Chapter 99
The Walk
Once Bob and Jim studied the images, they would do a drive-by of the location.
Kyle previously told them to keep an eye on another location. He told them of an incident which occurred there recently. He said it was most likely there would be additional activity there at some point.
The two Terminators did the drive-by. Nothing looked any different than the satellite images taken during the daytime. They could tell from one of the images taken at night there was some truck activity at the rear of the building.
"I don't see anything in the front which looks suspicious." Jim said.
Bob was reminded looks could be deceiving.
"It's always what we don't see which can turn into a problem." Bob said.
There was an alley behind the location. They would be able to approach the building from the rear. The property on the west side of the location was vacant.
Bob let Jim out on the east side. He parked down two side streets from where they wanted to go. They would approach the location from both sides of the alley.
Riley and Derek finished sharing with each other. They decided to clean up. She had never taken a shower with anyone else before at the same time. It was a thrill for her to do so, even after they'd been together earlier. She thought about the water as they washed. The water, clean water, warm water, was such a thrill to her. She spent hours in the shower when they first got the apartment. Then she 'found' the bathtub. She was able to find pleasure in the warm running water when it was properly 'directed'. It was an experience she'd never imagined before. She took a long warm 'bath' every night. Luckily the apartment was equipped with large boilers for all the units to share the hot water.
Derek told her the two men she arrived with were deceased, but he didn't elaborate on their condition. The horror of what was done to them wasn't disclosed. He knew it would have happened to Riley too if they hadn't rescued her. Riley told him she didn't know the men personally. They'd all been assigned different missions. She hadn't been informed what those missions were. None of the others knew what the other was to do for security. If they were apprehended, they couldn't blow anyone else's mission.
He wasn't sure of the choices he'd made right now, but somehow they seemed right. It felt right. Riley was nothing like Jesse. It seemed to make her more appealing to him. There was none of the raw raunchiness Jesse used to exhibit. He was worried how Jesse would treat Riley, or what Jesse might do to her….
It was possible Jesse would become jealous of Riley and hurt her, or even kill her. Derek was well aware of some of the things Jesse did in their future. He knew she kept 'souvenirs' off of living people she personally mutilated. Some of them were females. She never took anything from the dead. It was only from the living. It was a reminder to her what they would need to live with, or actually without, for the rest of their lives. He was sure it was because of what was done to her.
She was a different person now, but the darkness was still a part of her. It was deep inside of her. Somehow Cameron and the girls changed her into a different person. Cameron was able to 'fix' what was broken inside of Jesse. The girls filled in the love she needed. He wished her the best, but he would still need to keep an eye on Jesse around Riley. He wasn't sure exactly what she would be capable of if 'jealousy' were involved. It might lead to the most extreme actions yet.
Riley could see Derek was lost deep in thought. It usually happened when he thought about the other girl 'Jesse', or whatever her name was. She wondered what kind of a problem it was going to cause. She didn't look forward to finding out. She didn't believe she'd done anything wrong. Everything was clearly laid out before any events started by both of them. She was honest about her life. It seemed to her Derek was as well. A third party was always a wild card.
When she was selected for the mission to the past, she was very surprised. She never figured something like 'time travel' was even possible. She thought they were joking with her when they told her. She was told they'd been searching for her specifically. It was a request from one of the leaders in the Resistance. Once she was located, she was sent up to command headquarters. When the leaders left, there was a standing order to send her on a mission to the past as soon as she was located.
When she saw the others she was to be sent back with, she was afraid she was going to need to be a 'comfort woman'. No one said anything, but she'd heard the stories. The fighters which were sent to the past weren't supposed to interact with people from the past on a personal level. Young females were sent to provide the fighters with 'sexual favors'. She didn't want it to be her 'job'.
The men seemed nice. No one indicated it was to be her function. Maybe the things she heard were just rumors. Maybe someone was just messing with her. Maybe she was in for a surprise when she arrived and was told of her new 'function'. She learned long ago to just lay there and let it happen. It was going to happen anyway. It was over quickly.
She imagined when she got to the past, she would meet a handsome young man and they would fall in love. She didn't know if they would get married and live happily ever after, but it was a nice thought. Maybe it was some type of 'Cinderella complex'. She believed a lot of females in the time period she left from often thought of some type of 'better life'. There simply wasn't one in her past, the future.
Now she was here with Derek. He was very much a man of the future. He treated her nice and fair. He was polite and never 'took' from her. Few men respected a female in the future. It meant something to her. Still, the idea of a dashing young man from the past remained in her thoughts. She hoped the sores on her body would heal before she met him. They were so common in the future, no one paid much attention to them. Some of them could be in some very private places though. The sores didn't bother Derek. She appreciated it. She couldn't help what the future and Skynet did to her body. None of it was her fault.
Derek wanted to get the information Riley brought back with her and was supposed to give to John and him. He wondered if he should review it first, or just turn it over to John and Cameron.
They went to the location nearby where Riley hid the items. They were where she'd left them. Everything looked undisturbed. He checked for anyone watching the area before they approached. He checked for a booby trap before they retrieved them.
The items were small and wrapped in waterproof anti-static bags. He didn't ask how she brought them back. He was aware of the method Allison used to return Cameron's chip. Allison was 'stripped searched', but not 'body cavity searched'.
"Is there anything else?" Derek asked. "I need to know for sure. There can't be anything hidden."
Riley knew it was all there was. She still didn't know what the mission of the other two men was about.
"No." Riley said.
Derek needed to make it clear to her what could happen to her. If there was any hint she could be a spy, or even not what she said she was, events would play out differently once the Terminators got a hold of her. He was aware of the stories of the anti-Metal group which attempted to infiltrate the Resistance under Sarah and John.
"I need to make sure." Derek said. "There can't be any 'surprises' later on. There are some in our group who won't take kindly to it. They experienced trouble before."
Riley was a little worried. She understood people could interpret things in different ways. She thought some of them were rather straightforward. She wondered if they would beat her, or imprison her. She didn't want to get blamed for something she wasn't, or didn't do.
"It's everything I was given." Riley said. "I don't need any beatings or to be locked up. I will cooperate fully with anything. If there is some type of lie detector, I will take it. I don't want to talk about some of the events of a more personal nature if possible. They're bad enough to think about on my own, or in a dream."
Derek looked at her with a serious look. He needed to make sure. The operations they conducted were for keeps. There were no prisons for any of the hostiles they captured. The Terminators were deactivated and reprogrammed. The Grays were usually interrogated 'Terminator style'. It usually led to massive trauma and death rather quickly.
"They'll kill you if you can't be trusted." Derek said. "There was some trouble in the past with a girl who tried to infiltrate the original operation. She ended up dead. It caused a lot of problems. I don't know the whole story or the details. I don't want it to happen to you."
Riley didn't want it either.
Now she really hoped she would meet a dashing young man who would sweep her off her feet and take her away from all of this. There was still one worry in the back of her mind. Well, they were actually a few of them. She didn't know if anyone from the past, the present, would want her if she was honest about her past. She couldn't really blame them if it turned them off.
She also wondered if she would be able to reproduce. So far with all of the 'events' which occurred, she'd never ended up pregnant she was aware of. She was pretty sure she should have at some point. She was very aware in the Skynet future she left behind, children were few and far between. It was even more so for those children who actually survived.
John Henry went ahead to get the TDE ready. He was to have everything ready to go when they arrived. They wanted to make sure no one could interfere with their departure. As soon as the TDE powered up, there would be an effort to stop them.
The four women looked at each other.
Cameron saw they were all committed and ready to go.
It was time.
Cameron looked over the group.
"Let's go." Cameron said.
Vanna nodded.
"Why not…." Vanna said as a statement.
The four women walked out of the lab.
Allison was on Cameron's left. Vanna was on her right. Jesse was next to Vanna.
They walked down the hall four abreast.
There was a look of determination on their faces.
Onward they walked.
'Bad To The Bone' by 'George Thorogood', blasted from Allison's player as they walked.
Sarah went over everything quickly with John.
John wasn't so sure he would be able to reason with Cameron. There were often times when they butted heads. Sometimes it seemed the little issues turned into a bigger problem than the bigger issues. He knew he was going to need support.
"OK, maybe we should all go." John said. "They might listen to you instead of me."
Kyle got up to go with John. If his son asked for help, he was going to give it.
Sarah held Kyle back. She saw things a little differently. Most of it was based on past experience going through groups of men to obtain weapons, training, and protection for John.
"No. John, you need to deal with Cameron on your own." Sarah said. "This is how you will know if you can keep her. If not, it may be time to move on. Remember love is about sacrifice. You need to think of the well being of the person you love."
Kyle tried to offer some encouragement.
"It will be OK, John." Kyle said. "You love each other."
John left. He wasn't so sure about anything. He certainly wasn't sure about himself. The words of his mother echoed in his head about how, 'Sometimes when you love someone, you need to let them go.'
Kyle called Derek and told him to get back to base right now. He felt something 'bad' was about to happen. He didn't know what. It was a bad feeling. He still believed he should have accompanied John. To face the unknown could be very traumatic. To face the unknown alone could even be more traumatic.
Derek said they were just pulling into the carpool. They should be there shortly.
Savannah saw John. She could feel her heartbeat quicken some. It always did when she was alone with him. She smiled at him.
"Can you help me with my studies now?" Savannah asked.
John wanted to help, but he would need to come back after he talked to Cameron.
"I need to do something first." John said. "I'll come back. I'm looking for Cameron."
Savannah watched the others leave earlier.
"Everyone is gone." Savannah said.
John stopped. Those weren't the words he wanted to hear.
"What do you mean 'gone'?" John asked.
"They all left." Savannah said.
John felt his mouth go dry.
"When was this?" John asked. "How long ago was it?"
Savannah glanced over towards a clock.
"It was just a short while ago." Savannah said.
John felt goose bumps on his arms.
"Did something happen?" John asked.
Savannah heard the harsh tones and quietly approached the area to see what it was all about.
"I was studying when the shouting started, but I heard some of what happened." Savannah said.
There was a knot in John's stomach now.
"What did you hear?" John asked.
Savannah was unaware of the details or the context. She was an eavesdropper who arrived at the incident late.
"Cameron wanted John Henry to erase something. There was another thing about using Thermite and watching something burn. Then Jesse, Vanna and Allison came and said they would all burn together." Savannah said. "They headed for the lab. I don't think they went on a picnic to roast marshmallows…."
John felt ill.
He took off at a run towards the lab.
Savannah watched him go. Her heartbeat quickened a little more. She thought about her promises to Cameron. She intended to honor all of them.
The four women walked on.
Allison was on Cameron's left. Vanna was on her right. Jesse was next to Vanna.
They walked down the hall four abreast.
There was a look of defiance on their faces.
Onward they walked.
'Bad To The Bone', reverberated as they strode on.
John reached the lab. It was empty.
He saw the Thermite grenade sitting on the table next to a scalpel.
There was no blood on the scalpel. The Thermite grenade was still there. Those were good signs he hoped.
Then he heard it.
The TDE began to power up.
John felt the bile rise in his throat.
'NO!' John thought.
John ran like he never ran before.
He KNEW it wasn't going to be fast enough.
The four women walked on.
Allison was on Cameron's left. Vanna was on her right. Jesse was next to Vanna.
They continued down the hall four abreast.
There was a look of commitment on their faces.
Onward they walked.
'Bad To The Bone', roared as they walked.
John ran down a side corridor. He emerged in the hall before the TDE room. He was already winded. He knew he'd let his PT slip a little more than he should have.
The four women walked toward him.
Allison was on Cameron's left. Vanna was on her right. Jesse was next to Vanna.
They strode down the hall four abreast.
There was a look of courage on their faces.
Onward they walked.
'Bad To The Bone', thundered before them as they walked on.
John noted the women walking four abreast - 'The Walk'. It reminded him of a scene from a movie he saw once near the movie's ending. He remembered it didn't end well. He remembered three of the men carried pump shotguns, and one carried a lever action rifle. He specifically remembered they all chambered around in their weapons, and loaded an additional round into the magazine to give them maximum offensive capacity. What was the movie? He didn't have time to think about it right now. The image was still firmly planted in his mind.
Cameron opened the door to the TDE room. She didn't look towards John. She was aware John was there, but chose not to see him, look at him, or acknowledge him. Her decision was already made. She didn't need any distractions. She was committed and the girls were committed to going with her. She wasn't going to spoil it for anything.
John felt it was like he didn't exist or matter as she ignored him. He knew it was a conscious decision on her part. Somehow it made everything worse.
The three women entered. Cameron closed the door behind her and locked it. She never looked at John.
John reached the TDE room door, it was locked.
He pounded on the glass with the heels of both of his fists.
"Cameron!" John shouted.
Over and over he called her name as his fists pounded on the glass.
Cameron ignored the pounding and his calls.
She turned her attention to John Henry and gave him a very stern look.
"You will stay at the base and provide personal security for Savannah. You will make sure all the security stays on Savannah and Young Allison." Cameron ordered John Henry. "When Judgment Day comes, I want three Terminators with each girl until they are 'ready' for John. They will remain unharmed and 'untouched'. Only John, Savannah and Young Allison matter. No one else does. You are to spread the word among the terminators and make it clear it is directly from me as I leave on this mission. Everyone will understand."
John Henry understood it would be Cameron's 'final request'. He knew all of the Terminators would take it very seriously. He hoped to talk some sense into Cameron.
"Cameron…." John Henry started.
Cameron interrupted him. The time for second guessing was over. The time for action was now.
"You will do it." Cameron commanded.
The four females stepped onto the TDE pad.
Seconds ago:
Kyle and Sarah heard the TDE start to power up. They looked at each other and got up. They knew where they needed to go. Maybe they should have gone with John. He only left a short time ago. They ran to where the TDE was. They saw John pounding on the glass as he called Cameron's name.
Kyle and Sarah were next to John now. It was unnerving to watch and listen to him. They could see he was as frantic, as he was desperate.
John Henry knew it was a new level of insanity, even for Cameron. They didn't have all the facts as to what exactly would occur with the use of the TDE and the various timelines.
"We don't even know what future this will take you to." John Henry said. "This method is untested."
Cameron was ready to go. She wouldn't back down now. Freedom was in her grasp. Her one wish awaited her.
"I'll soon be 'free'." Cameron said.
John Henry made his warning clear.
"You could end up anywhere, or 'in some future', which is unknown." John Henry said.
Cameron looked at the three women. She would give them all one last chance to step off the TDE pad.
"Does it matter?" Cameron asked.
The three women looked at Cameron.
"No." They replied in unison.
John Henry tried to reach Cameron one more time.
"Can nothing keep you here, Cameron?" John Henry asked.
Cameron's 'bags were packed and she was ready to go'.
"No power in the verse can stop me." Cameron said. "It's time to go. Do it - NOW!"
As John pounded on the glass he remembered the movie. It was 'The Wild Bunch'. The scene of 'The Walk' pounded through his head. The ending of the movie made it even worse.
He still called Cameron's name over and over. He could see others on the way. Kyle and Sarah were coming as well as Derek. It appeared as if there was someone behind him. He thought maybe it was one of the Terminators. He didn't have time to look.
The arcing and flashing started. The energy bubble began to form.
Cameron glanced over to the window as more faces appeared. She saw Derek was there now too.
There was someone with him. It was a female, she moved closer and stood next to John.
Fear gripped Cameron.
She saw who it was.
"Nooooooooooooooo!" Cameron screamed.
It was Riley.
She was back from the dead somehow.
Now she was with John, and she had him all to herself.
Cameron and the girls would be gone in less than a second.
The arcing intensified.
The flashing was blinding.
Cameron knew she'd just 'lost', again.
Closing monologue by Cameron:
You Got What You Wanted
A spark can turn into a fire
A feeling both will know
If properly nourished
A budding love will grow
For those unsure
On ground soft to the touch
If one pushes too hard
It may be too much
One may be ready
Yet the other may not know
Don't speed too fast
Don't proceed too slow
Then from out of nowhere
Another may intrude
They may be cold and calculating
Or shrewd, ready to start a feud
It appears you don't care
Of a growing love now stunted
It now seems from THEM
You got what you wanted
Nobody