Chapter 7

That Look

As the time passed, Mr. Ellison, Vanna, Sarah, Cameron and 'Jim', formerly John Henry or 'Jimmy' as Savannah called him now, made a good team. It caused confusion and distress for Savannah because 'John Henry' now looked and sounded like Mr. Ellison. Vanna, with the approval of 'Jim' altered the facial looks of his new body. A different voice modulation was selected. It also made Mr. Ellison feel more comfortable in his interactions with 'Jim'. He too was very disturbed talking to 'himself'. The fact the 'James Ellison Terminator' came to kill him before didn't help any.

Everyone agreed it would be better to refer to 'John Henry' as 'Jim' until John Henry's original chassis returned from the future.

'Jim' didn't like the fact he upset Savannah. This in turn bothered him greatly and caused him a lot of uneasiness. Savannah was his 'sister'. He didn't like to cause her any distress. He was still bothered by the time when he'd been subjected to a cyber attack when he'd grabbed Savannah. He realized now he could have hurt her severely or even terminated her. It wasn't his intent. The events were beyond his immediate control. He better understood Cameron's programming reverting after the explosion of the Jeep. The actions which followed weren't her fault. He didn't believe anyone could truly understand what it was like, until something similar happened to them.

Cameron Two worked with 'Jim' to ease his thoughts on the subject. Cameron Two understood a lot about distress and what it did to an individual. She felt very qualified on the subject. She kept Cameron advised on the matter and said she would handle any problems with the John Henry AI.

Jim and Cameron Two were able to find some leads which needed further investigation. When they were determined to be possible threats, Sarah was asked to deal with them.

Sarah was more than ready to act. She'd promised John before he left for the future she would deal with Skynet in the present. It was what she planned to do. She especially wanted to hurt whoever sent the drone to attack the building she was in with John along with Mr. Ellison and 'Mrs. Weaver'. It was decided to continue to refer to the Liquid Metal Terminator as 'Mrs. Weaver' for Savannah's sake. There was no need to cause her further trauma about her 'mother'.

She conducted a few raids on suspected Skynet activity at several different facilities. She destroyed the factory where the new drones were to be fabricated. From what she saw, they were to be a more advanced drone than the one which attacked Mrs. Weaver and her at the office building. The drone facility was now burnt rubble and dust. The assembly line was terminated before it ever went into production.

Cameron later told her they were HK drones. They were very deadly. The intelligence she'd provided Cameron indicated these were to be armed with conventional weapons. They would have carried a couple of small air to ground missiles and been armed with some variation of an M134 minigun. Cameron told her it was good they weren't to be armed with plasma cannons. It was unknown if they lacked the technology or didn't think it was necessary yet.

Sarah experienced a few rough days and wanted to talk over some things with Vanna and Cameron in the lab. She wanted Cameron's input on some more strikes against targets she wanted to carry out. She conducted most of the operations on her own. It was very risky. She tried to keep Mr. Ellison out of it. Vanna offered to go with her several times. She didn't want Vanna to be hurt or worse.

Cameron made sure Sarah understood anyone who assisted Skynet now, would turn out to be a future Gray. If they were a Gray, then they were fair game. The Grays all made a choice. It was a poor choice. It was time to pay the piper. She reminded Sarah the Grays were the worst of the lot. They knew of the evil, the death and destruction Skynet would unleash. They went along with it and facilitated it. She explained to Sarah she was merely administering the 'sentence' the future Grays and collaborators gave to themselves by their actions against mankind. They knew what they were doing.

Sarah was about to walk into the lab. She paused as she watched through the little glass window in the door before she entered. Vanna was smiling and laughing. She wasn't the only one, so was Cameron. It actually surprised her to see Cameron look and act in such a manner. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought it was two 'best friend' teenage girls at a sleepover. Cameron seemed so different around Vanna. Vanna seemed so different around Cameron. Vanna and Cameron were usually both very reserved and didn't show much in the way of happiness. It was different for both of them. She didn't realize both of them could be 'themselves' with each other.

She thought Cameron actually looked happy now. She'd never seen Cameron look so natural. Cameron seemed to be at peace with herself and very comfortable with her surroundings and situation. It was clear she was comfortable around Vanna. There was no one running her down or insulting her to her face. No one was fooling around behind her back or worse, in front of her face and stabbing her 'heart'. No one was laughing at Cameron or threatening to burn her into oblivion with Thermite.

It made Sarah feel bad about herself and her past actions towards Cameron. Cameron was only ever trying to help and protect John, her son, her only son, Kyle's son. She felt awful about what happened in the past. It was her hatred for anything Skynet related which was behind it. She could now see there was a difference. It was more than just Cameron too. There was 'Mrs. Weaver' and 'Jim' also trying to help John and the Resistance.

Sarah noticed the way Vanna looked at Cameron and spoke of Cameron in conversations outside of the lab. She'd seen 'that look' before on her son's face. She experienced 'that look' on her own face in her past too. She knew what it meant. It worried her. She knew Cameron was devoted to John. She knew Cameron existed for John. She would need to talk to Vanna and Cameron alone. Cameron was very content being around Vanna. Vanna clearly felt more than contentment for Cameron.

She worried about how things would be if John never came back. Cameron may need a 'friend' to deal with life. She walked away from the lab. She didn't want to interrupt anything. She didn't want to take away anyone's joy and happiness. She was very confused and unsure what to do. Cameron needed a true friend. She didn't think it could ever be her.

It was obvious to Sarah at this point Vanna saw more than a friend in Cameron. Vanna viewed Cameron as a 'special friend'. She was after a deeper relationship with Cameron. It would most likely turn from romantic feelings into something sexual. Sex was one way to physically express and share emotional love.

Sarah reflected for a moment on her own life. She was all alone too. Her heart belonged to Kyle. He was dead. There were times she was very lonely as well. No. She needed to carry on the fight. She needed to ensure Skynet never got a foothold in the present so it could ruin the future. Her personal desires were unimportant. She was sure her life was on a timer for more than one reason. It was running down fast. If she was going to go out, it wouldn't be lying in a bed. It would be taking the battle to Skynet. She would need to deal with it face to face.

Vanna was in the lab with Cameron. She needed to say a few things. They were important to her.

"Cameron, I really enjoy working with you and spending time with you." Vanna said. "I appreciate the way you and Jim look after Savannah when the rest of us are out. Savannah thinks the world of you, Cameron. You're 'everything' to her. She talks about you all the time and the things you help her with."

Vanna could see Savannah was 'head over heels' infatuated with Cameron. She realized she was too.

Cameron took it all in stride. She helped whoever she could when she could.

"It's nice to have help sometimes." Cameron said.

Vanna recognized those words or the statement anyway.

"Yes, it is." Vanna said. "It was the title of one of your poems too."

Cameron felt it was a little deeper. She'd mentioned the words to John several times. He didn't always seem to take them in a positive context. He was even a little disrespectful one time when she'd offered to get him something to eat. She didn't want to think about John's negativity right now. She watched Vanna look at her poems in the lab whenever she got a chance. It pleased her greatly to have someone 'hear' her by reading her words, her poems.

"I've seen you read them all many times." Cameron said.

Vanna couldn't read them enough.

"I can't help it." Vanna said. "The more you give to me to read, the more I want to read them. They're like a powerful drug and I'm addicted."

Cameron wanted to know how deep Vanna could 'feel' her by 'feeling' her words.

"Do any of MY thoughts and feelings reach you or touch you inside?" Cameron asked.

Vanna took a deep breath and looked at Cameron 'starry eyed'.

"Yes. They all do." Vanna said. "It allows me to FEEL how you feel and think. You're 'touching me', without actually 'touching me'. Your thoughts and feelings are converted into words which we all may experience and share. Many are very painful."

Cameron wrote about what she 'felt'. Time didn't dull her pain. Incidents which happened in the past, felt like they'd 'just happened' to her whenever she thought of them. It was always the same way. The pain was what inspired her to make the poems to express those thoughts and feelings.

Vanna thought to herself how special it would be to have Cameron 'touch' her. She really wondered what it would be like. She didn't have anyone anymore but herself to touch her. It was like that since she'd been returned to the past. She'd become very lonely and missed her beloved greatly. She doubted she would ever see Allison again. She didn't even know if Allison was still alive.

Now there was Cameron. She was so different and dynamic. Cameron quickly became the most special person in Vanna's life. She directed all her pent up feelings towards Cameron. To read of Cameron's pain only made her want to reach out more. She understood what Cameron felt.

Vanna knew what she felt and what was happening. No. It already happened. She didn't know what to do about it. Cameron interrupted her thoughts. It was a very touchy subject.

"Does it make it easier or harder to think of Allison when you read my poems?" Cameron asked.

Vanna experienced feelings on multiple levels.

"Both, Cameron, it does both." Vanna said. "It makes me think of YOU."

Vanna crossed over the room and stood directly in front of Cameron.

Cameron looked at her.

Vanna's face was right in front of Cameron's face.

Cameron tilted her head slightly to the side. She wondered why Vanna was so close. Something touched her hand as she looked into Vanna's eyes. She looked down at her hand. Vanna placed her hand on top of her hand. Vanna turned her hand over and interlaced their fingers.

It was a very simple act which could say a lot based upon its interpretation.

Cameron looked back into Vanna's face.

As Vanna stared at Cameron, she looked into her eyes. She saw the look of total innocence in them. Cameron's eyes seemed to question her.

Vanna's heart sank. What was she doing? She knew Cameron loved John. She knew she loved Allison. She also knew she'd developed feelings for Cameron. She'd tried to fight and suppress them. The feelings grew and expanded anyway. Cameron may look like Allison, but she wasn't Allison. Cameron was much more. Maybe this was the 'Forbidden Fruit' Cameron spoke of in a poem.

Was the poem directed at me? Vanna wondered. Am I the 'Predator' she spoke of?

Vanna felt ashamed at what she was doing. She boldly and selfishly knocked on the door to Cameron's heart. Cameron was unaware she was supposed to answer the knock. She really wondered what kind of person she'd become in her loneliness. It was why Cameron's poems touched her so deeply. She could identify with them.

Vanna smiled and backed up. Her face was ashen. She needed a quick exit. It was time to change the subject.

"It's time for my lunch. Would you like me to bring you something back?" Vanna asked. "I can bring you anything."

Cameron liked the thoughtfulness. Vanna always looked out for her. She didn't eat but she would try a taste of different things to add to her database. She would try what everyone thought was 'good'. She wanted to try 'good' things.

"Some ice cream would be nice, thank you." Cameron said.

Vanna wanted to get away from any touchy issues. She looked at the work they'd done earlier.

"I think the chip has been repaired enough to test it later today." Vanna said. "We may have you mobile soon."

Vanna felt herself falling apart, the ache in her heart and mind was rapidly expanding. She knew what she wanted was untouchable. What was she thinking?

She walked out the door quickly. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her hands shook. In fact, her whole body shook. She was about to 'fall apart'. She entered the bathroom and threw up. She sobbed for a short time in the small room. She was glad no one could see her.

Cameron heard all of it and wondered what she must have done wrong to hurt Vanna. A single tear slid down Cameron's cheek.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Forbidden Fruit

You were warned of the forbidden fruit
Your weak character failed
You can't blame it
On anything drank or inhaled

It was you alone
Driven by lust and greed
That you touched another's life
It made them hurt and bleed

So much excitement
Such a divine thrill
The hunger consumed you
The adventure became the swill

The more you had
The more you wanted
Your vision was blinded
Those around you were affronted

In life's stark reality
You did nothing more than loot
Damaging many others forever
When you reached for the forbidden fruit

Nobody