Chapter 136

Alarm

Cameron and Savannah shared a good time at the park. It gave them some alone time to further bond with each other.

Savannah felt it was important she maintained a 'human connection' with Cameron. It was a human connection based on friendship and love, rather than of a sexual nature.

Cameron always felt extremely comfortable to be around Savannah. It seemed especially more so when they were alone. It seemed their interaction always made their bond stronger.

They returned back to the Resistance base.

Cameron needed to complete her earlier task in the Command Center where she was headed before Savannah intercepted her. It would be back into the daily grind.

Riley was in the commissary to get a snack. She could hear John Henry and Cameron talking about something. The conversation seemed kind of curt. She took her snack with her and moved closer to listen.

Cameron was in the Command Center with John Henry.

"Here are the leads I ran down for you." John Henry said.

Cameron looked over them.

"It looks like a few of these are soft targets." Cameron said.

John Henry thought they should all be 'soft targets' for a Terminator.

"Yes." John Henry said.

Cameron decided to act on them.

"I'll take care of this." Cameron said as she went to leave.

John Henry didn't see her call for a strike team.

"What about the others?" John Henry asked. "You need to gather a team."

Cameron didn't see the need for it. The targets looked easy.

"I can handle it on my own." Cameron said.

John Henry wondered if he should alert John.

"You know it's a bad idea." John Henry said.

Cameron wanted to get started. She didn't see it as a problem.

"You know I'm going to do it anyway." Cameron said.

Cameron all but stormed out of the Command Center. She didn't like anyone to second guess her. She didn't need anyone to question her.

Riley saw this as her chance to make it up to Cameron about her previous poor performance. She moved back towards the commissary before Cameron exited the Command Center. She made it look like she just left the commissary.

"Hi, Cameron." Riley said.

The stern look on Cameron's face softened some.

"Hello, Riley." Cameron said.

It looked like Cameron was going to keep going.

"Are you going on a mission?" Riley asked.

Cameron slowed and stopped. It looked like it wasn't a chance meeting.

"Yes." Cameron said.

Riley wanted to be a part of it.

"Can I go with you?" Riley asked. "I'd like to improve myself, if you'll allow me."

Cameron wanted to go alone. She could see Riley attempted to 'reach out' to her. She figured it was probably because of what happened on the previous mission. One of the targets looked like a simple 'in and out'. She thought it would be suitable for Riley to assist with. It could be a test as well.

"Are you ready to go right now?" Cameron asked.

Riley quickly finished her snack.

"Yes." Riley said as she swallowed the last of her snack.

Cameron nodded.

"Follow me." Cameron said. "I'll get you armored up before we leave."

Riley smiled. She was extremely pleased Cameron would allow her to go. She felt she needed to say something.

"Thank you for believing in me." Riley said.

Riley's words touched Cameron. She often wished others would have believed in her. It seemed to her the only one who did believe in her so far was Savannah. Maybe Riley would too. She felt much more positive now after her negative interaction with John Henry earlier. Maybe she was a little harsh on him. She reflected on the conversation a little further. Maybe the only negative aspect to it was her attitude.

Riley was extremely pleased the way Cameron checked over all of her gear before they left the Resistance base. She made sure everything was properly attached and secured.

Cameron was satisfied they were all set. They made their way out to the carpool. She chose the SUV Savannah and her used earlier to go to the park. She knew it was fully stocked with weapons.

Riley looked at the SUV.

"I think I'm supposed to inspect the vehicle to make sure it's fully equipped." Riley said.

Cameron was very pleased with her decision.

"It's always a good idea to know what you have available." Cameron said.

Riley opened the rear door and looked at the weapons stored there. She noted there were some MRE rations, as well as bottled water. She went over everything there with Cameron.

"I think you covered everything." Cameron said. "Remember to do the same thing every time you have the opportunity. Everything is supposed to be fully stocked all the time but there's a possibility someone may have used something and not replaced it in one of the vehicles. You don't want to need something and not have it available."

Riley looked at the driver's side of the vehicle.

Cameron noticed.

"Would you like to drive to the target area?" Cameron asked.

Riley was thrilled with the prospect. She didn't want to seem too presumptuous.

"I'd like to drive to within a mile of the target, and then turn it over to you for the actual reconnaissance." Riley said. "You can instruct me on everything you do, so I don't make a mistake and compromise our mission. I would appreciate it if we could do it like that."

Cameron was pleased at Riley's awareness of the mission. She thought Riley could do the entire thing up until the time they parked. She didn't want to push her and make her feel uncomfortable. It was never good to feel uncomfortable before a mission. She handed Riley the keys.

"You can drive close to the location." Cameron said. "I want you to look at a satellite photo of where the location is at. I want you to plan the route there. I'll let you know if there's anything which needs some type of adjustment or correction. I'm going to be an observer for right now."

Riley was a little more than surprised. Cameron just gave her an important responsibility. She took some time to look at the map as well as the satellite images. She thought it would be best to discuss with Cameron, before they left, exactly what she was going to do.

Cameron was pleased Riley went over everything first. She thought she did an excellent job in planning their route.

"We'll go with your suggestion." Cameron said. "You need to maintain situational awareness and make sure we don't pick up a tail. I don't expect we will, but it is something you always need to watch out for. If I notice anything, I'll tell you immediately. I'm not going to take any chances for either of us."

Riley took another moment to study the map. She looked for some alternative 'escape routes' if they became necessary.

Cameron was very pleased Riley took some more time to come up with some alternative routes.

Riley got into the SUV and started it. She made sure Cameron was buckled up. She left the Resistance base. She made her way towards the target area. She took a couple precautionary turns to make sure they weren't being tailed. When she was satisfied they weren't, she pulled over and parked. She got out and moved around the rear of the vehicle to the passenger's side. When she opened the door, Cameron was already in the driver's seat.

Cameron drove the short distance to the target area. She circled the block.

"The target building is the one with the blue stripe." Cameron said.

Riley went over the briefing Cameron gave her on the way there. It was related to the specifics of what they expected to find.

"There's one future Gray located there." Riley said. "They've been in contact with Grays who were sent back."

Cameron nodded. She showed Riley a photo on her phone from the DMV records John Henry provided her with.

"This will be a simple hit." Cameron said. "We will make contact and you will take them down. You'll finish it with a final shot to the head as we leave. It's the only way to be sure."

Riley thought it sounded like cold blooded murder. She only needed to remember she was with a Terminator. A Terminator was very goal oriented to completing a task. If a termination was necessary, it would be carried out. The manner in which it was done was insignificant.

"I understand. The crimes they committed in the future have given them their 'sentence'. I'm merely the executioner to administer the sentence. There's no mercy. There will only be justice."

Cameron smiled at Riley. It was the first full smile since they met today.

"I know it seems harsh, but they facilitated the deaths of hundreds of Resistance captives in the future." Cameron said. "Most of those were females 'selected' for testing. The end of the test left them with a terminal disease, or rendered them sterile. They were turned over to the Grays for 'sterility testing'. It was actually repeated abuse to see if any of them could become pregnant. None of them could. It prolonged the 'testing'."

Riley wanted to kill them for such an act. The 'motivation' from Cameron now would make her task easier. Females weren't test subjects, they were human beings.

Cameron and Riley entered the building through a side entrance. They bypassed security at every juncture on every level.

"The security here isn't very good." Riley said. "It's almost worse than no security at all because it gives them a false sense of security."

Riley's statement planted a thought in Cameron's head. How good was their security? When she returned from the desert after the encounter with the bikers, she was able to circumvent the base security. She was able to make it into the base, and out of it, without being detected. She knew what the security was so it may not have been a fair test. It still would have been better if she was detected at the time. She planned to look into it a little further upon their return.

Cameron let Riley take the lead as they approached the room the future Gray should be in.

Riley told herself she needed to be strong. She took out the silenced pistol Cameron provided her with and held it in her hand. She checked to make sure it was ready.

Cameron readied her Beretta as a back up.

Riley knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" A voice inside asked.

Riley developed several different statements to employ, depending upon the situation which occurred.

"It's a package delivery. I need a signature." Riley said.

They could hear the door unlock.

Cameron quickly moved her head next to Riley's ear.

"Remember the females." Cameron quickly whispered.

The door opened. The woman in the DMV photo stood there.

Riley knew it was another human being. Her crimes were committed in the future. She hadn't actually committed them yet. It didn't matter. Females suffered because of her in multiple ways.

She lifted her pistol and fired three times into her chest. Three red dots blossomed on her white shirt. She fell to the floor.

Riley moved closer and fired one more shot into her eye socket. She didn't see any other targets in the room. So far everything had gone smoother than she thought it would. They'd only been on the site for less than thirty seconds.

"Let's go." Riley said.

Cameron was pleased with Riley's performance. She'd actually enhanced the story a little to give Riley some determination and motivation.

They made it back out through the lax security and returned to the base.

Riley was bothered by what she'd done. She sought out Jesse, but she was with Allison. She found Derek instead for some comfort but wouldn't tell him what she'd done. She felt she needed contact with another human. She felt a little less than one because of what she did. If she had it to do over again, she would do the same thing. What needed to be done, needed to be done.

With the recent adventure with Riley, security issues began to bother Cameron. She became increasingly worried about everyone's safety. She was especially worried about Allison's baby. She was able to breach their security before. She knew if she could do it, others may be able to do so as well. If they faced an all out assault like they dealt to Skynet forces, they wouldn't do very well. She ran all her ideas by John. He thought maybe she was on to something.

"Why do you think so?" John asked.

Cameron left out the recent 'hit' with Riley.

"It's been a long time since they last 'hit us'." Cameron said.

John felt it was because of their aggressive efforts.

"We've hit them instead." John said.

Cameron didn't want them to be overconfident.

"I still think we should be more cautious." Cameron said.

John wondered what her latest concern was really about.

"Is this because of Allison?" John asked.

Allison was a worry of hers, along with his mother.

"Yes. I'm concerned with Allison and Sarah." Cameron said. "You know I worry about both of them and their babies."

John was worried himself about his mother and his sibling on the way. He still wanted more Terminators to reinforce their operation and try to keep the humans out of as much danger as possible. Cameron also pushed the idea as well for a long time.

"Do you want to slack the guard on the Reese brothers or Young Allison?" John asked.

The idea bothered Cameron.

"I'm not sure." Cameron said. "I don't know."

It was a surprise to John.

"Since when don't you know anything?" John asked.

Cameron frowned at John.

"There's a lot I don't know and misinterpret." Cameron said.

John wanted to give Cameron a playful 'dig'.

"Do you mean sometimes you can't win?" John asked.

John's question bothered Cameron. She believed it was a matter of interpretation.

"Sometimes it's harder than others, or takes longer…." Cameron said. "It's never over until I win."

Cameron wanted to tell John he should know it by now, but remained silent. There was no need to spark an argument. They seemed to happen enough on their own.

"So it's not how the game is played, but about winning, no matter how?" John asked.

Cameron didn't want to 'go off' on John. It was very cut and dried for her.

"If I don't win, YOU lose. It's just that simple." Cameron said and walked away.

John could see she was absolutely correct. He thought about saying something as she left. it didn't seem like the right time.

Cameron was irritated at John for not understanding everything she did was for him. It was all for John and the future. It was all for John's future. She still didn't believe they could stop Skynet. She also knew it was going to get 'personal' between Skynet and her. She wasn't sure how, but she knew it was coming. She believed one way to control Skynet, was to become Skynet herself. It was a fear she felt would become a reality. If she controlled Skynet, she protected John.

She couldn't seem to make John understand she was expendable for his protection. Love was about sacrifice and she was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect John. How could love be more deeply expressed than dying so the one you loved could live?

Cameron went and checked out a few more things. She decided to head back to John and put the events into motion to see what happened. She would find him shortly.

John wasn't sure what happened with his 'discussion' with Cameron. It seemed to happen more and more. Cameron's left hand always seemed to glitch, even when she was alone with him. Cameron pushed herself too hard and demanded too much of herself.

He was also aware whenever Savannah took Cameron's hand, it stopped the glitch immediately. She was the only one who could calm Cameron so quickly. He was painfully aware Savannah was the ONLY one who NEVER gave up on Cameron. Her love was the strongest of them all.

John felt Cameron took the burdens of the world on herself alone. They were the burdens of time itself. He noted she sure took the burdens of those around her on herself. He knew Cameron believed everything she was doing was the right thing for himself. He was painfully aware sometimes it didn't seem like it.

He thought as long as Skynet hadn't taken control, they were winning.

John decided to find Cameron and follow through on her plan.

Riley and Jesse evolved and expanded their relationship. Riley would still see Derek on and off. Jesse said she didn't mind. It gave her time to interact with Allison and Vanna.

Jesse was happy for Allison and Vanna, and the baby on the way. She really wondered what caring for an infant would be like. Before she came to the current time period, she could have cared less and never would have done it. Now she looked forward to helping and sharing with her friends. She wanted to help.

After some pillow talk, there was a look of concern on Allison's face.

"Jesse?" Allison asked.

Jesse wondered what was up.

"Yes, Allison?" Jesse responded.

Allison paused for a few seconds. She wanted to choose her words carefully.

"Do you think I'll make a good mother?" Allison asked.

Jesse didn't think Allison would have a problem

"Yes, I do. You're a wonderful person." Jesse said.

Allison knew it was more complicated.

"I'm worried I won't be good enough." Allison said.

Jesse gave her a loving kiss to reassure her.

"You will be." Jesse said.

Suddenly an alarm went off. They weren't sure what it was for. Was there a fire, or was it an intrusion?

"Are we under attack?" Allison asked.

Jesse got up immediately. She looked back at Allison.

"I don't know, arm yourself and hide. I'll stay here to protect you. Let me look around." Jesse said. "I won't go far."

Allison looked apprehensive.

Jesse touched Allison's cheek.

"I'll protect you, Allison." Jesse said and went out.

Kyle and Sarah heard the alarm. They both now carried weapons.

"What the Hell?" Sarah asked.

Kyle needed to protect Sarah.

"Stay here, Sarah." Kyle said.

Kyle ventured into the hall.

Derek emerged from his room with an M4. He looked around. He looked back into the room.

"Stay here and arm yourself, Riley." Derek said.

Riley wanted Derek to have one more thing as he went out into the hall.

"Here, put your shorts on." Riley said as she tossed them to Derek.

John Henry looked over at Savannah when the alarm went off.

"Savannah, I want you to go into the 'safe room' for now." John Henry said.

Savannah frowned.

"I don't like to stay there." Savannah said.

She was aware whatever was about to happen wasn't good.

Mr. Ellison arrived.

"This doesn't appear to be discussion time. Come with me now." Mr. Ellison said as he took Savannah's hand.

John Henry and Mr. Ellison exchanged grim glances. They were both armed as well.

Bob and Jim looked around. Bob carried an M60 and Jim held an M79.

"What are we looking for?" Jim asked.

Bob didn't see any targets.

"I don't know." Bob said.

Jim was still confused about what was happening.

"I don't even know what alarm it is." Jim said.

Bob was very uneasy as well.

"I don't either." Bob said.

Holly worked in the lab with Vanna. Unit Three was nearby.

They were both concerned about the alarm.

"Stay here." Holly said to Vanna.

Vanna felt a sense of danger.

"I don't like this." Vanna said.

Holly planned to protect her.

"I'll be here for you." Holly said.

Vanna noticed someone was missing.

"Where is Unit Three at?" Vanna asked.

Holly saw him leave earlier.

"I don't know. He just left here a short while ago." Holly said.

Holly gave Vanna an M4 and M79. They were the same weapons Cameron used before. She told Vanna to wait by the escape hatch. It was almost the same thing Cameron asked her to do before.

"You stay here." Holly said and exited into the hall. "I'll be back."

Cameron and John looked at the security monitors around the base.

John looked at Cameron.

"You're right, this is pathetic." John said.

Cameron could see what a disaster it would be if it was an actual attack. There wasn't a plan for a proper response.

"We've become too complacent in our victories." Cameron said.

John and Cameron continued to monitor the responses from the security feeds.

They discussed a few things before it was time to clear up the situation.

John pushed a button and made an announcement.

"This was a drill. I think you can all see how well we responded. Everyone report to the 'rec room', now." John said.

John paused and then added a final comment.

"After everyone gets dressed." John said.

Cameron looked at John and giggled.

John and Cameron went over the response with everyone. They weren't happy.

Cameron laid down a framework for better security and planning. She would include whatever John Henry, or anyone else, might want to add. Their meeting lasted two hours. It was a shocking wake up call for everyone.

Cameron explained they'd been lucky so far they hadn't been attacked.

Everyone really knew it was because Cameron eliminated all threats as soon as they were identified….

By Cameron carrying the burden herself, it allowed the others to be less attentive.

Cameron knew it needed to change. What were they going to do when she was terminated? It was a very real concern for her. It was only a matter of time.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Alarm

Those who surround us
Are viewed through life's corona
Maybe we should focus
On each individual's persona

What may seem the perfect package
In the dance of the first glance
May lower our own inhibitions
Allowing us to take a chance

What lies behind their face
Is it merely a reflective mask
Will we ever hear the truth
If we find the courage to ask

The fortunes of time
Fall upon those who seek
A bunch of empty nothingness
Is what is inherited by the meek

Always think it through
Don't be caught up with the charm
Every red flag will light up
Listen to your brain's alarm.

Nobody