Chapter 18
John
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Alternate Future Timeline:
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John was a little surprised to find Mrs. Weaver outside his door when he woke up. She gave him a brief rundown as to what was going to happen. She wanted to keep everything under wraps as much as possible.
He was instructed to bring Allison to the facility controlled by Mrs. Weaver. There was a captured Skynet TDE located there. Mrs. Weaver and her group of Terminators, known as 'Restorators', recently captured it. It was still under construction at the time of capture. Mrs. Weaver and the Restorators finished it.
Once Mrs. Weaver gained control of a working TDE, she planned to start using it. She said John Henry would return with the information he needed. She was adamant Allison Young was to return with him.
John didn't understand why Allison needed to leave. He didn't know Mrs. Weaver was doing it to reunite Allison with her beloved.
Mrs. Weaver waited until John Henry was ready to return so Allison would have protection if there were any difficulties or temporal errors. John Henry would protect Allison.
John hoped to return as well. He now possessed Cameron's original chip and he wanted to return it to her. He'd hated leaving her chassis behind. When he did the temporal transfer, he thought it was going to transfer with them. He wanted to get her chip, her program, 'HER', back from John Henry. He thought he could do it and return to the past.
Mrs. Weaver asked him to stay on a little longer to help her accomplish some more of her goals. He'd proved to be a natural leader and the best way for Mrs. Weaver to interface with the Resistance. He decided Allison could be trusted with Cameron's chip so he agreed to stay a little longer and help Mrs. Weaver.
John wanted the extra time to be around his father and uncle. He was sure once he left the future, he would never see them again. He would ask a personal favor from Mrs. Weaver to watch over them after his departure. He didn't know if he would tell her why. He didn't think it was a good idea. Mrs. Weaver agreed to assign Restorators to them, for as long as they needed protection. She didn't ask any questions as to why. It made him wonder if Mrs. Weaver would ask something additional from him.
Allison was in her room. It was actually a tiny cubicle. It gave her a little privacy. There was a soft knock at the covering. She was a little surprised to see John there. She wasn't sure what to expect. She lifted the covering a little wider.
John looked around but didn't enter.
"Allison, we need to go." John whispered.
Allison could see the serious look on John's face.
"Is everyone all right?" Allison whispered.
John didn't want her to worry.
"Everyone is fine." John whispered. "You need to get ready."
Allison looked back at her makeshift bed.
"I'm always ready." Allison whispered.
John remained serious.
"This is about what we talked about before." John whispered.
Allison sucked in her breath slightly and swallowed hard.
"Do you mean…." Allison barely whispered.
John could see she understood.
"Today is the day." John whispered. "Leave everything behind."
John glanced around the area. He realized Mrs. Weaver could be anywhere. He didn't want to tip his hand too early. He didn't want to tell Allison there would be a very special mission for her to carry out for him. He couldn't tell her yet anyway.
Allison took one last look around.
"Let's go." Allison said as she exited the tiny cubicle.
They stopped by the room Derek and Kyle shared.
John already stopped by there on the way to see Allison. He told them what would happen. He left the three of them alone to say their goodbyes.
Allison thanked them for everything.
It was tearful for all of them.
John and Allison arrived with a squad of Resistance fighters, along with Bob, who was actually a copy of Cameron's program in a male Terminator chassis. They'd encountered a group of Grays with a Skynet Terminators. The Resistance squad stayed behind to provide cover for him and his trio. He didn't know it, but some Grays slipped through. The Grays tracked them to the TDE facility.
John called Allison off to the side. He gave Cameron's chip to Allison in an anti-static bag. He explained Mrs. Weaver may not want Cameron back in the picture and back in the past. He'd previously told Allison of Cameron and he cared deeply for her, even if she was a machine. He'd told Allison he loved Cameron before.
He was afraid Allison would be searched. The only place he thought she could hide the chip was in her mouth. Allison said she had a better place to hide the chip, with better protection. She excused herself for a minute. She returned and gave John a long close hug. He whispered to her she needed to find Cameron no matter what.
Allison wanted to whisper to John she 'loved' him, but restrained herself. She was going to see her true love. It was what Mrs. Weaver told her. She stepped onto the TDE pad with John Henry.
Mrs. Weaver insisted they strip before the transfer. She collected their clothes herself. She would go through them later and look for anything Allison might have tried to hide and secretly taken back with her. She checked to make sure Allison held nothing in her hands or within her mouth. She carefully looked over the nude form of Allison. She found it quite appealing. She was satisfied and reached for the TDE controls.
John was unsure why Mrs. Weaver insisted Allison go back at this point in time. It was evident Mrs. Weaver protected Allison as much as him, if not more. He also knew he trusted Allison more than anyone from his current timeline. He actually trusted her equal to Kyle and Derek. He wondered if Mrs. Weaver was trying to remove the people he trusted the most and isolate him. He wouldn't put it past her. There was no denying she'd assisted the Resistance and aided him many times.
Mrs. Weaver activated the controls to send John Henry and Allison back. The arcing and flashing started. The energy bubble began to form around John Henry and Allison. It was at that point they started to take hostile fire.
John saw John Henry shield Allison with his body. He saw rounds strike John Henry as they vanished in a blinding, flashing arc of light. As John Henry covered her with his body, he saw Allison held both hands over her lower section. He hoped Cameron's chip would make it. He knew the time jump could cause vomiting. He was afraid Allison might lose Cameron's chip or expose it to the energy if it was in her mouth. That's if Mrs. Weaver didn't find it and take it. She'd told him not to worry. She would protect it. She hadn't told him how. It was private to her and it would be very symbolic when she returned it to Cameron. It would literally be Cameron's birth, or rebirth in this case.
When they started to take hostile fire, the Resistance members took offensive action to stop the attack and prevent any of the TDE equipment from being damaged. John knew it was his only ticket home to Cameron and his mother. They were his only family in the past.
Bob, the copy of Cameron now in a male Terminator chassis, went after one group of the intruders. Mrs. Weaver went after another group. John collected their gear and moved out after Bob.
He heard some noise and saw flashing back in the TDE room.
'What the Hell?' John wondered.
Maybe the TDE was damaged and malfunctioned. He hoped it didn't alter the destination, or time period, John Henry and Allison were supposed to go to. It could be catastrophic.
He went back to look.
A bullet smashed into the metal and ricocheted off to the side in a shower of sparks near his head. It appeared there was a third group of Grays which slipped through, or one of the groups doubled back to destroy or capture the TDE.
Moments ago:
The arcing and flashing came and went in the TDE room. It was only seconds after John Henry and Allison left.
Cameron and Jim appeared on the TDE pad. Gunfire sounded on their left flank. Jim went to investigate. Cameron heard someone approach from the other direction. She would investigate it.
It was clear there was more than one individual.
Cameron spotted John just as a bullet almost hit him in the head.
"John!" Cameron shouted.
Cameron was elated she'd found John. He looked mostly undamaged and fit from what she could see. It was better than she'd expected. He didn't look nearly as bad as Allison looked. She needed to remember Allison had grown up mostly after J-Day. She'd been exposed to a Skynet future most of her life. John had only been there a few months. She saw he was in danger and sprang into action.
There was a Gray moving up behind John with a knife.
John was on his way to see what happened in the TDE room. He spotted 'Allison'. She called his name. The TDE must have been damaged and the transfer wasn't completed. It was bad news. He didn't see John Henry. It might be worse news. He didn't understand how they could have been separated since he saw them together just seconds ago. He was a little confused as to what exactly occurred.
"Allison?" John asked. "Allison, what happened?"
John took in 'Allison's' naked form on the TDE pad as he wondered what went wrong. He also noticed how good she looked now…. Her body looked perfect. He wondered if it was some side effect of the new TDE Mrs. Weaver may have modified, when she'd finished constructing it. It seemed like a good thing if it was.
'Allison' leaped past him and slammed the Gray across the room like a rag doll. She picked up his knife and threw it at another figure which approached them. She reached over and pulled the Beretta out of his hand. She shot two more Grays in the head who'd come from their left side.
John tried to follow everything but it all happened so fast. 'Allison' pushed him behind a desk when she'd pulled the M9 out of his hand. He was unable to comprehend everything which happened. It all happened so quickly. It was only about two or three seconds.
"Allison?" John asked again.
Cameron looked around the room as she scanned it. It was clear. She walked over to John and stood in front of him. He was down behind the desk for cover where she'd shoved him earlier. She reached down and extended her hand to him.
"Come with me if you want to live." Cameron said.
John's eyes widened and his mouth fell slightly open. It hit him like a ton of bricks. He realized it wasn't Allison. Was it really who he thought it was?
"Ca… Cam… Cameron?" John asked in total bewilderment.
Cameron flashed John her sly smile.
"I love you, John, and you love me." Cameron said.
Before John could respond, there was movement behind Cameron.
John saw a naked figure which reminded him somewhat of Mr. Ellison approach them. He tossed some clothes to Cameron. He'd found the clothes John Henry and Allison removed before they'd left.
"Are you Mr. Ellison?" John asked.
The answer was more than a little shocking to John.
"No, John, it's me 'Cameron'. I'm 'Jim-Cameron'. Call me 'Jim'." Jim said in Cameron's voice.
Jim walked over and gave John a big hug too.
Bob walked back in.
Cameron and Jim raised their weapons.
John didn't want any 'friendly fire'.
"This is 'Bob-Cameron'. Just call him 'Bob'." John said. "He's also a copy of 'Cameron'."
Jim instantly took a dislike to Bob. He thought about the former chassis he'd been in. He walked over and shoved Bob.
"'Bitch Whore'." Jim said in Cameron's voice.
Bob looked at John and Cameron. He knew right away what the issue was going to be about. He wanted to try to get ahead of it and offer an explanation.
"It wasn't my choice." Bob said as he defended himself. He used Cameron's voice as well. "Ask John."
At the time, Bob made John aware of what would most likely happen. It appeared it was happening.
John felt it was his fault. He didn't want there to be any hard feelings over nothing.
"I didn't know it would cause such a problem when I put the copy of Cameron's chip into the female chassis." John said. "After we transferred 'John Henry' off of Cameron's chip, I made a copy of Cameron's original chip. I was going to use a male chassis because it was all there were where we were at. Mrs. Weaver is the one who located the female chassis. She thought it would be a better choice. 'Female-Cameron' told me, after she'd booted up and looked at the sheath, it was a mistake. She told me to fix it as soon as possible. She wanted it done right then. We needed to leave the facility before we were discovered. We couldn't get back for two days. I'm sorry to everyone for the 'mistake'. It was an honest error. I'm sorry."
Cameron and Jim both glared at Bob. They wondered if John 'tried' out the female chassis.
Jim didn't think Bob in a female chassis was the only thing to worry about.
"What about Allison?" Jim asked.
John wanted to keep it simple. He'd been alone with Allison for months in the future.
"It was important John Henry return with his information. Mrs. Weaver insisted Allison go back too." John said.
No one was satisfied with his answer.
Jim was dressed now. Cameron was getting dressed.
The female Scottish voice was unmistakable.
"It looks like a family reunion." Mrs. Weaver said. "That was fast. You're looking better than the last time I saw you - Miss Phillips."
When Mrs. Weaver returned, the tension level in the room immediately rose.
Cameron didn't want any problems. She knew they would need Mrs. Weaver's assistance to return to the past. She tried to be cordial.
"Mrs. Weaver, please address me as - Cameron." Cameron said.
Mrs. Weaver looked at Jim.
"James, is that you?" Mrs. Weaver asked.
Jim thought about lying. He didn't know how much Mrs. Weaver heard before she'd made her presence known. It was probably plenty.
"No, I'm a version of 'Cameron', Jim-Cameron." Jim said. "Please call me Jim."
Cameron ignored Mrs. Weaver. She tried not to look at her. She was upset Mrs. Weaver allowed John to go in the first place. He never should have gone into the future. It was evidently the reason why the timeline was different. She'd found what she wanted to find. It was John. There was no reason to remain there any longer than necessary.
"We're going back." Cameron said. "Now."
John looked at Cameron. He wasn't sure how to say it other than to say it. He'd made some commitments and intended to carry them out.
"I can't go back. Not yet." John said. "I've promised to help Mrs. Weaver for a little longer. It's important I follow through with the plans."
It was about the last thing Cameron wanted to hear. She was pleased she was with John. It counted for something. John was her everything. He was very alluring to her.
Closing monologue by Cameron:
Alluring
The beauty within your heart
The allure of your eyes
Allow me to experience your soul
Feel and share your cries
You are so magnificent
Fascinating charming and divine
Angelic exquisite appearing
Splendidly more than fine
Life is vacantly hollow
For we have seen it implode
Empty cruel sadistic and cold
Making the spirit crumble and erode
You are so magnificent
Fascinating charming and divine
Angelic exquisite appearing
Splendidly more than fine
You are more than worthy
For I have touched the very substance
Of your sweet delicate majestic mind
Shared your very existence
You are so magnificent
Fascinating charming and divine
Angelic exquisite appearing
Splendidly more than fine
Nobody