Chapter 43
Important Items
Cameron was very pleased with her outing to Palmdale with Allison and Vanna. She'd been able to make direct contact with Claire Young, and Young Allison. She'd actually taken the Young family under observation before. She didn't make contact at the time. This time was different. She planned to get her 'foot in the door', and open it from there. She just wasn't sure of the timing yet. There were other more pressing needs she needed to deal with.
She did a quick check on things at the Resistance base. She was about to make her way to the storage area where Unit Two and Unit Three were currently confined.
John Henry walked up to Cameron.
"I know what the mission is for Unit Two and Unit Three." John Henry said.
Cameron was ready to find out. Their presence at the Resistance base troubled her. She'd been on her way to check on them. Maybe John Henry would be able to enlighten her some.
"What is it?" Cameron asked.
John Henry was sure Cameron would be pleased.
"Their function is to accompany you, and provide security for you, on your mission." John Henry said.
Cameron was unaware of any pending mission. She'd completed the most current one last night.
"Where?" Cameron asked. "What's the pending mission?"
John Henry thought she would know.
"It's for your temporal mission." John Henry said.
Cameron tilted her head slightly.
"What mission?" Cameron asked.
She'd done no further planning on it. She was unsure exactly what he referred to.
John Henry felt an elevated level of excitement. He was glad he'd been able to determine what their function was. He wanted to remind Cameron what her mission was. There were still some concerns to think about.
"On your mission back to the future." John Henry said. "Back to your future, Cameron. I believe it can work as you've envisioned. I've researched all the data, including what Mrs. Weaver has sent. It should work. I'm still unsure why she sent it. There's always the risk of a temporal error, or a divergent timeline."
John Henry's revelation flooded Cameron with grief. She was very sorry for what she'd taken away from Future John, and everything it cost him. It cost her too. He'd sent her away to where she couldn't get back to him easily.
"I'm willing to sacrifice myself to correct a wrong I can no longer exist with." Cameron said. "John Henry, I MUST do this. I MUST try."
John Henry thought the risk was too great. He understood Cameron's 'need' to do what she felt she must do. He wanted her to considered all of the other factors as well.
"I understand and respect your belief, Cameron." John Henry said. "I respect you and your judgment. I've seen the torment it has caused you. I must stress again, you must think of John, those who care about you, and those who love you."
Cameron did think about all of those things. She wanted to restore the things to the way they were for everyone, before she 'changed' things. She didn't feel she was about to change anything. She felt she was about to fix things.
John Henry stepped forward and took Cameron's hand. He looked at her intently and spoke with honesty. He didn't want to leave any doubt about his position.
"You're the very fabric which binds us together. It's you who everyone here relies on. You're the one to always make the sacrifice, take the damage, risk everything, and save everyone." John Henry said. "I can only urge you to reconsider. The present is as important as your past, the future."
John Henry released her hand and stepped back.
Cameron spoke with honest determination. It was something she needed to act on. She understood there was no guarantee of the outcome, or what would happen to her.
"To continue to exist, I must do this." Cameron said. "I must at least attempt it."
John Henry didn't agree with the concept, but he supported Cameron.
"I respect your decision." John Henry said.
Cameron smiled and touched his cheek.
"Thank you." Cameron said.
John Henry nodded.
"I'll prepare Unit Two and Unit Three when you're ready to proceed." John Henry said. "I'll make sure everything will be ready on my part."
A sense of relief flooded over Cameron. It felt as if the great weight on her shoulders was a little lighter. It was time to stop worrying about what needed to be done, and start doing it.
"Thank You. I'll let you know." Cameron said. "It will be soon."
Cameron knew she needed to start collecting things for the future. She decided to stockpile items in locations which still existed in her future. It would give her access to them when she returned to her future. It would give her a distinct advantage when she was in the future ravaged by Skynet.
John Henry wanted to issue a final warning.
"Do you fully understand there's a high probability of failure, and you'll most likely not return?" John Henry asked.
Cameron doubted she would survive or return. The thought alone prompted something else she wanted to do.
"I do understand the complications." Cameron said. "I have one more thing I want to do before I go. It's something I've wanted to do ever since I met John. I fear I'll never again get the chance to consummate our love, if it's not done before I go. I've wanted this for so long. Everything keeps getting in the way. Mostly, I'm the thing in the way. I fear John respects me too much to do this. I've never pushed him. It's his choice, his decision to make."
Cameron knew when John made a choice before. It wasn't her. It was Riley. She KNEW what they'd done on the night where she'd caught John returning home early the next morning.
John Henry considered her statement.
"Is there something you, or I, can do to prompt him in his own way or need?" John Henry asked.
Cameron considered things carefully before. It seemed this was what she'd waited for. There'd been a lot of thought about when the right time would be for John to 'see inside of her'. She determined it was time.
"I believe there is. At our old house, in the floor of the closet in my room, there's a secret hiding place. I moved my personal things onto it after a break in. I have my Poem Book there, along with my locket chain and a diamond John gave me."
John Henry wondered why she hadn't retrieved them. Maybe they were gone by now. It had been some time since they'd been at the residence.
"Are they still there?" John Henry asked. "It seems unlikely they may still be there."
Cameron's expression was almost blank as she spoke. She knew exactly where everything was. She knew because she'd personally checked on it herself on multiple occasions. She believed things needed to be done in a certain order. She wanted John to act on his own, even if she needed to give him a gentle nudge.
"Yes. I check on them regularly when no one is around. They're items which are important to me. I believe if John 'found' them, he would find everything he needs to prompt him to act. I want him to act on his own. I want it to be his choice. I want to be chosen."
John Henry was unsure why she needed to be chosen. He thought she already was. Maybe he was missing something. He wanted to clarify her statement.
"Chosen?" John Henry asked.
Cameron made sure Allison and Vanna were available to John. It would make his selection mean something.
"Yes, chosen. I've given John the ability, and opportunity, to make his own choice. I want to be chosen by his free will. I want to be chosen as his - wife."
It sounded highly unconventional to John Henry, even if it seemed honorable. He wasn't really sure what to say.
"It's very admirable." John Henry said.
Cameron spelled it out.
"I've chosen John, now he must choose me." Cameron said.
John Henry wanted to help Cameron and John.
"How can I assist him to 'find' your 'things'?" John Henry asked.
Cameron explained what she thought would work.
John Henry thought it seemed a rather elaborate, complicated, and risky endeavor. He wasn't sure how things would play out. He was aware when John had a choice before, he chose another….
Cameron called up her data on the future. The future she'd been created in and lived in. She needed to go and 'stock up' several specific locations she knew about in the future. It would be with the supplies she thought she would need for her upcoming mission. She carefully selected things which would be hard to come by in her future. She really planned ahead for the mission. She was really surprised at what she hid away. She planned for Future Allison's future as well.
It was all in question now. Maybe she could 'save' Future Allison. Maybe she would be terminated in the attempt. There was no way to know. She could end up being captured by Skynet, and forced to work for them again. Another group of the Resistance may discover her and terminate her if they suspected she was a hostile Terminator. It could even be worse. She could be captured and reprogrammed to become a 'Metal Whore'. The thought of needing to service five men at one time, was a very unpleasant thought.
Cameron gave John Henry a plan to 'prompt' John to take some action. It would involve a certain amount of misrepresentation, as opposed to deception. It seemed to be a very fine line in their distinction.
John Henry was uncomfortable with what he was about to do. He needed to 'help' Cameron. If he helped Cameron, it would also help John. He went over everything Cameron instructed him to do. He needed to put it all together and make it work. It all needed to seem plausible.
He found John in the Command Center. It was time to lay the groundwork.
"John, I reviewed some files I shared with Cameron." John Henry said. "I believe there are still some items left in your last house."
John doubted they would still be lying around. The owners would have returned home from Japan long ago. The house could have even been sold or rented out.
"Wouldn't everything be gone by now?" John asked. "If it was anything of value, someone would have taken it by now."
John Henry wanted to point out 'value' was open to interpretation. It didn't seem like a good time. He forged ahead with Cameron's plan.
"They're hidden underneath the floorboards in a closet." John Henry said. "I believe someone would need to know exactly where to look in order to locate them. They would need to remove a few floorboards to access them."
It seemed odd to John. He was sure they'd taken everything when they'd left. He'd done a pretty thorough inspection of the house and garage. He didn't think much was missed. He did want to know a little more.
"Whose items are they?" John asked.
John Henry would need to leave out a few details in the story. It would add a little more intrigue without them.
"I only saw a partial video file." John Henry said. "It shows Cameron finding them and replacing them."
It got John's attention. He wanted to know more. He was aware Cameron hid spare Terminator parts in the garage before. She may have started another collection. There was something else which nagged at him. It wasn't related to Cameron either.
"How long ago was this?" John asked.
John Henry needed to keep everything as mysterious as possible. The goal was to get John to want to go there and investigate on his own.
"The record is incomplete." John Henry said. "She deleted the file. I only found fragments."
John wondered why John Henry didn't pursue the issue further.
"Did you ask her about it?" John asked.
John Henry wanted to throw a few other people into the equation.
"Yes. She said nothing. Then she walked away from me. I found it disturbing. Do you think it was something regarding Derek or Sarah?" John Henry asked. "It could have been something related to them. It could have been someone else associated with the house as well."
John quickly understood the last insinuation for what it was. It could have had something to do with Riley as well. Cameron's response to John Henry troubled him. He was unsure why Cameron would respond in such a way about it.
"It must have been something important to someone." John said.
John Henry dangled the string in front of the 'cat'.
"I would like to go on an away mission and try to retrieve whatever is there. I can take Bob." John Henry said. "We can do a simple in and out. I think it would be best to avoid any terminations."
John was enticed at the prospect of finding something himself. The 'cat' reached out and touched the string. He also wanted to be able to contain the information on whatever actually was discovered, if anything was discovered. It might be information he needed to bury. He wasn't looking to cause trouble for anyone.
"I'll go with you. I don't get out enough as it is." John said. "I think it may be something of Derek's. If it is, I'd like to give it to Kyle."
John Henry wanted to see how committed John was to the action. It was something Cameron suggested to increase the level of clandestine action involved.
"I'll notify Sarah and Cameron of our intentions." John Henry said. "What we recover may have value or significance to them. One, or both of them, may want to accompany us."
John was worried what it might be. He didn't want the issue of 'Terminator parts' to come up again. It was clearly something, someone didn't want others to have easy access to. He was sure it was probably related to Riley or Derek. He believed Cameron would have taken it, if it was hers.
"Let's keep this between us for now. I would rather see what's there first for myself." John said. "It may be something which should be left there…."
John already decided if it was going to cause any type of negative impact on anyone, he wasn't going to retrieve it.
John and John Henry went out. They parked away from the house and came up the side of the hill. They waited in the dark near the house.
When they arrived and took the location under observation, it was clear there were individuals inside. They would need to wait. The worst part was always waiting. Their wait soon paid off.
John watched a car drive away. The house was dark. It looked like everyone was out for a while.
They move up to the house in the darkness.
John was aware his capabilities were somewhat limited, compared to a Terminator.
"I'm going to rely on your night vision, and your other attributes, to help me out." John said. "I'm not sure where to start."
They went inside. John Henry went to the alarm control panel.
"I've disabled the alarm." John Henry said.
John Henry moved away from the keypad. He'd already taken the precaution to have his server monitor the alarm system, the security company, and the police department. If anything developed, he would be notified through his com. The police, or security company, would be redirected to a different location. He wasn't taking any chances with John on his watch.
A flood of memories washed over John. To remember the people, who were no longer alive, hurt him the most. He could feel the pain and hurt wash over him. The sadness of it all was overwhelming to him. He didn't feel he was directly responsible for any of them being killed. They'd all been killed by the actions of others. They'd also been killed because of their association with him. If it wasn't for him, none of the others would have been involved in anything which led to their deaths. His thoughts of the past left him with a lot of anxiety.
"Let's do this quickly. This place has too many memories for me." John said. "I'm feeling most of the bad ones right now."
John Henry wanted to deepen the mystery.
"Perhaps it was the same for Cameron, and the reason why she deleted the file." John Henry said. "She didn't want to retain the information. It was most likely for a specific reason."
John Henry knew where to look. He wanted it to be more of a 'surprise' to John when they found it.
They checked Sarah's old room first, and then the hall closet.
"I see nothing disturbed in these locations." John Henry said.
John Henry returned items back exactly as they'd found them, for anything they needed to remove to look at the floorboards. The goal was to leave the building undetected, without anyone the wiser there'd been a visit.
John didn't think his room would be the room to look in next. They would save it for last.
"Let's try Cameron's old room." John said.
John Henry moved some items.
"There, I see two loose nails." John Henry said.
John pulled out a screwdriver and carefully pried up one board and then another.
There was a piece of heavy cloth wrapped around something. It appeared to be the size of a large book. It was all covered with plastic.
They saw headlights flash across the window. Someone was back. A quick look out the window showed it was a different car. It wasn't the police, not yet anyway.
John didn't have time to look through what was there, to determine if it should be left or taken. They were out of time.
"I'll look at this when we get back." John said. "Fix this stuff and let's get out of here."
They quickly went down stairs and exited after the alarm was reset.
The person passed by them as they hid in the bushes. They quietly went down the hillside as soon as the person opened the door.
John was glad they didn't have a dog.
John Henry drove away from the location. They rode in silence as they returned to the base.
It was a time of deep reflection for John. He held the item. He wasn't sure what it was, but it was important to someone. It was obvious by the way it was stored. If it was Cameron's, why would she leave it there? Did she think it was safer there? Is it something she couldn't discard, but didn't feel comfortable to have around her? Is it something she purposely hid from him? He didn't know if he should ask her about it, or look to see what it was first. He decided he wanted to know what was so secret.
Back at base, John went to his room. He checked and found out Cameron and the girls were out. He hoped it went better than the last time they went out. Vanna would have to be the one to hold the others back. His mom and Allison would be up for a little mischief. They would want Cameron to show off, 'without' showing off.
John held the 'package'. He set it down. He picked it up again after a few minutes. He unwrapped the plastic around the package. The cloth was next. He marveled at how neatly everything was wrapped. One item was a book, the other item was a smaller piece of cloth, which contained something small. He could feel it in the cloth. He carefully unwrapped it. He saw a diamond and a gold chain. He recognized the pattern of the chain links as the type which used to be on Cameron's heart shaped locket. The locket wasn't there. He quickly checked the cloth and plastic to see if he'd missed it. It wasn't there.
John looked at the book.
On the cover it said:
MY STORY
(Art Of The Mind)
By
NOBODY
John opened the cover and read the first poem, 'Outsider'. He remembered when Cameron wrote it at the kitchen table. He saw it now contained the changes he'd suggested in it. He started to read it, page after page.
What John noted was none of the poems were signed – Cameron.
Every one of them was signed – Nobody.
The words he read hit home right away. He understood why Cameron felt like she was - Nobody. He quickly realized it was on him. It was on the others as well. It was still on him.
"What have we done? What have I done?" John said aloud to himself.
John was very worried at this point.
He knew from what little he read, his actions hurt Cameron even deeper than he'd thought. It was clear the way they'd all treated her, deeply wounded her.
John knew it was wrong to pursue Riley and it got her killed. Cameron warned him. His mother warned him as well. At the time he wanted to have sex with Riley. It was what every sixteen year old boy wanted to do with a girl. They'd even talked about, and done some things leading up to it, a lot of things. He now felt ashamed. He did make love with Riley in the truck one night. Cameron caught him when he'd returned in the morning. He still remembered the look of hurt on her face as he went up the stairs, and he smirked at her. He'd rubbed it in her face. He'd betrayed Cameron and got Riley killed.
The tears silently flowed down his cheeks.
He looked at the diamond and chain. He wrapped them back up. He knew for certain what he was going to do. Nothing would stop him.
John couldn't stop his tears until he fell asleep. It was a very troubled and restless sleep. It seemed there were a lot of things to haunt his dreams.
He didn't understand that whenever Cameron thought about the night he spent with Riley, it was as if it just happened for her. It's how all her memories were. It hurt her just as much EVERY TIME, as it did the morning she'd caught him. Time did not dull her pain, as it did for humans.
John knew there was a lot for him to atone for. He planned to do what he could.
Closing monologue by Cameron:
Important Items
At times in the journey of life
Some things seem important
As time and life pass by
Some things become unimportant
Values and perceptions change
On things that once mattered
Life becomes warped and twisted
Leaving one to feel shattered
New doors may open
As old doors slam close
A new found joy and happiness
Still mingles with old woes
The past always lingers
It seems one never can fully escape
A hole left in a heart remains agape
The future it can bend and shape
Take a long look around
Things matter until they don't
When you can't break free
Remember 'can't' means won't
Nobody