 'feeling' she felt. She was ashamed of it. There was now a sense of remorse and guilt. She decided to keep it simple.

"She loved John Connor." Cameron said. "John Connor loved her."

A small frown appeared on Vanna's face.

Cameron saw the upset and hurt on Vanna's face.

"Allison loved you as well." Cameron said. "Allison loved Her Savannah."

The smile returned to Vanna's face. There were a couple of things she needed to make Cameron understand.

"I never knew a John Connor in my past, the future. It's best if you refer to me as Vanna in this timeline. I'm helping raise my younger self along with Mr. Ellison. I don't want her to know she is me, or I am her, until we find out more about my 'mother', Mrs. Weaver. The loss of her parents, all three of them now, is going to be very hard on her. She has already lost so much."

Cameron nodded. She felt Savannah should know the truth about everything. She'd been targeted by Skynet for termination. Her survival would now depend on them.

"I understand." Cameron said. "It may be difficult for her, but we should tell her the truth. One day she will know it anyway. It's only a matter of time. I always want the truth. I don't want anyone to lie to me. I always want to know where I stand and I don't like lies."

Vanna felt she'd always been truthful to Cameron on her server.

She still had trouble believing her eyes. Seeing was believing in this case.

"You look very pretty, Alli… – Cameron." Vanna said. "May I give you a hug?"

It caught Cameron off guard. Sarah did too earlier when she wanted a hug. She actually liked the closeness of it from Sarah. It communicated a lot, without words needing to be spoken. It was a physical act of sharing and closeness. It was something special.

"A hug? Why?" Cameron asked. "I saw how you would look at me as you repaired me. It was with a 'loving touch' and tenderness I believe."

Cameron would have liked to have been connected to her chassis then. She wanted to feel those 'sensations'. She thought of asking Vanna to repeat them so she could see how they felt on her restored sheath.

Vanna felt a little self conscious. She wanted to offer an explanation.

"Allison was my friend, my special friend. We were lovers." Vanna said. "Life was very hard in the Wastelands and many terrible things happened there, especially to females. We found understanding, comfort and love in each other."

Cameron tilted her head slightly at this revelation. Some things were still the same, while others were different in the two future timelines.

"We were separated when I was sent back to this timeline." Vanna said. "I never thought I would see you - her again. I miss her dearly."

Cameron wanted Vanna to be clear.

"I am not her, but I understand. I really do." Cameron said. "I was constructed in her image and share many of her memories."

Vanna felt it was more than just Cameron sharing Allison's appearance. It was her interaction with Cameron on her server. Now it was real. Cameron now was 'alive' and had a body.

She moved up and hugged Cameron close.

Cameron could sense Vanna's vitals changing. She put her arms around her and gently hugged her back. Sometimes it is nice to have help. She felt Vanna's tears on her neck.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Cameron said.

Vanna regained her composure. She never thought she would feel 'Allison' in her arms again. She was also overjoyed to 'touch' Cameron physically, instead of just mentally.

"I am too, thank you. I won't bother you again this way." Vanna said as she wiped her tears away.

As Vanna moved away, Cameron gently pulled her close and kissed her softly on the cheek.

Cameron wanted to return the kiss to her cheek Vanna gave her earlier when her repairs were done.

"There, we're even now." Cameron said as she gave Vanna a wink.

A deeper emotion flooded Vanna. She didn't see 'Allison' any more. She only saw Cameron. She was beautiful both inside and out. Cameron was the most special person she'd ever known. The void in her heart didn't feel as deep anymore.

Sarah Connor:

The battle for the future has been in play for years. Few are able to recognize it as such. The majority of them see it as progress. I don't think extinction would be viewed as progress by anyone if they understood the true nature of events. There doesn't appear to be a way to open anyone's eyes until they're directly affected. The concept of what is coming is simply too hard for the average human brain to accept. An enemy always holds the advantage, when they're not recognized as the enemy.