Chapter 154

Jacked

The girls all knew it was bad news, especially for Cameron. Simply by saying Riley and John would already have one child, meant it was more than a year from the time period they left from. Even though for them, it was only half a day. It also meant everyone was over another year older than them. They were only half a day older.

The girls could tell how upset Cameron was. They wanted to make their personal feelings known to her.

"You have us, Cameron." Jesse said.

"We have you, Cameron." Allison said.

"We WANT you, Cameron." Vanna said.

The girls wanted to tell her she didn't NEED John. THEY were there for HER. They all loved Cameron and wanted to be with her. It's why they were where they were at now. They all followed her. None of them expected to return. They were all sure they would perish in the future. They wanted to back Cameron's play. It was what they intended to do.

Cameron looked at the girls. She could feel the love radiate off of them. She felt the need for closeness. She wanted the physical contact. She needed some comfort right now.

"I know." Cameron said. "Please hug me."

All three girls moved over to embrace Cameron. They all gave her a warm meaningful hug. The fact they were all naked only made it even more special.

The girls wanted Cameron to understand their commitment to her.

Allison wanted to reassure her they were available for anything.

"We'll be there for you, Cameron." Allison said. "We're here for whatever you want or need."

Jesse wanted to reassure her there was nothing they wouldn't do.

"Anything, love, we'll do anything." Jesse said. "We'll follow you wherever you take us."

Vanna wanted to reassure her they weren't going anywhere.

"We'll never leave you, Cameron." Vanna said. "We all love you."

Cameron was very pleased at the level of commitment the girls expressed and demonstrated. What more could anyone ask for? It was loyalty at a level far more than she felt she ever deserved. She knew she needed to get her act together. She held the lives of her three friends in her hands now.

She was a Terminator. It was time she started acting like one. She composed herself. The expression drained from her face. All three women saw it. It was unnerving.

Cameron was a Terminator, again. It was her true nature. She believed her 'natural abilities' would be able to get them through any crisis or situation. She believed the jet they spotted presented them with an opportunity. Depending exactly where they were situated, the jet would be able to move them far away. She wasn't sure if it would be able to get them home or not. It would certainly be able to get them much closer.

She wanted the girls to understand her resolve and what the plan was.

"I'll protect you and get us back to where we belong. I swear it." Cameron said. "Let me get us some clothes. I want to get a hold of the plane. It's probably being used for drug smuggling. I can fly us out of here."

Allison was a little surprised. She never saw Cameron fly before.

"Do you know how to fly a jet?" Allison asked.

Cameron was programmed for all aviation skills. It was only the specifics of the jet she would need to review. The concept and principles were all the same.

"I'm a quick study." Cameron said. "I know what to do, even though I've never flown the specific type of jet before."

Vanna wanted a few more specifics about the temporal error. It would give them a better concept of what to expect. There wasn't really anything they could do about it currently.

"You never said how far in the future we are from when we left." Vanna said.

It pained Cameron to say it. One second was too long for her after what she witnessed with John and Riley. She knew how events played out before. She didn't see any reason why they wouldn't play out the same way again.

She was sure John would jump at the chance to be with 'Riley' again since her termination bothered him greatly. She was still troubled to remember his expression of grief when John, Sarah, and her, sat on the couch. Grief slowly overtook John. She remembered how John sought the comfort of his mother instead of her. She was sure John secretly blamed her for what happened to Future Riley. Technically it was her fault because it was the goal of Future Jesse to turn John against her. Future Riley was sent there to stop her. Future Riley was terminated because of her. None of it was her fault. She didn't think it mattered. She would still be blamed anyway.

She knew who she saw needed to be a different timeline version of Riley. Most likely it was from the same timeline the girls with her now were from. It wouldn't matter if it wasn't the same Riley. It didn't seem to matter for Sarah and Kyle. She didn't see how John and Riley would be any different. She was the same individual, even if her experiences would be different. She refocused on Vanna's question.

"It's been fifteen months, three days and eleven hours." Cameron said sadly.

Allison moved close to Vanna. She put her lips near Vanna's ear.

"It's more than enough time. Number two could be on the way." Allison whispered to Vanna.

Cameron looked over at the two girls. She heard what Allison whispered.

Allison looked uneasy. She was sorry about what she just said. She was about to apologize to Cameron.

Cameron forged ahead with her wishes. She knew what would be necessary. It was up to her, and her alone, to make the determination. She looked at the three girls individually as she spoke.

"If they've 'mated', I don't want Riley killed. I'll 'leave' instead." Cameron said. "Is it understood? We must respect John's choice. I want him to be happy and have what he truly wants."

Cameron felt somewhat relieved she was able to say it out loud. She didn't need to remind herself of what she knew. Sacrifice was the true test of love.

The girls thought it was a choice made without all the facts. They were all still alive, even if they were lost in time for a while. There could be a number of factors in play.

Jesse thought about the depth of what Cameron said. It was something she quickly learned after her arrival.

"Everyone sacrifices for John Connor." Jesse said.

The girls were worried. If it was the case, Cameron was bound to do something drastic.

Allison stepped up next to Cameron. She wanted to make her personal commitment known.

"If you leave, I'll leave with you." Allison said.

Vanna wanted to make it clear they would go 'all the way'.

"However you 'leave', we'll 'leave' with you." Vanna said.

Jesse felt her life was intertwined in whatever direction Cameron went.

"As will I, Cameron." Jesse said. "We'll all follow you 'to the end'."

The three women all embraced Cameron again.

The girls hoped Cameron understood if she self terminated, they would too. Each one of them hoped it would help Cameron to 'live' on for them, and for herself. They believed they made it clear any of them, or all of them, would proudly be her mate forever.

Cameron was aware the women would self terminate with her. She didn't want it for them. They were 'telling' her not to self terminate. Her termination would lead to their termination. She would be responsible for their deaths, with her 'death'.

She could tell the girls loved her and cared about her. She felt so ashamed for getting them into the current mess in the first place. Nothing worked out as planned. It all fell apart before they even left.

It was clear beyond a doubt to Cameron the girls loved her as much, if not more, than John did. She believed it was actually a deeper love.

She wondered if maybe it wasn't time to move her life forward as well. The girls were beautiful and loving. They never rejected her or pushed her away. They never 'sent her away' or 'replaced' her. They never saw her as 'scrap metal' or 'a walking pile of junk'. They never laughed at her or made fun of her if she didn't understand something. They always treated her with dignity and honor. They respected her as their equal. They truly loved HER.

Cameron made her choice right then and there as to what her future would be for the girls and her. If John and Riley were together, she would leave with the girls and start a new life. They would all be 'partners' and share everything with each other. They would all be each other's mates….

It would NOW all depend upon the choices John already made in their absence.

She would find out soon enough when they returned.

John already determined her fate.

Now she would soon find out what it was.

There were still a few things she needed to accomplish first. One of them was to get control of the plane without it being damaged.

Cameron wanted to reach the aircraft as quickly as possible. She didn't know how long it would be on the ground. A direct approach through the jungle would probably be more clandestine. The road would offer the girls an easier route to follow. It might be longer, but it probably would take less time overall. She led them along the dirt road in the direction where the jet looked like it landed.

She constantly checked for threats around her and the girls.

Cameron looked back and stopped the girls. There was a new development. It may or may not work out in their favor. There was no way to know until they tried it.

"There's a vehicle coming." Cameron said. "We may be able to commandeer it."

Allison thought of a way to make the truck stop. She was sure it would catch anyone's attention.

"Let me lay on the side of the road. I'm naked. It should stop them, or at least make them slow down to look." Allison said. "You should be able to make a move on them."

Vanna thought it was a good idea. She believed she could capitalize on it. She felt she was better qualified for the current job.

"No, let me do it. I doubt my hair color is common around here. I'm sure it will really get their attention." Vanna said.

Allison thought of another attribute.

"Or the lack of hair in a key place will do it." Allison said. "It catches everyone's attention."

Jesse wanted to go back to her earlier comment about Vanna's physical attributes.

"Not to mention those pink nipples, which seem to be a little pinker now." Jesse said.

Vanna shot Jesse and Allison each an 'upset look'. She actually liked both of the comments. She liked the way she looked.

Cameron quickly reviewed the plan. She calculated a ninety-seven percent chance of success.

"I like it. When they stop, I'll pull the driver out of the truck. Jesse and Allison, you can use your spears if necessary." Cameron said. "We don't know how many of them there will be."

Cameron picked up a 'golf ball' size stone. She would use it as her primary 'long range' weapon.

The girls would follow Cameron's instructions as to their placement. They were ready for action.

Cameron directed the girls where to go.

It was an ambush at this point.

The truck approached. It sported a canvas covering over the back section of it. The truck was in fairly good condition. It wasn't too old and not too beat up. The drug trade provided plenty of money for such things. It even included the synthetic oil for the truck.

The men in the truck were supposed to remain on alert as they delivered their shipment of illegal narcotics. It was the same routine they did once a week, every week, week after week. It was boring and mundane. There were never any threats. They became somewhat lax in their duties.

The passenger noticed something different. He strained his eyes to look. He pointed and motioned to the driver there was a figure ahead lying alongside the road.

The driver said they shouldn't stop. He knew they weren't supposed to stop from the time they left the processing facility, until they reached the small airport.

The passenger pointed out it was a woman with red hair, and very light skin. Strangely enough, she appeared totally naked. It was no one from around there, he thought. The local women were all darker and none of them had red hair.

The driver was intrigued as well. He looked around and stopped.

They waited there for a moment to see if the female moved. She didn't. They noticed she was shapely and nicely 'built'. She must have 'belonged' to one of the drug bosses. They were known for 'acquiring' females from other countries as their 'play things' and 'sex slaves'.

Sometimes when the bosses were 'done' with them, for one reason or another, they turned the foreign females over to the men. They were usually heavily drugged and all the men were allowed to take a few 'turns'. They were usually then taken back to the stable. They would be 'disciplined', and sometimes mutilated, in front of the other females. It reminded them of what would happen if they didn't follow orders and respond in a 'loving' way to the bosses. The ones which survived the humiliation were turned back over to the men. They didn't last long afterwards.

The passenger got out of the truck to look. He hoped she was still alive. If she was, they would take her with them. They would take turns in the back of the truck with her. Before they returned back to the drug processing area, they would dispose of her.

Cameron saw it was time for action. She started out at a run directly for the truck. She aimed and threw the stone at the man who'd gotten out of the truck as she continued her journey to the driver's side. She opened the door and pulled the driver out. He never even looked in her direction. His gaze was concentrated on the nude female. He too was anxious to see if she was still alive. She snapped his neck like a rotten twig.

It took care of the people in the cab. There were probably more in the back.

Cameron moved around to the back of the truck. Two men looked out the flap of the covering over the back. They wondered why the truck stopped in the middle of nowhere. I knew it wasn't supposed to. Since there hadn't been any shouting or shooting, they thought it might be some type of mechanical failure.

She grabbed both of them and pulled them out of the back. She slammed their heads together. There was a sickening dull crunching sound. She dropped their lifeless bodies to the ground. She moved the flap and looked in the back of the truck. There were no other men. The back of the truck was full of packages of drugs.

Cameron moved around the passenger side to check the man she threw the stone at. The stone was embedded deep in the side of his head. He was dead. His blood now covered part of his shirt.

Allison and Jesse stood over him with their weapons.

"We didn't even need to use our spears on him." Allison said.

Vanna got up and returned to where everyone was at. She was glad there were four dead men. Now they could all get some clothes to wear.

Cameron wanted to get moving. She figured she could accomplish several tasks simultaneously.

"Let's get their clothes. I'll leave these men in the jungle for the jaguar." Cameron said.

Cameron hoped the jaguar would develop a 'taste' for humans and hunt the drug traffickers in the future for food. If she were going to stay there, and had the time, she would teach the jaguar to hunt them for sport. She didn't plan to be around long enough to do so.

The girls stripped the men down. They found several weapons too.

Cameron checked all of the weapons for serviceability. She was disappointed at their appearance.

"These weapons are in poor condition. There's a lot of corrosion on them. They'll still function." Cameron said. "They'll still kill."

Cameron gave each girl one. The three women all checked them over themselves. She gave them a quick refresher in their specific traits. All they needed to do was aim and pull the trigger. She made sure they knew how to change the magazine for a fresh one as well. She gave a brief demonstration.

They donned the clothes they stripped off the men.

Cameron hoped to use the truck as a 'Trojan Horse'.

"They're expecting this truck." Cameron said. "I need to get to the plane to prevent it from taking off if the shooting starts."

Cameron wanted to be at the airfield first. She would eliminate as much of the enemy as she could silently.

Allison understood Cameron's plan.

"I can drive the truck, Cameron. Jesse can sit next to me. Vanna can ride in the back. We can open up on anyone we need to while you secure the plane." Allison said. "I don't think they'll be looking at the driver, so we should be able to get in without opposition. Like you said, they're expecting this truck. They know what it looks like and will recognize it. It won't be a surprise, or alarm them when it arrives."

Allison and Jesse pulled their caps low on their foreheads and adjusted their collars high.

Cameron looked at the map the men used. She went over the plan again. Timing was critical.

"We're less than a mile from the airfield. Let me move in first and you'll follow me in seven minutes." Cameron said. "I should be able to neutralize some of the opposition first and disable any heavy weapons."

Cameron handed Allison a watch she took from the driver. She vanished into the lush growth.

The girls watched Cameron depart.

Cameron was a Terminator now on the prowl. She was about to do what she was constructed for. It was to kill humans.

"Kong isn't King anymore." Allison said. "Cameron is."

A new more deadly predator now roamed the jungle. All who crossed her path would die.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Jacked

There are many ways
A person may be attacked
Some may be verbal
Or one may be physically jacked

Is the nature of the assault
Only a way to distract
Or is it something sinister
Its true goal may be abstract

Our personal shield of armor
Is soon warped, dented or cracked
We began to wonder how it happened
When we realize we were sacked

We are dazed and confused
So into ourselves we retract
We wonder if our heart and mind
Are tarnished beyond repair or intact

Maybe all that's left behind
Will be some forgotten artifact
It's when one plus one
Does not add but subtract

Nobody