Chapter 135

Busy

Savannah sought out Cameron. She wanted to reaffirm their connection. She spotted Cameron near the Command Center. She moved to intercept her.

"Hello, Cameron." Savannah said.

Cameron smiled when she saw it was Savannah.

"Hello, Savannah." Cameron said.

Savannah looked towards the Command Center. She didn't want Cameron to go out on an operation too soon.

"Can we go to the park for a while?" Savannah asked.

Cameron looked towards the Command Center. John Henry was supposed to give her some leads. She looked back at Savannah. She thought the leads could wait a little while.

"We can go there." Cameron said.

Savannah smiled. She went over and took Cameron's hand.

Cameron felt a rush of exhilaration when Savannah touched her. It made her feel good inside to think of how Savannah viewed her. Savannah never viewed her as a 'very scary robot from the future'. Savannah only saw her as an individual. It made her feel good about herself. It wasn't normally how she felt about herself. Savannah allowed her to forget the past, the future.

Savannah was pleased with the way Cameron responded to her. It always made her feel special. She didn't think Cameron responded to anyone else the same way. The smile on her face now, wasn't usually there when she dealt with the others. She was aware of some of the past issues. She didn't like to think about them. She vowed to never be like the others were.

"Let's go to the park with all the rocks." Savannah said.

Cameron liked to go there. There were less people to deal with there. She didn't like the way some of the males looked at Savannah when they went to the other parks. She was aware Vanna was ready to kill some of them before when they looked at Savannah for too long. She knew Jesse and Allison would have helped her. Luckily there was always a Terminator to watch over them who was able to intercede and rectify the problem, before the girls eliminated the problem forever.

She understood Vanna's concerns and why. There was more than one occasion when she would revisit a mall, or a park, and reacquire the individual who looked too long at Savannah before. She made sure their bodies were never found. She wasn't going to leave anything to chance. She didn't tell anyone what she did either.

"I like to go there too." Cameron said.

Cameron looked at the Command Center door again.

Savannah didn't want Cameron to get sidetracked. She led Cameron out to the carpool.

Cameron checked over an SUV to make sure it contained a full complement of weapons. They always did, she just liked to make sure. They got in and drove away from the Resistance base.

Savannah looked at the different things along the route. She noted where there were individuals who looked a little less friendly than others. She was aware of the way Vanna, Allison, and Jesse acted when they encountered similar people. It made her worried about them as well.

Cameron always noted what she would need to do to 'clean up' any of the routes they normally traversed. She visited multiple locations during the 'Witching Hour' to take care of any 'potential problems'. She would need to up her efforts with Sarah's baby and Allison's baby on the way. She planned to have Vanna try again, as well as Jesse.

She knew all of the girls questioned themselves as to how they would do as a mother. It was understandable since they all grew up without a mother. All the traumatic changes in their life, especially those caused by others, they needed to deal with by themselves.

They arrived at the park without incident. They would spend some time climbing on the rocks and hiking on the trails between them.

Cameron knew there were issues she needed to deal with related to the Resistance. She pushed those to the back burner in her mind. She was very pleased with who she was with, and where they were at currently. Sometimes it was nice to have help. Sometimes it was nice to get away from it all.

John Henry and John discussed some of their successes against Skynet. They contemplated the future and what it would bring for all of them. It was said if Skynet hadn't won, they were 'winning'.

John was in the future, a future. It was a terrible place. The living conditions were hard and harsh. Life seemed to hold little meaning. Maybe if they could prevent the same future, it was 'winning'.

It still didn't feel like 'winning' to John. It only felt like 'existing'. Skynet could still happen at any time. Skynet may even be in their past now and this was already an alternate timeline. They didn't know where Mrs. Weaver was. She could be in another future, or even in the past now for better control of the future.

Then there was River. Her future didn't contain Skynet. She told them of their own 'demons' the people needed to face in her time. If River's future was a continuation of their timeline, they would stay ahead of Skynet. If it wasn't, Skynet could still win.

"River's future didn't have 'Judgment Day'. At least in one timeline we must have been successful." John said. "I'm not sure how else to view it."

John Henry could see it for what it meant. It was a different future and a different timeline.

"Then River's timeline wasn't a continuation of Cameron's Future timeline." John Henry said. "Cameron's future timeline was directly linked to this timeline in the past."

John wondered if there was some hope for their timeline. At least hope against Skynet winning.

"Do you think River's timeline is a continuation of this one?" John asked.

John Henry felt it was where things became confusing. There seemed to be too many variables in play.

"It would make sense, but we have no way to know." John Henry said. "We have no idea of how many timelines there are."

John wanted to keep Skynet down to protect the future. It was going to take a lot of hard work on their part to prevent it from happening. Even though it seemed as if they were staying ahead of Skynet, there was no way to know what was happening, if they didn't know it was happening.

"Then we need to make sure Skynet never gets control, more than ever." John said.

John Henry believed they could only exert so much influence over the future.

"Yes." John Henry said.

John wanted to talk about River and Cameron. He was afraid of the answers they might come up with. None of them seemed good to him or for him. He felt the 'call' of love, and the power of love, was strong enough to change Cameron's future and her trajectory in life. There were other options available to her. Some of them were beyond his control. He knew the answer already, but he wanted to run it by John Henry.

"Can Cameron still use the TDE to go to River?" John asked.

John Henry didn't see why not. It was the risk which was the problem. They didn't know what the success of their temporal mission with River was. Since everything that involved her was in the future. There was no way to look back and see what happened.

"Yes, it's most likely." John Henry said. "It would be risky. There's no way to know if we even returned River to her 'home'."

They both knew River could have ended up anywhere other than where she was supposed to return to. She could even be dead for all they knew. There was no way to tell. They never heard from River. There were no energy bubbles they were aware of. No one really wanted to talk about it. There was a possibility they could have altered a further future by their actions.

John said nothing. He wasn't sure if Allison being pregnant would keep Cameron there, or allow her to leave after fulfilling her obligation to 'time'. The more he thought about it, the better the idea was to combine their two family units into one. It would bind them all closer together he hoped. To give Vanna and Allison direct access to his bed, along with Cameron, was a plus. The girls may not be in his bed for him, but they would be for Cameron. He was sure Vanna and Allison would be able to 'reach' Cameron on a level he couldn't. As long as it kept Cameron there with him, he didn't have a problem with it. He knew he didn't want to lose Cameron again. He was more than willing to make any 'sacrifices' necessary.

Cameron put a lot of pressure on John and the girls. None of them liked it, but because it was Cameron, no one would say 'no'. Maybe she did know more than they did if she really did live her life more than once already. If she did, she deleted all future knowledge as to the events which took place. John knew Cameron could replace every part of her body, and even Resequence her sheath. She seemed to have access to Terminators in every time period. She could keep replacing her power cell. How long could Cameron live this way? It could be centuries of time, but always the same time period, over and over.

John wondered why Cameron, if she was really doing it, always chose the same time to relive her life to be with him. He still didn't know if her 'love' was programmed into her by Future John, or if it was the love Future Allison felt for Future John. He hoped they were real feelings she developed on her own.

Savannah said Cameron was invincible and eternal. Maybe she really was. Maybe Savannah knew something they didn't. Maybe Mrs. Weaver knew and planted the idea in Savannah's mind before she left. Maybe Mrs. Weaver returned and did it, and left again without them being aware of it. There was just no way to know.

John wondered if Cameron lived her life more than once, and replaced herself, with herself from THIS future, if there was some vault or bunker somewhere with a few deactivated 'Camerons' in it? Did she destroy herself as she arrived and then take 'her place'? It would mean she purged her memory back to what it was the day she arrived from the future the first time. Did she erase a lifetime of memories and live them again? It was some really heavy thought. Maybe every time Cameron did it, she tried to 'get things right'. Maybe there was no getting 'things right'.

He knew they were bound to be variables which would happen every time. Even if things were the same, there was no guarantee they would play out the same. There could be minor differences. A few small changes could change everything further down the line.

It would mean River and Cameron never 'went away' together. John knew River possessed all the information on the construction of the improved TDE. She knew where they were. If she gathered the resources to construct one, which he felt she was resourceful enough to do, River could show up any time, anywhere. Did it mean she never did?

Why didn't River come back for Cameron?

Why wouldn't River come back for Cameron?

Why couldn't River come back for Cameron?

Perhaps there was more going on than they knew.

John thought about it all.

What did they know? It didn't seem like very much.

Because of her pregnancy, Allison, like Sarah, was removed from combat status.

Vanna volunteered for, and took Allison place in operational rotation.

It caused a problem between Allison and Vanna.

Vanna felt she was qualified to step up and fill Allison's place when necessary.

Allison believed she possessed much more combat experience than Vanna did.

"I don't like you risking yourself, Vanna." Allison said.

Vanna wanted to do her fair share. She also wanted to make up for Allison and Sarah not being a part of the operations which took place.

"Everyone else does." Vanna said. "I want to do my part too."

Allison didn't like Vanna in combat. She didn't have extensive experience.

"I still don't like it" Allison said.

Vanna wanted to lighten the atmosphere some.

"Look at the bright side, if anything happens to me, Savannah is still here for your future." Vanna said.

Allison knew there was some truth to it, even if somehow it was totally different. She didn't want to think about Vanna's demise. There was also something about the individual. Circumstances would make the individual 'different', based upon when they happened and where.

"It's not funny. I know she's you, and you're her, but I love you, Vanna. You are my 'Savannah'." Allison said. "I love YOU."

Vanna wanted Allison and 'their' baby protected. She would do what was necessary to protect Allison like she always did in the present or the past, the future.

"I love you too, Allison." Vanna said.

The two women's eyes locked and held.

"Are you sure this is what YOU want, Vanna?" Allison asked.

Vanna felt there was an advantage for Allison and 'their' baby even if the risk was greater to her personally.

"I'm sure." Vanna said. "It's what we've both talked about. In the future, we would have a slim chance of ever having a child, here 'now' in this time period we can. It can grow up healthy. We don't have to worry as much about infant death here. There's plenty of supplemental food here for a baby. I remember more than one mother unable to feed her baby. I remember the withered and dried breasts unable to produce anything for the baby. Everyone gave her anything they had to keep it alive. I remember how it usually 'ended'."

There was still one big worry for Allison. It was a worry which could change or destroy the planet. It wasn't a pleasant thought.

"What if 'Judgment Day' still happens?" Allison asked.

Vanna was aware it was a real possibility. She knew there was a good support group.

"Cameron will protect you and the baby, as well as John and me." Vanna said. "Everyone here, and the Terminators, will protect us to the very end."

Since she was pregnant, Allison was terrified of the future, and her future personally. She didn't think she would be a 'good mother'. She didn't really want the responsibility of a child. She wanted to 'throw' something out to Vanna.

"Vanna, would you be 'upset' if I 'gave' the baby to Cameron and John?" Allison asked.

Vanna didn't say anything for a while. She was shocked at the question. She saw everything as a little deeper and more involved. She was willing to make whatever sacrifices necessary to be with the baby.

"It's not just your child, Allison." Vanna said. "It's OUR child. We're a team so I feel it's mine too. It's OUR baby. I would rather live as one family, than have you give it up. I want this baby too."

Vanna questioned if she could even have a baby on her own. With all the abuse she was subjected to when she was younger, she should have ended up pregnant. There were times when she thought she was, but 'things' always returned to 'normal' in a few months.

Allison really wanted to see how 'committed' Vanna was to the whole idea.

"Thank you, Vanna. I just wanted to make sure. I want you to try again next month for yourself and ME." Allison said. "I want you to try again for all four of us."

Vanna thought of the bigger picture. Things would take on a new dimension quickly.

"You mean all 'six' of us if I'm 'successful'." Vanna said. "I'll think about it."

Allison could picture three small children running around the base.

"With Sarah's child, it would be beautiful to have three babies around here only a few months apart." Allison said.

Vanna noted a few other factors.

"It would be noisy and there would be a lot of diapers." Vanna said.

Allison tried to suppress a grin. She remembered the earlier 'offer' she heard.

"It looks like Cameron will be 'busy'." Allison said.

Both girls laughed. They both knew they would need all the help they could get. They certainly weren't going to turn any of it down.

Jesse listened from around the corner. It made her wonder about herself. She couldn't picture herself as a mother. She didn't think she could take care of an infant. She was sure she was pregnant a few times, but nothing ever seemed to 'stick' more than a month or two. Maybe it was her 'punishment' for what she'd done to others. She physically removed the ability for a few men to ever be able to reproduce. She hurt both men and women on purpose. She wanted to make the pain of her past go away. She only made it worse. She became what she hated. It made her hate herself.

She touched her belly.

Jesse really hoped the best for Sarah and Allison.

She wiped the tears from her cheeks and went to her room. It gave her the seclusion she wanted.

Nobody could hear her cry.

Kyle was pleased they stopped by the railway museum after they watched the mini-air show.

He took in the scene around them as they arrived. He remembered what the place looked like in the future. Everything was wrecked. Anything which was wood was burnt up. The steel streetcars and locomotives were rusted hulks. It was the handiwork of Skynet.

Now things looked old, but they were in good condition.

The museum itself was originally mostly about electric streetcar lines. There were cars from the Pacific Electric and the Los Angeles Railway. They were commonly referred to as the 'Red Cars' and the 'Yellow Cars' respectively. There were streetcars from other systems there as well. There was even a streetcar from Japan there.

Much of the equipment was operational. There were a few 'train sheds' that were built to house this equipment which further helped preserve it.

Over the years they'd acquired several steam locomotives and a collection of diesel electric locomotives. There were a few passenger cars and several cabooses from various rail lines.

There was a section of track that ran for a couple of miles. Tickets were available to ride some of the equipment. They'd even put up an overhead wire for some of the 'traction'.

They rode on some of the cars and looked around before they left.

Kyle looked back as they drove off. He hoped the next time they came there it would still look the same way. It made him a little sick to think how it all looked under a Skynet future. Everything was wrecked. Everything was the same way everywhere. Skynet wasn't about building anything. It was all about destruction. It really made him wonder how intelligent an AI actually was. It didn't seem as if it was very intelligent at all.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Better

I want to make you happy
I want to make you feel better
I share my mind and heart
When I give you a letter

As each day passes
Beauty fades away
Our bodies grow older
We can feel them decay

It is very sad but true
We can not grow younger
But for you my sweet love
I always yearn and hunger

To touch your soft flesh
Smooth gentle and slow
To make you feel the love
Everything you desire so

Maybe one day soon
You will want to feel and share
It's all within your own mind
To overcome the scare and dare

Nobody