Chapter 125

Dead Man's Curve

Allison wanted to find Cameron. She couldn't locate her. She spotted John and went to ask him.

"Hi, John." Allison said.

John smiled when he saw it was Allison.

"Hi, Allison." John said.

Allison thought John looked happy.

"I'm looking for Cameron." Allison said. "I can't find her."

John did know where Cameron was at. He was actually a little surprised. He was pleased with what she was doing with Riley. He was aware Riley didn't get the same treatment or reception as everyone else did. He didn't like it. He felt he couldn't say or do much about it personally. Maybe it was what everyone thought and felt too. It not only created the 'problem', it seemed to compound it.

"Cameron and Riley went out." John said.

A look of concern came across Allison's face. She briefly wondered if Cameron took Riley away to terminate her. Maybe she would snap her neck and dump the body somewhere. She hated to ask, but she needed to.

"She's not going to…?" Allison asked.

John laughed. It was an uneasy laugh. It was initially his first worry when he heard about it. He believed it needed some further explanation.

"No. Cameron wants to make Riley feel more at 'home'." John said. "It's something we all need to work on around here."

Allison wondered if it would be like when Cameron went out with Vanna and her. There were a lot of things which went on. Some of them were pretty wild. She wanted to make sure exactly what John meant.

"Did Cameron take Riley for a 'girl's night out'?" Allison asked.

John thought it was a good way to term it.

"Yes." John said.

Allison figured there would be some 'excitement' later on. She was aware she was responsible for a lot of it herself. Cameron always took over after she started something. She mostly did it out of fun. Some of it actually turned quite violent.

"There are going to be a few 'busted up' people tonight." Allison said.

Now John looked a little concerned. It wasn't what he wanted to hear. He didn't want Riley in danger. He didn't want Cameron in danger either.

"Why?" John asked.

Allison was well acquainted with Cameron's 'style'. She was witness to a lot of it.

"Whenever Cameron goes out with the girls, 'action' seems to find her." Allison said.

John heard it before. It happened even when his mother was with them. He thought she would be a moderating force. After he heard some of the stories, he wasn't sure she was. The girls all seemed culpable for the events which usually followed. He hoped to learn a little more.

"Why?" John asked again.

Allison didn't want to 'incriminate' herself too much. It seemed to her there were a number of factors which all seemed to stack up on top of each other. It would happen very quickly.

"Cameron's like a 'trouble magnet'. First, because she always looks 'perfect'. Second, because she does everything perfectly. It draws challenges. She then defeats everyone. It's when the trouble starts." Allison said. "People don't like being defeated so soundly, by someone so beautiful, who doesn't look like she's even trying. What seems to make it worse for them was the fact they are all accomplished at what they do. It's taken them a lot of practice and effort. Often for Cameron, some of the things are actually the first time she's done them."

Allison knew Cameron always said she was only using her 'natural ability'. It was clear a Terminator's ability was far superior to what a human could do in almost every thing. There were a few limitations or exceptions. There weren't very many.

John thought about it for a few seconds. There was something else which was troubling him. Whenever he asked Cameron about it, she would just smile at him and leave. The fact Cameron seemed happier lately added to his worry. He decided just to ask and find out, it was the best thing. He was pretty sure he wasn't going to like the answer. It revolved around the Valentine's Day celebration.

"Allison, the other day when we all went out with Cameron, do you remember what happened?" John asked. "You know, 'later on'?"

Allison knew some of what happened. She could tell John didn't know. She needed to make sure she didn't laugh. She took a few seconds to respond.

She smiled. She needed to find the right words.

"If one of us is 'late', we'll let you know." Allison said. "'Dad' sounds as good as John."

The look on John's face was priceless. It was clear he was very worried.

"Do you mean we actually 'did something'?" John asked.

Allison was going to tell him Vanna, Jesse, and her could barely keep up with him. It was too much to hold in. She started laughing. She couldn't help herself.

The part which actually made it funny was she didn't remember either. She asked Vanna and Jesse about it. None of them knew conclusively what occurred. She could only remember it seemed like they all had a good time together. It was the details which were elusive. She wanted to be as honest with him as she could be.

"To tell you the truth, I have absolutely no idea." Allison said and left.

John could hear her laughing as she walked down the hall.

He wasn't sure if she was joking around and trying to 'prank' him or not. He would need to find Vanna and Jesse and see what they remembered. He figured one of them must know something. Cameron never seemed to be bothered by any of it. She actually seemed quite pleased by whatever occurred.

He knew as long as Cameron felt she was the one in control of what happened, it didn't matter what actually did happen. Whatever happened would be what she wanted to happen. She was very goal driven.

Now John was more worried than ever….

Allison was sure she pulled one over on John. Maybe it was a little mean to do. It was still funny. She really didn't know what actually happened the entire night. She was pretty sure Cameron leaned on Jesse to 'put out'. Cameron leaned on her too, but not on Vanna. There'd been a lot of kissing and touching. She wasn't really sure who was doing what. She didn't know what things were happening. It was all sort of a blur in the end.

She never knew what happened to her underwear from the night they went out. She knew she wore them when they left, but they never turned up. She was with Jesse and Vanna later on. It was how they woke up anyway. She was sure John was with them too at one point. Maybe it was just what she wanted to happen.

She wondered what would happen if she did end up pregnant. Would Cameron 'take' the baby from her? There was a good chance she would. Vanna and her talked of starting a family before. What if they planned it and Cameron 'took' her child for herself?

Maybe it was better than the pressure Savannah was under. It appeared as soon as she could have a child, it was going to happen. There was a lot of speculation as to how it would happen. They didn't think John would be directly involved. There was no way to know what would actually happen. She was sure Cameron would be responsible for some type of manipulation during the procedure. Ethics, morality, and truth, weren't Terminator strong points when they were in the process of achieving a goal.

She decided not to worry about it anymore. She believed Cameron would do whatever she wanted to do, and all of them were just along for the ride. She would like to at least be able to remember some of the ride. She knew what was 'hers'. It was what she wanted right now. No, it was what she needed.

It was time to find Vanna and seek some 'comfort'. She really needed some right now.

Riley looked back a couple of times as they left their parking spot near the beach. She needed to think if it all really happened the way it did or not. She came to the conclusion it did.

She couldn't help but think how events would have played out differently if she would have been alone, or with other human females. From what she gathered, the surfer punks who they dealt with, seemed to have done similar things before. She really wondered why some people thought they could treat others with such disrespect and violence.

She was still 'amped' up about the encounter on the beach earlier. It was such a 'rush'. It went from extreme fear, to a sense of total exhilaration and victory. She glanced over at Cameron as she drove. It didn't seem to have fazed her in the slightest. She wasn't sure if it was because she was a Terminator, or because Cameron told her it 'happened a lot'. It made her wonder what was wrong with people if things of such a nature occurred frequently. She could see in some regards the present wasn't too different from the past, the future.

"It was really wild earlier." Riley said.

Cameron glanced over and smiled at Riley. It was really nothing new to her.

"It happens." Cameron said.

Riley hoped it didn't happen to her again, unless she was with a Terminator. She could see why a hostile Terminator could do so much damage when they infiltrated a bunker, or tunnel complex, in the future. It was evident they were a very efficient killing machine if they wanted to be.

Cameron didn't think too much about the incident. She actually believed it was a little milder than most. She turned off of PCH onto Sunset Boulevard.

They drove east on Sunset up from the beach. It was a very curvy road in places.

Riley changed the radio channel.

'Dead Man's Curve' by 'Jan and Dean', came over the airwaves.

Cameron asked her to leave it on the channel and listen. She was very familiar with the song.

Riley took in the lyrics as Cameron took the twisty curves of Sunset.

Cameron glanced in her rear view mirror and rapidly moved over to the right.

A few seconds later, two cars passed by them at a very high speed. They were street racing. The exhaust thundered, and the engines screamed, as the cars raced past them. Each driver jockeyed for the lead. They often crossed over the center line in the road. It looked incredibly dangerous.

Riley was as surprised as she was impressed. She was glad she wasn't behind the wheel when the incident occurred. It was still a sight to behold.

"Damn, they're fast." Riley said.

Cameron didn't like the danger they'd put Riley in as they passed.

"They're fast, but they're stupid." Cameron said. "Listen to the song. It's about this very street. It is about people doing the same thing. The section they refer to is actually further to the east."

Riley did listen. It was sort of a 'sad song'.

They shared some small talk as Cameron drove.

Riley was really surprised how much like a 'person', or a 'girl', Cameron was like. Cameron was awesome! She could see why John loved her. In fact, she could see why everyone loved Cameron. She was amazing and dynamic. She could tell it wasn't the 'same Cameron' who went out to fight Skynet on a regular basis. 'That Cameron' was a cold killing machine, a Terminator.

Cameron suddenly slowed.

Riley looked around quickly. She wondered what was wrong. She didn't see anything. She wondered if there was another set of racers coming. She hoped they weren't coming back since she saw how they were all over the road. She didn't want to get into a 'head on' collision.

Cameron handed Riley a phone.

"Use this burner and call 911. Tell them there's a car over the side of the road." Cameron said.

Cameron told Riley the name of the last cross street they'd passed on Sunset.

Riley saw where Cameron looked. The guard rail was shattered. A section of it was missing on the curve in front of them. There were two dark lines in the road leading into the void. They looked like skid marks from someone pushing down hard on the brake pedal.

Smoke started to rise from below the shattered guard rail.

Cameron could see there was an additional threat.

"Tell them to send a fire truck and an ambulance." Cameron said. "There's a car on fire."

Cameron left the SUV. She headed for the smashed guardrail and disappeared over the side of the hill in an instant.

Riley was surprised at how quickly Cameron moved. She placed the call and then ran to see where Cameron went. She reached the shattered guard rail and was surprised at what she saw. She took in the scene below.

Cameron was about a hundred feet down the side of the hill at a wrecked car. It was upside down and started to burn. Some of the brush around the car was on fire as well.

Riley watched as Cameron flipped the car over so it was upright. It seemed effortless for her. Cameron then ripped the door off the driver's side and pushed the collapsed roof up. The front end of the car was really starting to burn fiercely at this point.

Cameron scanned the driver for neck or back injuries and carried him from the flaming wreck. In seconds, she was standing next to Riley. She gently laid the man on the side of the road. She checked his vitals.

Riley saw it was a steep climb. Even carrying the man, Cameron made it all seem effortless for her.

Cameron and Riley waited a few minutes to make sure the man didn't need CPR.

They could hear the sirens in the distance. The emergency response crew was almost there.

Cameron figured they'd already done their part. There was no need to stick around and become involved in some investigation. There would be a lot of questions asked. It wasn't something she wanted to do. She didn't want Riley exposed to the authorities either. It was time to move on.

"Let's go, help is here." Cameron said. "We'll leave things in the hands of the professionals."

They returned to the SUV. They lingered until they saw the ambulance about to pull up behind them. Cameron drove off.

Riley saw the ambulance personnel get out and start to treat the injured man. It seemed to her he was going to survive because of their intervention. No, not their intervention, Cameron's intervention.

She felt her heart pounding again. It was another adrenaline rush. This was a scary event for her too. She worried about Cameron and the driver of the wrecked car. She briefly pictured being trapped in a burning car and not be able to get out of it. It wasn't a pleasant thought. It was something she'd seen happen in a few movies. She knew what happened in real life too. If Cameron hadn't been there, it would have happened again.

"You saved the man from burning to death." Riley said. "He was still alive. He would have burnt to death. You were a 'savior', not a Terminator."

Cameron didn't see it as a big deal.

"Sometimes it's nice to have help." Cameron said.

Riley knew Cameron could have passed by the wreck and kept going. She never would have known. Instead Cameron stopped to help a stranger. She went down without any hesitation to render assistance. The car could have exploded at any point.

She was in total awe of Cameron. She remembered what Savannah always said.

'Cameron is invincible.' Riley thought. 'She's incredible.'

"Is there anything you can't do?" Riley asked.

Cameron smiled faintly. She also felt a stab of pain inside her. It was something which bothered her to think about.

'There is ONE thing I can't do, but YOU can.' Cameron sadly reflected.

Cameron didn't want to go there in her mind right now. The night was about Riley.

"There are a few things." Cameron said. "The night is still young and we haven't even started drinking yet."

Riley wondered what further adventures awaited her.

Wait.

Did Cameron say drinking? She wondered if Cameron actually consumed alcohol.

As they traveled eastward on Sunset, Cameron pointed out the locations from the song 'Dead Man's Curve', in the reverse order they happened in the song.

She pointed as they passed each one.

"Here's Dead Man's Curve. This is Doheny. This is Crescent Heights. Schwab's was located there." Cameron said. "La Brea is here, and this Vine."

Riley took it all in. It seemed as if Cameron knew everything.

Cameron couldn't help but think about how prophetic the song actually was.

"You know, Riley, the sad part about it is one of the singers was hurt near Dead Man's Curve a few years after they recorded the song." Cameron said. "It was very similar to what the song was about. Even the type of car he drove was nearly identical."

Riley thought back on the accident they stopped to assist at. She really wondered why Cameron stopped to help. She needed to ask. She wanted to know the reasoning.

"Cameron, why did you stop to help the driver?" Riley asked. "You didn't have to."

The soft smile on Cameron's face evaporated. The question hit close to home with her. The events surrounding it still troubled her. It always bothered her because John blamed her for what happened.

"Once, when I was with John in school, I prevented him from helping someone. He didn't have enough time to make a difference, but I should have let him try. I 'hurt' him by not allowing him to try to help. I must atone for my transgression. It didn't bother me then, but it bothers me now. A lot of things do."

Cameron thought of 'the Russian' and his sister, the dance instructor. She knew she could have stopped the men who came to kill them. She did nothing but walk by them. Those two people died because she did nothing. She still felt remorse about it. The dance instructor didn't deserve to die for her brother's sins. She didn't share the story with Riley.

Riley thought it said a lot about Cameron if she helped others she didn't need to help.

"Do you like to help people?" Riley asked.

Cameron glanced over at Riley.

"Sometimes it is nice to have help." Cameron said again.

Riley could see there were many different was to 'help'.

"Yes it is. Thank you, Cameron." Riley said.

Cameron smiled at Riley.

"Are you ready for some fun? The night is just getting started." Cameron said.

Riley wondered what else could happen to top the eventful night.

Cameron took Riley to a few more places she liked to take the girls to. She almost got into a few more small scrapes. She decided to not escalate them as she normally would. She thought she'd shown Riley 'enough' for one night. She would rather leave Riley with a favorable impression of her, instead of a negative one.

If Riley still felt any apprehension for Cameron, it was gone after the night. Cameron was the greatest person ever to her. It was just that simple.

Riley could feel something happening inside of her as well, she did nothing to stop it….

Closing monologue by Cameron:

You Should Know That By Now

Many days come
Many days go
Some go by faster
Some go by slow

It's what we do
With each passing day
How we act and behave
What we do and say

We can feel love
We can feel hate
One is not good
The other is great

We may not know
Who they really are
One thing for sure
You better check the radar

I say what I mean
Even make a vow
I mean what I say
You should know that by now

Nobody