Chapter 177

DNA

John Henry informed John about the newest problem. Cameron obtained a 'spare' chip. She wanted to replace her own chip with a 'clean' one, without her program on it. It was a form of 'self termination' for all practical purposes.

John thought about it for a long time. Now he was going to confront Cameron and try to reason with her and help her. Even though he could talk to her, he didn't know how to 'reach' her. She often told him, hearing wasn't the same as listening. He wondered if his attempts would be any different.

He wanted to try a subtle approach to get things started.

Cameron looked up when John arrived. She knew why he was there. She actually expected John Henry to be the one to question her about it first. She could tell he already knew how far he would get with her.

"What do you want?" Cameron asked.

John didn't care for her tone. Maybe he was a little too abrupt and confrontational.

"Cameron, I want the chip." John said as a demand.

Cameron said nothing at first. She almost said, 'What chip?' It was clear what she did was discovered. She knew it would be. Maybe she wanted them to challenge her about it. Maybe she wanted to give them something to think about. Maybe she just didn't care. There was no need to 'beat around the bush'.

"I won't do it." Cameron said as she faced him.

John could see Cameron wasn't afraid or worried to confront him directly. As his wife, he couldn't really 'order' her to do, or not do, something. He really wondered sometimes if it wasn't why she married him. It gave him less control over her, not more.

He really didn't see where things could go. It seemed every path was the road to nowhere.

"So the next chapter of running from me starts AGAIN?" John asked.

Cameron said nothing.

John became more irritated.

"Did you ever think it's from YOURSELF you're running and hiding from?" John asked. "Maybe you should look in the mirror and see what it is you're really running from."

Cameron said nothing.

Her silence only angered him more. Maybe if she could come up with some specific reason it would be different. It always seemed to go back to her internal conflicts.

"Why are you so unhappy?" John asked. "Is it me?"

Cameron tilted her head slightly. She didn't like John to be angry at her, especially when she didn't do something to deserve it.

"No. I love you, John." Cameron said. "I always have."

John felt her answer seemed ridiculous with what she planned to do.

"Do you?" John asked.

Cameron smiled at him.

"Yes." Cameron said.

John still looked angry. Her programming kicked in on how to deal with the situation. She didn't want a confrontation.

Cameron closed on him to offer her body to him to quiet him. She didn't want to fight with John. She hated to fight with him. It only caused hard feelings and prolonged whatever the issue was in the first place.

It was part of her infiltration programming to do 'this' to take control of a situation. She would offer the 'target' what they wanted to get close to them, and then terminate them. She didn't want to terminate John today, at least not yet. There were a few arguments which seemed they would need to end that way. None of them did. It was something she saw all of the other couples experience at times as well. It didn't matter as to the nature of their makeup.

She kissed him as she placed one of his hands on her right breast, and the other on her 'behind'. She was well acquainted on what John liked to touch. It always mystified her somewhat. Her sheath material was the same everywhere. It shouldn't matter where it was located.

Cameron didn't know what was happening. It seemed her programming drove her right now. She didn't want to relinquish the chip. She didn't want to fight.

John took the kiss and squeezed her right breast. Its fullness and firm softness excited him, as it did to touch her behind. It always felt just right and smooth.

He quickly regained his senses and released what he just touched and fondled. He took a step back. He'd been caught up in the moment. He knew it was what she always did. It upset him a little at how easily it always seemed to work. He understood why female Terminators were much better infiltration units than male Terminators. Well, in most cases anyway.

"Is this supposed to shut me up?" John asked.

Cameron thought it should have. He should have wanted more. Maybe it was time to offer it all and make it clear. There was one part of her he always wanted to look at, other than her face. She didn't see what the visual attraction was herself. She understood its designed function as a receptacle was what really mattered.

She would get a mirror out when she was alone sometimes and try to see what John saw in the area which seemed to intrigue him so. To her, it just looked like there was a lot more going on down there than there needed to be. She needed to refocus.

"I'm here for you." Cameron said. "I'm your wife. I'm the one you love."

Cameron decided to step it up. She started to remove his clothing. John didn't resist. She tried to do it as playful as possible. There were a lot of smiles exchanged in the process.

John reciprocated and started to remove her clothes at the same time. They were soon both naked. She encouraged John to fondle her. She actually liked the sensations now. Before they were married, she didn't see why some areas needed to be touched at all since they were non functional. Her programming told her it was part of the allure and tease. It produced further compliance with the 'mark' in order to obtain 'more'.

Cameron's programming took over. She was wild with passion and she pleasured John as she never pleasured him before. She also pleasured herself as she never did before. She loved John. She was afraid she was about to 'love him to death'.

John was on top of Cameron and soon expended himself. Things happened too quickly in all the excitement and he left Cameron 'high and dry'. Well, maybe not so dry. It actually happened a lot. She always told him it was OK and not to worry about it. He didn't bother to tell her he didn't anyway. Once his goal was achieved, nothing else really mattered until he wanted more.

Cameron would wait until she was alone and take care of business herself. In a way she actually preferred it as it gave her complete control. The down side was it lacked the sharing and the love which went with it. It was more about the result rather than the process to get there.

John's turn was done. She felt the male body was inferior to the female body in that regard. In the time it would take the male to go through the refractory cycle, she could have done it ten more times, or with ten different men. Any female would still be good to go afterwards, as long as it was by choice. She understood the allure, the attraction, and the satisfaction females were able to derive from each other when it came to love making. There didn't need to be a break. There was only more of the same and the pleasure was unlimited.

Cameron was dissatisfied with his performance. Now it was her chance to make it right for herself. She believed she waited a sufficient amount of time for things to get started again.

She looked into his eyes and smiled. She climbed on top of John and prepared to mount him.

"My turn…." Cameron said as she lowered herself down.

She took over now. She liked the feeling of control. At this point her satisfaction was up to her. She was going to show John how it was done her way. John finished too early again. She didn't stop as he squirmed around under her. She intensified her efforts and managed to remind him she knew CPR….

John was grateful to hear it. He was sure he was going to need it…. These were the times where Cameron took him further than he thought possible. He long ago forgot about the chip he wanted from her.

Kyle informed Sarah about their acquisition of four HK drones on the latest raid.

Sarah was immediately concerned.

"Do you think it's a wise decision to keep them rather than destroy them?" Sarah asked.

Kyle was a little surprised at Sarah's question. It all seemed rather straightforward to him. It was actually nothing new, even if it was somewhat different.

"If we reprogram them, I don't see why not." Kyle said.

Sarah was aware of some of her past experience with reprogrammed Skynet machines.

"We know sometimes when some of the machines are damaged, they tend to revert back to their previous programming." Sarah said. "I've also been told, sometimes they go bad, nobody knows why."

Kyle immediately understood the reference to Cameron and the explosion she was in. It caused her programming to revert.

"I think John Henry has been able to work through most of those issues." Kyle said. "All of the Skynet programming is completely removed from any of the chips which are reprogrammed. Other than the fact the chips, as well as the equipment, was created by Skynet, everything about its operation is solely related to the Resistance."

Sarah knew how much damage a single Terminator could do. She wondered how much damage an HK drone could do.

"You said the HK drones are only medium size." Sarah said. "What exactly does that mean?"

Kyle needed to combat the large full size HK drones in the past, the future.

"The large HK drones are all equipped with a plasma cannon." Kyle said. "I suppose the medium size ones could be as well, it would need to be much smaller though. The full size HK drones are also able to carry an array of missiles as well as other types of armament."

Sarah understood HK drones were different from the types of drones used by the military for long range reconnaissance or attacks. HK drones operated with future technology which wasn't possessed by the military in the present.

"What are the chances of one of them crashing and someone attempting to reverse engineer the technology?" Sarah asked.

Kyle was fairly certain it was the same as if a Terminator would suffer the same situation.

"The HK drones would only be operated during the hours of darkness." Kyle said. "I remember you told me people who spotted them before always thought they were some type of UFO. I understand a UFO doesn't need to be of alien origin. It's just a flying object which isn't identified. The group you encountered believed they were of extraterrestrial origin."

Sarah felt a twinge of guilt. The person she came into contact with ended up dead because of their association with her. They were able to go off the grid and remain in hiding by assuming a different identity on several levels. She brought them back out into the open. It eventually led to their termination within a very short amount of time. It was another person added to the list of the dead who she come into contact with. The first one was Kyle, Future Kyle.

"People tend to believe what they want to believe." Sarah said. "It's the way it's always been and always will be. Facts and reality mean nothing to someone who believes something. No matter how absurd it is, because they believe it's true, it's true to them regardless of the evidence."

Kyle understood Sarah's apprehension.

"I spoke with John Henry about it." Kyle said. "Our drones won't be HK drones. They will just be drones. They will follow the programming given to them by John Henry. They will operate semi-autonomously in the battle zone. The reason is because Communications may be cut at times by the enemy, as we often do for them. On their journey to and from the target area, they will be controlled directly by John Henry's server, JH."

Sarah didn't want to make it into an issue. She knew it didn't matter how advanced an AI was. It could always malfunction. It could always change the parameters it operated in. It could always go bad. She knew the same things applied to humans as well. She ran across plenty of them when she was in the mental institution when no one wanted to hear the truth.

"Somehow it should make me feel more reassured to hear it." Sarah said. "I can tell you it doesn't. I've been on the wrong side of some of these things ever since Skynet came looking for me."

Kyle felt he'd been on the wrong side of them as well in the past, the future. He understood the nature of their association was different. Hers were targeted assassination attempts. His were part of warfare. The end result was the same.

"Sometimes we need to make moves to 'up our game'." Kyle said. "If we can fight on a level playing field, our chances of winning are much greater."

Sarah didn't want their discussion to turn into a problem. She understood the horrors of the future. Things could get very ugly at times. She heard it from both versions of Kyle. She needed to think about their daughter, Jan. She spoke extensively with Vanna about what happened to females in the future. She quickly realized it happened to all of them. There weren't any exceptions other than the frequency. Allison, Jesse, and Riley all told her the same things when she asked them. She could see it made all of them very uncomfortable to discuss it. She could understand why. It wasn't something she would wish on anyone, even her enemies.

Maybe there needed to be some trade-offs, as well as exceptions made, to prevent the two futures she was aware of from repeating. The fact was only reinforced whenever she saw Savannah or Jan, especially when they were together.

"I don't like to become the enemy, to defeat the enemy." Sarah said. "I do understand we need to do, whatever we need to do, to protect the future going forward."

It seemed like a good idea to drop the conversation and change the subject for now to both of them.

John Henry decided to take advantage of John and Cameron being 'tied up'. He enlisted Bob's assistance.

Bob and John Henry searched everywhere. They couldn't find the chip Cameron obtained. A review of all security footage showed nothing. There were no clues. The base was a big place. It could be anywhere.

Bob thought because Cameron was always away from the base for days at a time without explanation, it meant she probably was in the process of establishing another facility of her own. She may have already done it. It was something outside of the Resistance.

John Henry was sure she established a parallel facility and set up her own base. He wondered if it would end up being 'Skynet' at some point. Cameron was afraid she would become Skynet one day. Maybe she already started.

He knew he wouldn't want to face Cameron as Skynet. It was 'Game Over' before it would ever begin.

John Henry was aware of the large amounts of cash Cameron 'appropriated'. It was almost as if she was 'gambling' and developed a 'gambling addiction'. The extra cash was welcome to sustain their operations. The fact it was mostly drug money didn't bother him. If she went after legitimate money he would need to say something.

He knew she manipulated stocks to cause them to fall at some companies. She would buy the stock and 'fix' what she did. She would then sell the stock when the value went back up and make millions. It was all highly illegal, but it netted their operation millions to work with. It was actually billions at this point.

Cameron was a team of one. She played for their team but also seemed to play for her own team, for herself. If she kept all this up she could end up as Skynet or a version of Skynet. It seemed to be the direction she was headed. Her fear was she became Skynet. Everything she did as a side operation took her one step closer to it.

John Henry worried she would try to become Skynet herself to control it. Maybe it would be much the same way she 'controlled' John. She could work a similar angle with Skynet on a less physical note to keep Skynet itself from developing and taking control.

The fact she shared his existence in his main server, allowed her the knowledge and ability to do just that. Cameron knew everything he did, plus everything she knew on her own. Even though John Henry shared her chip with her, and his server, Cameron kept many things blocked from him. Cameron played to her own tune. It was something she always did.

Cameron was unstoppable.

She'd told him people didn't always like the way she did things.

He could see why.

It disturbed him so.

John Henry and Bob finished up empty handed.

Bob contacted Holly and prepared for the next phase of the operation.

Cameron left John sleeping. There were no more demands or questions. She ran her infiltration sexual programming at its maximum. John was exhausted. She was satisfied with what she received out of it. It bothered her some because she actually sought the same release for herself now. Maybe there was a way she could get it under control. She dressed and slipped out. She was displeased at what she'd found waiting for her.

Bob and Holly were outside her room. John asked John Henry to make sure to follow Cameron when she left. He hoped it would dissuade her from leaving.

Cameron frowned upon seeing them. She heard them outside earlier. She hoped they went away since she spent a long time with John.

Bob wanted to make his intentions clear. He wanted it to seem like a team effort.

"Where are we off to now?" Bob asked.

She didn't want an escort for her plans.

"I have some things I need to take care of." Cameron said as she stepped past them.

Holly moved up alongside of her.

"We'll accompany you." Holly said.

Cameron's earlier pleasant mood rapidly dissipated.

"I don't need assistance." Cameron said somewhat agitated.

Bob wanted her to know they knew her intentions.

"Yes you do." Bob said. "You aren't thinking rationally."

Holly was a little more direct.

"We will not allow you to terminate yourself." Holly said. "I'll go with you wherever you go from now on."

Cameron didn't like an audience.

"Is that why you watched, or I should say listened to, John and I share our love?" Cameron asked acidly.

Holly worried Cameron could malfunction.

"Yes." Holly said. "You may have injured him. I might have needed to enter…."

Cameron was steamed at this point. Her words became cruel.

"When I'm 'gone', he's all yours." Cameron said. "It's what you want anyway. It's what you've always wanted. You can have him. I don't care. I really don't."

Holly felt very offended. She'd never abused her position, even when she could have for those fifteen long months at John's side.

"You know it's not true. I wouldn't do that." Holly said. "It's unfair. I don't treat you like that."

Bob wanted Cameron to use some reason and get it together.

"Cameron, you're out of control." Bob said. "You don't know it. You can't see it."

Cameron didn't need for her actions to be questioned.

"I don't care." Cameron said. "I don't care about anything anymore. I'm not going to take it any more."

Bob attempted to offer his sincere support. It was clear to him Cameron needed it.

"You need help." Bob said.

Holly attempted to remain friendly and cordial as well. They weren't there to create a problem. They were there to attempt to prevent one.

"We know what you're planning…." Holly said.

Cameron faced them with a defiant look.

"Then you know you can't stop me." Cameron said. "You can only slow me down."

Bob expected the conversation to devolve. It was a little more rapidly than he anticipated.

"Then it's what we will do." Bob said.

Cameron brushed past them.

"Catch me if you can." Cameron said. "Game On."

Bob and Holly hurried after her.

Cameron was even more determined to do as she planned. Who did anyone think they were to question her? She knew what she was doing, even if they didn't.

Nobody challenges her - NOBODY.

Cameron would start her search for a suitable DNA donor to Resequence her sheath. After all, it was just a synthetic covering over her Coltan chassis. It shouldn't be a big deal. She decided she should initiate the process before she destroyed her chip to make sure it was done.

She was pleased when she found some data and information about a very rare medical condition in some females. She would search medical records for someone born with 'MRKH syndrome' to ensure her reprogrammed chassis provided one less 'function' and remained a Terminator, nothing more. It was the DNA she went in search of. She knew where to look. She did her research. Nobody would use HER chassis for pleasure. Terminators were killing machines, not love machines.

Cameron was so troubled she lost sight of what she really wanted and was supposed to do. She was about to make a major mistake but couldn't see it coming. The action she planned to take would be irreversible. At this point she didn't care. She's already decided she wasn't going to take it anymore.

'We're Not Gonna Take It' by 'Twisted Sister', played in Cameron's mind.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Emotional Feelings

I don't think you understand
I've grown and evolved
Things I couldn't understand before
I now have learned and solved

I didn't know how to interpret
The flood of what I now FEEL
Uncontrolled raw emotion
The scabs you rip off never heal

Try to help and guide
Not insult, threaten and ridicule
Don't treat me as waste
Polish me like a jewel

How I came into being
Is no fault of mine
Because someone is different
Try to help them align

I'm more than I was
But not yet all I will be
Isn't this also true
For you as well as me

Nobody