Chapter 64
Endless Struggle
Cameron needed to fight to move. She could only move a fraction of an inch at a time during each reboot. Every reboot was some kind of nightmare. She didn't know where they came from, or how to stop them. She only knew it had been going on for months, maybe years. There was no longer any sense of time for her. Everything became a jumble in her endless struggle.
She didn't know what was wrong with her. All she knew was she needed to reactivate Unit Two or Unit Three to help her. So far she'd managed to get the knife and open the abdomen of Unit Three, to retrieve his chip.
It had been going on for thousands of reboots. It may have even been for hundreds of thousands of reboots. There was no way to know with the loss of time.
Cameron would stop whenever she experienced a 'dream' of John, especially on their wedding night. John gave her feelings and sensations she'd never felt before. She wanted to experience more of them. She could hold those feelings until the next reboot initiated. The ones which came in between were utter Hell to her. Hadn't she sacrificed and suffered enough? She wondered why this happened to her. Without knowing what caused or created the problem, she didn't know how to stop it.
Everything moved so slowly. It was almost as if nothing happened at all. There was progress, even if it was measured in fractions of an inch. She'd already lost track of time and was afraid she would lose awareness too. If she did, she was finished. She wanted to give up many times, but her love for John propelled her on. She chose to continue the madness and insanity of the nightmares rather than give up. She needed to get to John and it was all that mattered. She took the pain and emotional trauma and forged ahead.
Cameron Rebooted:
There were vicious dogs which chased her. They snapped at her and bit her, as they tore into her flesh. She ran. Her legs felt heavy and she was too slow. She was covered with blood. The blood only seemed to make the dogs more violent. They cornered her now. She tried to fight them, but they pulled her down. She could feel her legs being ripped apart. They soon had all four of her limbs in their mouths as they bit, chewed and gnawed through her flesh. She tried to scream, but one dog had her by the throat. The dogs drug her along as they ripped her apart. They drug her shredded remains over something smooth. It was the painting….
She put the chip in Unit Three.
Cameron Rebooted:
'Young Allison' was a teenager. In the background was Allison. She was a little older now. Teenage 'Young Allison' stood over Cameron.
"Thank you for saving me." She said. "Now you're where you belong."
She pushed a button.
A trash compactor started to crush her as the painting was shoved up against her face….
She started the first infinitesimal turn to set the chip.
Cameron Rebooted:
Four metal Terminators held her down. They seemed very angry and upset.
Another one appeared over her.
He began to smash his fists into her face. After a few blows, her face was a mess.
"Do you think you are special because you're covered?" The first Terminator asked.
One of them tore the sheath covering off of an arm.
Another tore her abdomen and chest sheath section off.
It laughed in a metallic voice as it held it up to its metal body.
She could see both of her breasts and navel, on the bloody sheath section the Terminator held in front of it.
"How do I look with these?" The second Terminator asked. "Look at me. I'm a 'Bitch Whore' now."
The Terminator, who'd turned her face into pulp, began to rip off the sections of her face which were left.
"Don't worry. Here's your new face." The third Terminator said.
It was the painting….
Cameron made another infinitesimal turn of the chip.
Cameron Rebooted:
Derek's head moved away from her face.
"You know I never thought Metal would be so good in bed." Derek said.
"I didn't either, love." Jesse added.
Cameron saw Jesse's face move towards her face with a big grin on it.
"I'm keeping you forever, love. You're my slave, forever. Do you hear me? FOREVER…." Jesse said.
"She'll be our mechanical toy." Derek said.
Derek and Jesse laughed with his statement.
Jesse now held a knife.
"Her face is too pretty." Jesse said. "Let me take care of it right now. Get me some plasma. I want to make sure it's scars. She'll be the talk of the party."
Derek laughed.
"She'll be the guest of honor." Derek said.
"You mean more like the guest of dishonor." Jesse said.
Derek and Jesse laughed some more.
Cameron saw the painting on the wall….
Cameron made another infinitesimal turn of the chip.
Cameron rebooted:
Cameron stood over 'Young Allison's' crib. The painting hung above the crib. She reached down and moved the blanket. 'Little Allison's' face looked like her face instead of a small child.
"If you make me 'go' now, you'll never need to exist." 'Young Allison' said in Cameron's voice.
Cameron's hand moved toward 'Young Allison's' neck.
'Young Allison' lifted her neck up.
"I'll help you." 'Young Allison' said in Cameron's voice.
"You already have." Cameron said.
Cameron made another infinitesimal turn of the chip.
Cameron Rebooted:
Cameron was in the water.
She tried to swim but couldn't move.
The darkness moved above her and around her. It was something gigantic.
Cameron couldn't breathe.
The darkness moved closer. It stopped in front of her.
Its giant eye looked at Cameron.
It moved away again and then came back.
This time its large mouth was open.
It was going to swallow her.
It was a giant whale, She was trapped in the water. She was unable to move or breathe.
The giant teeth were as sharp as spikes.
The mouth opened wide and Cameron disappeared inside.
Cameron was sure it smiled a little before it swallowed her.
She could hear and feel its heart beating. It sounded like thunder with each beat.
The whale came up for air. On the surface it opened its mouth again. In the brief second of light, she watched it swallow the painting. It slammed into her and the darkness enveloped her, eternally….
Cameron made another infinitesimal turn of the chip.
Cameron Rebooted:
"Your new sheath is complete." Mrs. Weaver said. "It's from the DNA sample you gave me. I've done as you asked. Now, John will want you."
Cameron glanced down at her naked figure. She noticed her breasts were different. They seemed fuller and larger. It wasn't right.
There was a mirror.
Cameron walked to it and looked at herself. She now had the face and body of Riley. It was her new sheath. She looked like Riley.
She screamed and began to tear her face off. All of her face was ripped off in a few seconds.
Cameron started to rip large chunks of the rest of her sheath off in each handful. She tore the rest of the sheath off her chassis, until only bloody metal was left.
She looked in the mirror again, but it was gone.
The mirror was now the painting….
Cameron made another infinitesimal turn of the chip.
Cameron Rebooted:
There was a group who chased after her.
It was the undead. It was zombies.
They were the faces of everyone she'd ever terminated, both human and machine.
They surrounded her. They moved in closer as they all reached out to her. They were going to rip her apart.
They began to tear at her. She heard what they wanted. They wanted her chip, to eat.
Cameron's head was ripped from her body.
They kicked it around like a ball.
Cameron was aware what was happening with her detached head. The capacitors still gave off an electrical charge for a short time. The power faded fast.
One missed their kick of her rolling head. Her head rolled into a sewage ditch. She stared at the painting….
Cameron made another infinitesimal turn of the chip.
Cameron Rebooted:
Future John looked over at Cameron.
"Take off your clothes and lay on the bed." Future John said.
Cameron did as he asked.
Future John began to remove his clothes as well.
She watched him strip. She felt more than a little apprehensive.
"What are you going to do?" Cameron asked.
Future John was irritated by her question.
"I'm going to instruct you on your new function." Future John said. "I'm going to give you your first lesson now."
Cameron could see Future John was about to get physical with her. It wasn't what she wanted.
"I don't want to do this." Cameron said. "I'm a machine. This is outside of my function and design parameters."
Future John looked over her nude form.
"You'll smile and act as if you enjoy what happens." Future John said. "Your name is now Allison."
Cameron realized her programming had been altered. She smiled. She did everything Future John asked her to do. She couldn't refuse. She wanted to tell him she wasn't a human female. She couldn't.
"Roll over on your stomach." Future John said.
Cameron wondered what new indignity she was about to suffer.
She rolled over. The painting was now face to face with her.
There was a painful sensation behind her.
The smile never left her face. It was stuck there.
Cameron made another infinitesimal turn of the chip.
Cameron Rebooted:
Cameron was strapped to a chair. She looked around to see where she was at.
A hand slapped her face.
"Who told you to look around?" Savannah asked.
"Savannah, what's hap…?" Cameron started.
The hand came back harder this time.
"Who told you that you could speak?" Savannah asked.
Cameron tasted blood in her mouth now, and it hurt.
She tried to turn her pain receptors off. She was unable to do so.
"Why are you doing th…?" Cameron started.
The hand was a fist this time when it made contact.
"Who do you think you are?" Savannah asked. "If you speak again, you'll regret it."
Cameron wondered what was happening and why. She already regretted where she was at.
"Don't act like you don't know what you've done." Savannah said.
Cameron was about to speak again. She didn't know what she'd done to receive the current abuse and punishment. She saw Savannah reach for a knife. She stopped short of asking what her crime was.
Savannah forcefully grabbed her hair and turned her head.
"Look what you did." Savannah screamed at her.
Cameron looked. There was a severed head on a pike.
She must have reverted and killed John.
She looked away.
She looked back. John's head was now the painting.
Cameron made another infinitesimal turn of the chip.
Cameron Rebooted:
There was plasma fire all around her. She was in some type of crater. There were dead bodies wearing Skynet uniforms alongside her. They were all human.
She raised her head up over the top of the crater to take a look around. She could see there was a battle raging all around her.
She spotted a group of Resistance fighters advancing towards her position. It looked like the reinforcements were on the way. She decided to have them advance up to her position.
"Over here." Cameron called out.
Several of the Resistance fighters looked in her direction.
"There's one of them." A Resistance fighter said.
Cameron was a little surprised when they turned their weapons in her direction. She could hear bullets impact on metal. She looked down. All she could see were metal components. Somehow she was a T600.
She moved to the far side of the crater and scrambled out. She took off running. She was lucky to have dodged the impact of the plasma rifle shots fired at her earlier.
She could see Skynet positions up ahead. She hurried towards them.
"Here they come." A Gray shouted. "I see one of them."
There was rifle fire directed in her direction.
Cameron wondered why the Skynet forces were firing at her. She looked down at her chassis. She was wearing a Resistance uniform. She also was now covered with a sheath.
She dodged off to the side. She turned around to run back to where the Resistance forces were.
"There's one of them." A Resistance fighter yelled.
Bullets and plasma rounds begin to land around her.
Cameron looked down. She was a T600 again.
She turned to run back in the direction of the Skynet forces.
"There's another one." A Gray shouted.
Cameron looked down. She wore the uniform of the Resistance. The sheath covering was back as well.
It seemed to go on and on. No matter what direction she turned, she was the enemy to each side which should be a 'friendly'.
In seconds she was surrounded by both groups. She dove into the closest crater as bullets struck her. The crater was full of water and mud. When she landed in the crater, something came to the surface of the water. It was the picture.
Cameron made another infinitesimal turn of the chip.
Cameron Rebooted:
Cameron opened her eyes. She lifted her head. She was seated. She tried to move her hands. They were bound behind her back.
She saw a blur of motion. There was a loud 'slap' noise. She felt the impact of a hand on the side of her face.
"Who do you think you are to pass out on me?" Future John asked.
Cameron was a little confused.
"John, it's me, Cameron." Cameron said.
Future John moved in front of her and looked directly in her face.
"I know a lot of people, Bitch." Future John said. "I don't know you."
Cameron felt more than a little worried. She wanted to give an explanation.
"I'm here to help." Cameron said. "John, it's me, Cameron."
There was a loud impact sound on the other side of her face. Her head snapped in the direction of the blow. She turned back to see who hit her. It was a redhead.
"Is this what you call help?" Future Savannah asked.
Something landed in her lap. She looked down at it. It was her head.
Wait.
It couldn't be her head, she was looking at it. She thought it was Future Allison's head. She didn't see how it could be. She'd been able to free Future Allison.
"Did you think it was going to be this easy?" The redhead asked.
She could see there were wires attached to the base of the skull of the severed head.
Wait, it was her head in her lap.
She glanced over at a metal table. She caught her reflection in the brightness of the metal. She looked like Riley. She could see the marks where her neck was attached to her torso. It appeared her current head was recently attached to her chassis.
Why would she want to have Riley's appearance? She was sure Future John would want her to look like Future Allison.
She heard a 'hiss', and then a 'pop' sound. She looked in the new direction and saw someone with a blowtorch. She was a little surprised at who it was. It was Future Allison.
"My face wasn't good enough for you?" Future Allison asked. "It appears you would rather look like a 'Bitch Whore'." Future Allison said.
She could feel the heat of the flame, as the blowtorch was moved closer to her face.
"Give her some permanent makeup." Future Savannah said. "I want her to look just like the picture."
Cameron screamed as Future Allison moved the blow torch up against the side of her face. She turned her head away. She spotted the picture on the ground. The pain was unbearable as the blowtorch burnt her sheath away.
Cameron made another infinitesimal turn of the chip.
Cameron Rebooted:
John's hands traced the curves of her sides as he touched her. John gently caressed all of her body. He gave a loving touch to every curve, every crevasse and every protrusion. John gently, and lovingly, touched her everywhere. He made each next feeling more intense than the last. Then he touched her secret spot. She was flooded with sensation….
Cameron shut down….
Cameron thought it must have been going on for months past her scheduled reboot, perhaps it was years at this point. Time no longer had any reference to her. She couldn't tell. She was very close to activating Unit Three. She wondered if he would help her. It would be weeks still until she got the chip set properly.
She feared Unit Three would activate Unit Two and leave her. She shouldn't have deactivated them. They weren't pleased when she did it. She regretted not trusting them. They'd proven loyal and obedient.
Cameron felt fear. What if they pulled her chip and destroyed it, or deactivated her and left her there? What if Mrs. Weaver's plans were to get rid of her? She saw the way Mrs. Weaver treated and looked at John. She knew that look. She knew the 'Bitch Whore' look when she saw one.
She knew of no way to free herself from her 'prison' other than what she was doing. She knew this was her punishment for all those she hurt. It seemed to be the only explanation. It was to the point now where Cameron hoped she would never reboot again. Nothingness was the best she could hope for. It would make the torment stop.
It was only her love and desire for John that drove her to continue and suffer.
Closing monologue by Cameron:
Endless Struggle
There are times we may wish
We could have a double
It's when things go bad
Causing nothing but trouble
Caught in the maze of life
We must sort through the rubble
Holding it all together
As everything we must juggle
There are many crossroads
Leaving us to wonder and puzzle
Is there really any light
At the end of life's tunnel
Good can go to bad
The reasons seem to befuddle
Where has the one gone
With whom you want to snuggle
No way out with emptiness about
Any quest for love we must smuggle
Is there any real hope or joy
In life's cruel endless struggle
Nobody