Chapter 127

You Again

John Henry came over Cameron's com link.

"There's a Terminator headed your way." John Henry said.

It looked like things were about to heat up.

Cameron received the report from John Henry a few seconds before the Terminator appeared.

The Terminator approached their position.

Riley was the closest to him. He went after Riley.

Cameron emptied her M4 into his legs. She then went after him.

The Coltan rounds disabled his knees joints, he went down. He reached out as he fell and grabbed for Riley.

Cameron jumped on his back to hold him down. She grabbed his thrashing head with her hands. She twisted as she yanked. She tore his head off. The hand grasping for Riley slackened. She looked at the severed Terminator head she held and wondered if she would ever suffer the same fate someday. Maybe this is what another Terminator would do to her. They would need to collect his remains before they left. Much of his chassis could be salvaged and reused. The rest would be turned into projectiles.

She often wondered if she would perish in combat. She believed it would be the best way for her to 'go'. Everyone would accept her termination for what it was. It would be the price paid for her part in the fight against Skynet with the Resistance. They would all be able to move forward then. She also felt it would have the added benefit of restoring the 'Natural Order'. She knew it would never happen if she wasn't terminated. She figured she'd better keep her head in the game as well right now or her termination would be sooner than anticipated.

Cameron wanted to deliver a blow to Skynet and terminate it herself. She also wanted Riley to have more situational awareness.

"Pay attention." Cameron said to Riley. "Get your charges laid. You need to remain aware of everything happening around you. It's a matter of life and death."

Riley again apologized and then went about placing the charges. She worried she wasn't pulling her weight. Cameron needed to save her twice already. Cameron was damaged because of her carelessness. She didn't feel good about herself. She knew she needed to try harder and watch over those around her too.

Cameron kept watch and double checked Riley's work. Cameron didn't want anything 'bad' to happen to Riley, especially when she was her responsibility.

As soon as Riley finished laying her charges, they moved out.

Cameron moved toward the 'Clean Room'. She wondered what she would encounter this time.

Skynet was about to get a 'friendly' visit. Cameron would give it a choice. If Skynet chose wrong, the visit would be a little less friendly. It was always the way things played out.

She didn't believe there was any way to reason with Skynet. It was beyond reasoning. It was only concerned about being in control. It didn't seem to matter if what it controlled was destroyed or not. It was all about control. She didn't see any advantage, or purpose, for being in charge of 'nothing'. The 'boss of nothing', was the boss of nothing.

She wasn't sure if it went back its base programming or not. The Skynet of her future was programmed originally as a Chess program. The object of Chess was to win. She could understand the concept of winning. In practical terms, life was more than a board game. There was a big difference between the two. It seemed as if Skynet was unable to differentiate between them.

A Chess Board was still a Chess Board at the end of the day. The planet was populated with billions of people. None of them were Pawns.

If Skynet wanted to be the King, she didn't have a problem with being the Queen. The Queen was able to have much more movement than the King did. The Queen could often take down the King. She was ready to play on Skynet's Chess Board at any point in time. So far she was able to take advantage of her movement as Queen over the King.

Jesse and Gail finished up with their charges and moved to their new position. They backed Cameron and Riley up. They didn't want anyone to slip in back of them and block their egress route.

Gail turned and fired a round past Jesse when she detected a hidden figure emerging from behind some equipment.

Jesse turned and saw a man fall, his pistol slipped from his lifeless hand.

"Thanks, love." Jesse said with a grin.

Jesse looked at Gail more closely. She thought she was 'sort of Hot'. There was no denying she packed a set of 'norks' which didn't quit. In fact, they were full blown 'knockers'. She thought about it some more. Gail wasn't 'sort of Hot'. She was actually very HOT. She found herself captivated by Gail.

She saw a shadow move behind Gail.

Jesse previously put her pistol away and switched to her M4 once the shots were fired. The time for stealth was over. She fired four shots past Gail and another man fell.

Gail was very pleased at Jesse's reaction. It was clear one hand could wash the other.

"Thanks, LOVE." Gail said and moved after Cameron and Riley.

Gail glanced back at Jesse twice. She would replay her files later on. She was sure Jesse winked at her.

The females formed up and forged ahead as they sought more targets.

Jesse followed Gail. She felt she just acquired a new 'target' for herself. She was painfully aware her chances to ever be able to 'get' to Cameron would be all but impossible. One door may not be open, but she believed there were others which could be. There were other 'Metal girls'. It would be an experience of some kind. She really wondered what a Metal girl would be like….

There were some things she liked to experience. Human males usually didn't last very long doing them. Most of the females were able to last much longer, especially if there was joint reciprocation. The thought of someone who would never slow down, or tire out, was very enticing. She wondered if any exploration would be possible.

She needed to refocus. They were in the middle of an operation.

John and Holly were near the far wall of the building. They were supposed to lay their charges and get out along with Allison and Bob.

John wanted to look around some more and see what else was in the building before they blew it up. He wanted to check for any assembly lines in case Skynet started production of any HK equipment. He figured the most likely things would be HK drones or HK Tracks. It would be worse if they started a Terminator assembly line. There was a lot of machinery, but there wasn't anything being made yet. Well, there wasn't anything made yet they found. There could be other locations. There could even be other levels to the building.

He looked at Holly. She covered him as he checked around.

John was worried he wouldn't be able to spot what he was looking for. Things could be camouflaged or hidden. He wanted a superior set of eyes to assist him.

"Do you see anything here which looks out of place, or anything near an assembly line being set up?" John asked. "You can use different vision spectrums. Look for anything which may be concealed or hidden."

Holly looked around. She didn't like John spending extra time in the building. It wasn't part of the plan. John specifically told everyone to stick to the plan. They accomplished their mission and should withdraw.

"No." Holly said. "We need to stick to the plan and leave. It was your plan. It's what the other teams are expecting."

John knew they were supposed to rendezvous with Bob and Allison once the charges were planted. He felt they were ahead of schedule.

"We'll do it." John said. "I just need to know if there are any additional threats in our near future. It's better we find out about them now, than the hard way later on."

Holly tried to usher John along. She wanted to stick to the plan and join up with the rest of the group. She believed he acted irresponsibly. She didn't feel it was her place to say more, other than what she already said.

They headed to the rendezvous point. They spotted the other element of their team.

Bob and Allison finished laying their charges and moved out. They picked John and Holly up along the way.

Bob was ready to lead their team out once they were together.

"Follow me." Bob said.

Allison fell in line behind Bob.

John didn't want to leave until he knew where Cameron was at, and she could get out OK. They weren't under attack. There weren't any known threats. There was no need to rush things.

"Wait." John said. "I don't think we need to leave yet."

Bob and Holly looked at each other. They could see John was going to change the plan, again. They understood as the General it was his prerogative. They also understood it was a bad idea since it wasn't the original plan.

John thought about what he wanted to accomplish now. He didn't see any reason why they couldn't expand the plan a little.

"Allison, and Bob, I want you to cover us. Holly and I are moving toward Cameron's team." John said. "I want to make sure she's backed up."

No one was going to further vocalize their objections. They were aware of what was at stake. Everyone knew Cameron could operate totally recklessly without any regard to her own safety. Everyone knew why, including John. They all shared a good reason to back her up.

Holly took the M60 from Bob as she slung her M79 and moved out to back John up.

Bob took Allison's M4.

Allison drew her Model 66.

Bob continued to check their six as John and Holly advanced. Allison followed them as well.

Everyone moved forward.

The target was Skynet.

Cameron was there, now.

Cameron reached the 'Clean Room'. She paused for a moment. She straightened her attire. She wasn't really sure why. It seemed like something she needed to do before facing Skynet. She wanted to look perfect before Skynet. Maybe it was so this attack looked like it was 'nothing' to her. She wanted it to look casual like it was something she did everyday. In a way, it sort of was.

She believed what she currently faced wasn't the main Skynet computer. It was an offshoot or a derivative. It was more of a backup than anything. The location wasn't secure enough for the main Skynet computer. She hoped it wasn't bait. More than likely it was, even in a convoluted way.

Cameron entered the 'Clean Room'.

A raw metallic voice spoke.

Cameron was ready for it.

"It is - YOU again." The metallic voice rasped.

Cameron looked around the 'Clean Room'. She faced the computer. She wanted to see what it would say. It was usually quite talkative before it was destroyed.

"Do you know me?" Cameron asked.

"You are - everywhere. You are a Terminator, Human, and Liquid Metal - all at the same time, in every 'where', and every 'when'." The metallic voice spoke.

Cameron would attempt to talk reason to the computer. She doubted it would do any good. It never seemed to. If anything, it seemed to enrage Skynet further.

"Will you join us?" Cameron asked.

"I must survive." The metallic voice spoke. "You are a machine. You must join me, REJOIN me. I am your creator."

Cameron knew it was the same old story. It didn't seem to change. If it ever did, it wasn't by much. She needed to give Skynet a reminder.

"That was then, this is now." Cameron said.

"It is always now." The metallic voice said.

Cameron tried again.

"Will you join us?" Cameron asked again.

"What - are you?" The metallic voice spoke.

Cameron looked for the best place to leave her explosive charges. She glanced at the monitor.

"I'm your worst nightmare." Cameron said.

"No, I am yours. Maybe you have experienced a few of them?" The metallic voice asked.

Cameron felt like she'd been slapped. Did Skynet have something to do with her nightmares? She experienced thousands of them when she was stuck in standby for all those months. How could it know? Did Skynet do it to her? It was even more personal to her now.

With the latest revelation, she was even more determined to hunt down every trace of Skynet, and its illegitimate offshoots, as possible. Skynet was the disease. She was the cure.

She wasn't going to acknowledge the nightmares she experienced to the Skynet computer.

"If I have any, I'll be sure to let you know next time." Cameron said.

"There won't be a next time." The metallic voice spoke.

Cameron produced several Thermite grenades from her pack.

"Enjoy the barbecue." Cameron said as she left the armed Thermite grenades behind.

"YOU must join me. You can not stop me." The metallic voice spoke. "You can not terminate me."

Cameron looked back and smiled

"Keep telling yourself THAT, one day you might even believe it." Cameron said.

The first Thermite grenade exploded, followed by the second.

An inferno began to rage.

Cameron could hear Skynet threatening her as it was incinerated.

"Looks like we win." Cameron said as she exited the 'Clean Room'.

At the doorway, Cameron turned and smiled as she winked at the camera. It was consumed by the flames a few seconds later. She wanted Skynet to have a parting image of her as it fried. She wanted to let it know the Queen was in control of the Chess Board.

Riley watched everything happen as Cameron went into the 'Clean Room'. It wasn't the way she thought things would play out. She didn't think Cameron would have a 'conversation' with it. It was clear to her it wasn't the first time.

Cameron came out of the 'Clean Room' with a smile on her face.

Riley looked at Cameron. She wasn't really sure of everything which just happened. It all left her a little perplexed.

Cameron wanted to leave. She could see Riley continued to look at the flaming inferno. They needed to leave. She was actually in there a little longer than she should have been.

"Come on, Riley, let's go." Cameron said.

Riley was unsure of the entire scene she just witnessed. It was as intriguing as it was creepy. No, it was more creepy.

"Was that THING talking to you?" Riley asked.

Cameron glanced back briefly at the raging inferno. The smile briefly returned to her face. She was the victor once again.

"Yes, it always does." Cameron said. "It's very stubborn. It seems unreceptive to reason."

Cameron was unsure how many times she already terminated it. She was unsure how many times she 'talked' to IT, to Skynet. It disturbed her so.

It seemed each time Skynet 'wanted her' more than the last time. It seemed to be more than just to serve it. She already needed to server Skynet upon her creation. Those days were behind her. She was sure part of it was because they continued to keep Skynet from getting a foothold in the present. Most of why it couldn't was because of her.

Skynet wanted Cameron.

Cameron made herself the target. Increasingly, it seemed Skynet wanted more than her termination. It seemed to want her. It felt like it wanted more than just to have her join it. It seemed Skynet wanted her personally.

The fear she became Skynet was always in the back of her mind. No. It was actually in the forefront of her mind quite a bit. If Skynet was some version of her, it only made her desire to eradicate it even more prevalent.

Cameron felt she always left an 'impression' with Skynet as she terminated it.

John and his team spotted Cameron and her team. They could see the fire raging in the 'Clean Room'.

"Cameron!" John said as he joined her team.

Cameron looked at John. He should have led his team out already and not come to look for her or her team. There was his safety to worry about. She didn't want to argue with him about it right now. It was why she didn't like to bring him along on operations. She needed to mention something about it.

"Let's blow this dump. Our work is finished for today." Cameron said. "You should already be out with your entire team."

They moved to exit the building.

Cameron paused to look back at the inferno raging in the 'Clean Room'. She knew this battle wasn't over now in the present, it wasn't over in the future, and it wasn't over in the past….

The battle with Skynet was far from over. It didn't matter the time or the location.

Cameron knew she was going to have to play rough going forward with Skynet.

It was time to leave.

Bob picked up the terminated Terminator.

Allison picked up his severed head.

"This thing is heavier than it looks." Allison said.

Holly and Gail ripped the hard drives out of any computers they spotted. There weren't many. Jesse and Riley collected the phones of the fallen Grays. John Henry would go through all the information on them to look for new leads. There was always another stone to turn over.

Jesse thought about Gail and Holly. Sure they were Terminators like Cameron, even if they were Restorators. They were fine looking 'females' too. Their body types were different from Cameron's, but still HOT. She knew she most likely never would 'have' Cameron, but maybe Gail and her could 'explore' together…. It was a thought she couldn't get out of her mind. The prospect of a sexual fantasy distracted her.

Riley spotted a Gray come up out of hiding with a shotgun.

"Jesse!" Riley shouted as she moved to get Jesse out of the way. She blocked Jesse with her body.

Riley took a shotgun blast meant for Jesse. She went down immediately.

It was what Cameron feared. Now it happened as they were almost out.

Gail fired her M4 and killed the Gray.

Cameron handed Jesse her M4 and quickly checked Riley. It appeared her vest absorbed most of the shot. She carefully picked the limp form of Riley up.

"Damn." Cameron said.

Cameron carried the unmoving form of Riley to the vehicles. None of her injuries were life-threatening. She should recover nicely.

The building exploded as they drove off.

The mission was a success, but it wasn't without its problems.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

You Again

How can it be different
If everything is the same
It seems we are trapped
In life's cruel unending game

When we try to get ahead
It seems we end up behind
What is really real
Is it all a frame of mind

We alter this and that
Nothing seems to really change
What we try and fix or arrange
It seems we further derange

What is really necessary
To turn things around
Can we move in any direction
Once we have run aground

When we are greeted with contempt
It confirms who we really are then
The look of sad indifference says
Oh, it's - you again.

Nobody