Chapter 66

Tonight Is The Night

Bob and Jim made sure everyone returned to the Resistance base with John Henry. They supervised the cleanup at the site where the incident occurred with the Liquid Metal Terminator. There were four 'new' Terminators who assisted them. They were Al, Ed, Dan, and Frank.

John Henry provided them with information to the location where Unit 645 said she arrived. Not only was she off of her targeted arrival site at the Resistance base, there'd also been a temporal lag associated with it. They wanted to determine if they could find out more about where, or when, the Liquid Metal Terminator arrived. There wasn't very much information for them to work with.

There was a concern if there were more Terminators out there who hadn't arrived when they were supposed to. It could apply to any Resistance Terminators, or any Skynet Terminators. There could have also been other arrivals in the form of Resistance Fighters or Grays.

The two Resistance Terminators neared the location Unit 645 indicated she arrived at.

Bob looked around the area as they drove by it once in an SUV.

"I don't see anything." Bob said.

Jim didn't either. He wanted to check things out a little more clandestinely.

"Let me off two blocks away, and go back and park two blocks in the other direction." Jim said. "We'll meet at the target location."

Bob let Jim off where he wanted to get out. He proceeded to backtrack the way he came past the target location, on the street behind it. He didn't spot anything from the backside of the location either. He parked the SUV and got out on foot.

John Henry alerted them to the fact how when they ran their TDE, to try to provide a beacon for Cameron, it could have bounced off any other energy bubbles which might have been on arrival. It could have had the opposite effect of trying to draw an errant energy bubble to their location, by deflecting it elsewhere.

It was possible it could have alerted some version of Skynet to the temporal transfers as well. There could be Terminators or Grays who were sent to investigate the location. It was something they needed to keep in mind as they approached the area.

Jim would make a direct approach on the street in front of the location.

Bob decided to approach from the rear end. He would need to go over the fence of a couple properties to reach the location indicated by Unit 645.

The two Resistance Terminators were in communication with John Henry server, JH, as well as each other through their com system

Jim took his time as he neared the location. He needed to allow Bob time to get in place after he parked, and made his way to the rear. He walked past the front of the location on foot. He kept one eye on it as he went down the street so he didn't appear he looked over at the location. He was on the opposite side of the street. He wanted to see if he drew anyone's attention. So far there wasn't anyone around. There was no indication anyone followed him either. He crossed the street and came back on the other side of it where the target location was.

Bob left the SUV parked in front of a building with a security camera. John Henry's server would be able to monitor it and make sure it wasn't tampered with when they were away from it.

He made his way down the street in back of the location. He approached the building directly behind where it was at. The building had a 'For Lease' sign on it. Most of the buildings around the area did as well. He took a careful look around and went up the driveway.

Bob approached a gate across the driveway. It was locked with a padlock. He decided to go over the gate instead of breaking the lock. If the lock was broken, anyone else related to the future, who came to check the area, would know it was done by a Terminator.

He landed with a slight 'thud' on the other side. So far he hadn't encountered any watch dogs. If he did, he would most likely need to terminate them to silence their barking. He didn't want to use a firearm if it was necessary. He would need to do it 'Terminator style'.

He checked the rear of the building of the property he entered. There were no surveillance cameras. Nothing looked out of place. He moved to the rear of the property and carefully looked over the rear fence. He notified Jim he was in place.

Jim entered the property of the target location from the front. The building was unoccupied. Most of them were on the street. He moved up to the gate alongside the driveway. It was secured with a padlock. Unit 645 didn't say how she left the property. She would have arrived naked with the temporal transfer. He noticed she was rather well endowed as far as a female went. She would have made quite a site moving around the area naked.

He grabbed the gate and went over the top of it. He moved along the side to the rear of the building and looked around the corner. He didn't spot anything at the loading dock. there were no surveillance cameras located there.

Bob saw Jim arrive at the rear of the building. He went over the wall of the building behind it.

The two Terminators met up and looked around the area.

"I don't see the location where the energy bubble arrived." Bob said.

Jim didn't either.

"Maybe she covered it up so it wouldn't raise any questions." Jim said.

The two Terminators looked around the area.

Jim found a tarp. About a quarter of it was missing. The tear line on the tarp was fresh.

"I think I found what she used to cover herself." Jim said. "It would have been a crew covering but she would have been covered. Most likely if anyone saw her they would figure she was homeless."

There was nothing of any significance for either of them to find. There was no indication there'd been more than one temporal transfer at the location.

John Henry monitored the interactions of John, Allison and Vanna. He could see things were coming to a head. It was what Cameron said she wanted upon her demise. He felt John was reluctant to move on and accept his new future. It appeared to have changed. He understood the union of John with Allison and Vanna. They would share as one. It would be a strong relationship as Vanna's and Allison's love for each other would help hold the three of them together. It was a better support system than a traditional two person relationship. He was a little disturbed by Savannah staking her claim on the three of them. He was aware Savannah was viewed as a 'backup' for John.

The future could be hard on the human body. Skynet used chemical and biological weapons, along with nuclear weapons. There was extreme contamination and pollution which could cause diseases and illness as slow killers. The effects may not be felt for years on some, even if others perished in days.

He believed Cameron covered this eventuality. He didn't think Savannah and Young Allison were the 'backups'. They were what Cameron wanted for John as it was in her future. It was Allison and Vanna who were out of their timeline. They were the 'stand ins' until the younger females matured. It was an effective strategy to give John the comfort he needed now to move forward with his life. If Allison and Vanna couldn't reproduce, their younger selves would be able to do so soon enough. Cameron covered all the bases.

John Henry decided to review every possibility and eventuality there could be to check one last time on what the fate of Cameron was. He'd gone over everything with John dozens of times and nothing ever changed.

Everyone lost hope one by one until only Savannah remained. She would never let go. Not only did she love Cameron, she believed in her. She believed Cameron was invincible and that Cameron was eternal. She could 'see' something they couldn't. Maybe it was an aftereffect of Cameron's 'conditioning' she'd done on Savannah at night as she slept.

John Henry went to work.

John sat alone in his room. A million thoughts collided inside his mind. John slowly came to accept the fact Cameron was never going to return. He waited months for her to come home. John Henry told him repeatedly if Cameron was successful, and not terminated, she would be back seconds after she left. It didn't happen. If she was anywhere with a functioning TDE, it would have been the same. She would have returned seconds after she left. Nothing ever happened. None of the three Terminators who left ever returned. They tried everything to get her back and nothing ever happened. He could only hope Cameron was trapped in another timeline alive, and not terminated.

Every prospect looked grim. Cameron should have been able to construct a TDE, unless there was a temporal error. She could have gone back to far back in time to build one. It could be terminal to her if her power cell exhausted itself. Maybe she was trapped in another future or past. Maybe she was terminated.

John thought what a waste it all was. Maybe it was all for nothing. No one would ever know what happened, or if Cameron was successful. John Henry warned her what the most likely outcome would be. He was unsure if Cameron was doing this for Future John, or herself, by trying to save Future Allison. Maybe Cameron stayed in the future with Future John. Maybe she infiltrated as Future Allison again, if she failed to save her. She could have sacrificed herself to make Future John think his Allison was back. Maybe she stayed as herself. Maybe she loved Future John more than him. Maybe she loved Future Allison. Maybe she didn't love anyone….

There was another fear that gripped John. What if Skynet captured her? She possessed so much information now. What would Skynet do with the knowledge? Skynet could obliterate all of them in the past. Maybe Skynet used the information, and the past was no longer the same. Maybe they were in an alternate timeline now. Maybe they were all dead. Maybe they reprogrammed Cameron to go back in time and terminate every one of them.

How do you know? How do you find out?

There were so many unknowns with no answers. There was no way to get the answers even. Maybe there were no answers and only questions.

He needed to live his life to be a leader. He thought of Allison and Vanna. They were both smoking hot beauties and they all felt the same way. They'd all waited for months. There was no need to wait years. Nothing was going to change.

John knew tonight was the night. He needed to move his life forward and go on. He knew either you move forward, or you end it. If he ended it himself, then Skynet won. Cameron's original Skynet mission would be completed, and he would have been the one to complete it. How ironic was that? He decided Allison and Vanna were worth trying to move forward with. It was time. It was past time.

The three of them could all find comfort in each other. He felt it was all Cameron's fault. She did this to herself. He knew she did this to HIM. Maybe this was her way to 'punish' him for being in love, and having sex, with Riley. No they didn't have sex. He made love to Riley. He knew Riley loved him back regardless of her ill fated 'mission'. Maybe this was how Cameron paid him back.

He was angry now. Payback was a Bitch and so was Cameron for doing this to him. He needed to calm himself. He didn't mean it. He loved Cameron. He needed to reach out and 'touch' Cameron one last time. He knew how to do it.

John took out Cameron's poem book and held it.

MY STORY

(Art Of The Mind)

By

NOBODY

John believed he actually held Cameron's thoughts, emotions and feelings. It was the very essence of her mind. She may have destroyed any version of her being recreated, but she left 'herself' behind. She left behind what mattered to her.

He'd read every poem, over and over. He could picture Cameron writing them down. It stabbed his heart to feel her pain and anguish. She never gave up, even when she thought of termination, she pushed on through. She truly loved him, even after the way they'd all treated her. She still loved him even after the way he'd treated her. He was aware of what HE did to her. He rejected her and then pursued Riley, who he'd replaced Cameron with.

John hated himself for it. He was angry at Cameron a few minutes ago, but he knew he was really angry at himself.

He carefully wrapped the poem book up and placed it in the drawer. He removed his Wedding ring from the packet with Cameron's Wedding and Engagement rings. He wrapped hers back up and placed them on the poem book.

John held his ring as he looked at it. He understood its meaning and purpose. He slid it on his ring finger. It was now a symbol of something else to him. It was a symbol of honor and memory. He felt the need to express himself verbally.

"Cameron, I'm going to do something I know would have hurt you." John said softly. "I'm going to do it with you as part of me. I know it's what you chose for me and them. I'll always wear my ring when I'm with them. I know you are 'there' with me, with us. I'll know."

He turned on some music and looked at the clock. It was seven. He wondered which one of them would show up. He felt one of them would, so it wouldn't make their 'first time' together more awkward by deciding 'who goes first'. He believed it would actually be Vanna, not Allison. The reason for it would be to help him accept the 'change'. Vanna would do it so he didn't see Allison as 'Cameron'. Either way he was ready.

John lay on his bed. Music softly played in the background. He looked at the clock, it was seven thirty. He began to doze on and off as he waited. The last song he remembered hearing was: 'AllI Have To Do Is Dream', by the 'Everly Brothers'.

The lyrics echoed through his mind.

Allison and Vanna were in their room. They both knew tonight was the night. Both of their lives would change 'forever' one way or another, for better or for worse.

Vanna asked John Henry to make sure everyone was out or away tonight. John Henry said that he understood why. It was to be a special 'private moment' for John, Vanna and Allison. There were to be no interruptions. John Henry said he would make it so. He would take Savannah himself to see a movie she wanted to see. Sarah and Kyle decided to go away for a few days. Jim would shadow them for protection. The other Terminators could either go into standby or out on a mission. Bob chose to remain on standby at the base, just in case John needed assistance or if anything went wrong.

Allison wanted to be with John for months now. She'd begun to closely monitor her reproductive cycle. She wanted to have a child with John. She felt it would be an act of love and serve as an additional 'anchor' to help 'keep' him in this world as a lover and a father.

She put the thermometer down. She looked at the calendar. She felt a wave of anticipation and hope flood over her.

"Vanna, there's a good chance I could become pregnant tonight." Allison said.

Vanna watched Allison 'check' herself.

"Really? That's wonderful news." Vanna said.

Allison felt some trepidation creep in. There was some doubt now too.

"Are any of us ready for this?" Allison asked.

Vanna felt it would be a special event for Allison and her as well.

"I think so, Allison. We've always talked of having a child together." Vanna said.

Allison remembered what John asked of her and about the time to go to his room.

"John wanted one of us to go to his room first, if 'one' of us wanted to." Allison said.

Vanna hoped to have the 'honor'. She believed to have a child was more important.

"I think it should be you, if you think you can get pregnant." Vanna said.

There was another issue Allison was worried about.

"I want that, Vanna, but I think it should be you 'first'." Allison said.

It puzzled Vanna some. She didn't think Allison would yield.

"Why?" Vanna asked.

Allison felt a little embarrassed to 'say' it. It was something in the back of her mind. It was something which bothered her. It didn't bother her a little, it bothered her a lot.

"I don't want John to see me as 'Cameron'." Allison said.

Vanna thought about that herself but thought John was deeper than that.

"He won't." Vanna said.

It still bothered Allison. She wanted John to see her as herself and not as someone else, even if it was 'Cameron'.

"I think he will, Vanna. I don't want to hurt him." Allison said. "It would be better if you go to him first. I can go there later on."

Vanna thought more about the 'future' than just 'tonight'.

"I'm sure he will be able to climax several times if only one of us is in there alone with him. He has a lot of built up 'stress' to release." Vanna said. "It should be you, to increase your chance of conceiving."

Allison really wasn't sure what would be best.

"I don't know, Vanna." Allison said.

Vanna wanted to remind her there was no real hurry.

"We have the rest of our lives to do everything anyway, Allison." Vanna said.

Allison wanted there to be some way which would be fair to both of them, so it wouldn't be an issue later on at some point. There needed to be some random chance involved in the decision.

"OK, we can toss a coin. Does it sound fair to you?" Allison asked. "I don't want to feel like anyone is cutting in front of the other one."

Allison's idea seemed to resolve the issue for Vanna as well.

"Alright, I'm heads, you're tails." Vanna said.

Vanna took a quarter from her purse.

Both women looked at each other as the coin flipped. Each one hoped they won the toss.

The coin landed on the floor, spun around several times and fell over.

It was….

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Tonight Is The Night

When two want to share as one
The future looks warm and bright
They can feel each other's heart beat
As they hold each other tight

As the love grows within them
They become a Princess and a Knight
They are ready to face tomorrow
As their own future they write

There may be some
Who exhibit anger and despite
They don't want to accept them
They are resentful and contrite

Not everything is traditional
Which may create malice and slight
For their true love
They are willing to fight

Nothing can stop them
Love's fame will ignite
They are showered with moonlight
Tonight is the night

Nobody