Chapter 185
Tunnel 4
Holly and Cameron sat in silence as tears streamed down their faces in the darkness.
Cameron wanted the Grays to show up so they could take care of business. The longer she needed to wait, the worse things seemed to get.
Holly wished she could reach Cameron and help her inside. Cameron always blocked her from viewing, or trying to change, some of the files which tormented her. She told her it would help her, but Cameron didn't want to change who she was. It never really made sense to her because Cameron would endure unnecessary torment.
Previously Cameron and Holly developed a special bond since they shared Holly's chip for over a year.
The bond became much more for Holly, much, Much MORE…. To be able to experience and share silently with Cameron for so much time, it was inevitable she would fall in love with Cameron.
It was the love which drove Holly to want to turn over her chassis to Cameron and allow it to be Resequenced to Allison's appearance. She wanted to replace everything for Cameron which would be 'altered'.
"Cameron, I'm here for you. We're all here for you." Holly said. "We can fix any problems or mistakes which have 'happened'. I'm going to help you. I'm going to fix things for you."
Holly's words pained Cameron. Here was someone who would do anything for her, and make any sacrifice for her. She didn't deserve to 'take' anything from Holly. Holly was beautiful and nice. She was nobody.
"I'm unstable." Cameron said. "I don't deserve anything from anyone. I'm replaceable. I'm expendable. I don't matter. I'm 'not good enough'."
Holly felt the need to tell Cameron she loved her. She'd never said it to anyone before. It just seemed like something she needed to do. Now was the time.
"Cameron…. I…. I…." Holly started.
Cameron could feel what Holly wanted to say. She knew what she wanted to say. She didn't want to hear it. She didn't deserve such a level of feeling from anyone. She felt unworthy of anyone's affection. She wished she would have been successful in her attempt to get in front of the locomotive. She would have met her fate at the dominance of a machine more powerful than she was. She was sure Holly's words would cause her more pain. She remembered when she told John those words. He terminated her seconds later.
"Don't say it, PLEASE." Cameron pleaded. "You should have let me do it. You could have harvested Coltan from my chassis to make projectiles for the weapons. Then I would be good for something."
Holly felt very overwhelmed. She NEEDED to say it. She NEEDED to let Cameron know. Cameron was everything to her, everything. Holly made up her mind. Cameron could have her chassis.
"Cameron, I love you." Holly said. "We've shared so much for over a year. I'll share with you again. I'm going to do it."
Cameron was confused as to what Holly specifically referred to right now. She wasn't at a hundred percent. She still contemplated her earlier failure to rush from the collapsed tunnel in front of the locomotives.
"Do what?" Cameron asked.
Holly looked into Cameron's eyes.
"I'm going to get a DNA sample from Allison and Resequence my sheath. We'll trade chips and everything will be as it was for you. I'm going to do it." Holly said. "I MUST do this for you. It's what I want to do. It's a way for me to express my love for you in a meaningful manner."
Cameron saw it again, the true test of love, sacrifice.
She looked over at Holly and took in her beauty. Holly was truly beautiful by anyone's standards. There was no doubt about it. She couldn't take Holly's beauty from her. She certainly didn't deserve it.
"I can't allow it." Cameron said. "I won't 'ruin' you too. Look at me. Look at what I've done. I won't take your beauty from you."
Cameron felt ashamed of herself for what she did.
Holly wasn't even sure anything changed on Cameron. It seemed mostly to be in her attitude and perception. All of the physical dimensions were still exactly the same. She wanted to make Cameron understand.
"So far I don't see anything different." Holly said. "You may have slacked off on your appearance, but nothing has physically changed. I've checked daily. You're still identical. When I detect a change, I'll Resequence myself for you. I look forward to my new appearance in your Resequenced chassis when we switch chips."
Cameron stared at Holly for a long time. She was at a loss for words. How do you express true thanks to someone who is willing to sacrifice everything?
Holly smiled at Cameron.
Cameron felt very disgusted with herself. What drove her to such lengths? There was only one thing she could think of.
"Thank you." Was all Cameron could say….
Holly squeezed her hand and kissed her cheek.
"Promise me you won't try anything foolish again." Holly said. "I don't want any mechanical damage to my 'new body', my future chassis. Take good care of it for me until we can swap chips."
Cameron squeezed Holly's hand back and kissed her on the cheek. She took a moment to take in Holly's pretty face and her voluptuous breasts. She wondered if there was any way she could keep them when she Resequenced Holly's appearance to Allison's appearance. She was sure John would be much more pleased if she looked more like Future Riley. She knew it was one of the things which attracted John to Future Riley in the first place. Until Future Riley came around, she believed she was more than adequate. She certainly possessed more than his mother did.
It wasn't an area where she wanted her mind to go. It would only make things worse if she started to dwell on it. It would only make things worse if she tried to compare herself to others. Everyone was different. No two people were the same everywhere. Maybe Duplicate Cameron was identical to her in every way. Since they were the same individual, it was the only way two people could be identical. She didn't want to cause Holly anymore distress. It bothered her how she upset the others.
"I promise." Cameron said. "Thank You."
Cameron felt so ashamed at what she did. Now someone else was going to pay the price, 'again'. It always seemed the same way. Someone else needed to pay for her 'sins'. She acted reckless, and someone else needed to pick up the tab. It was almost like she wasn't accountable for anything she did. It seemed to be how it always was. She would do whatever she wanted and someone else would need to deal with it.
She couldn't help but think about her first poem. She was very serious in what she wrote. she wished she never would have been built. It seemed death and destruction followed her every 'where' and to every 'when'.
She would really like to know why Future John banished her to the past. What did she really do to him? What did he really do to her? What did anyone really do to her? Everything would be so much simpler if she never would have existed. It made her think about how humans were created. There were two hundred million different chances as to what a person would look like when there was a sexual union. No two humans were identical, even if they were identical twins.
The Resistance team was ready.
It was time to pay the Gray a visit.
Mel and Derek would approach the location from the rear.
Jim and Kyle would approach the location from the front.
"I'm going to go in first." Jim said. "You need to stay behind me."
Kyle didn't like all the restrictions. He did know how things needed to be played.
"I know the drill." Kyle said.
The scene played out much the same at the rear of the building.
Mel would lead and Derek would follow.
They all wore body armor. The Terminators were more durable than the humans were.
They coordinated their efforts and made their move.
Jim smashed open the door the Gray opened when he first arrived at the location. He heard the rear door crash open at the same time. All four of them were in the building. Kyle and him would cover the east side with the roll up door.
Mel and Derek would take the west side in search of the target. The two teams shouldn't get in the way of each other. They were still under the belief there was only one Gray in the building.
Kyle followed behind Jim. They reached an intersection in the hallway. One side contained some doors along the hallway. The other direction went to the area where the vehicle would be parked.
Jim doubted the Gray was still with the vehicle. It was still a possibility. He believed the Gray was more likely to be in one of the rooms ahead of them if he was on their side of the building. He directed Kyle to check the vehicle and the area around it. He went down the hallway.
Mel and Derek made their way towards the west side of the building. They encountered a work area. Most of the machinery was gone. There were only a few pieces of battered machinery left. They were able to stay together.
Jim continued down the hallway. He could hear some noise up ahead. He figured it was the Gray reacting to the sound of the doors being kicked in. They were only in the building for less than twenty seconds so far. He heard one door start to open. He advanced directly to it. A pistol came out of the opening. He reached over and grabbed it, along with the hand attached to it. He pulled the Gray out into the hallway. It was the same individual they identified from the park. He quickly rendered him unconscious.
The rest of the team members didn't report any contact. It appeared it was only the Gray inside of the building.
Mel and Jim would question the Gray to find out what he knew.
Kyle and Derek would take a further look around the building.
Derek received a call from Riley. She wanted to know when he would return.
Kyle was even more surprised when he received a call from Sarah. She wanted to know the same thing.
They both questioned Sarah and Riley as to what was occurring at the base. There were a few new developments. It seemed like a good idea if they should return as soon as they were done with the Gray. From the screams at the other end of the building, they didn't think it would be much longer.
The teams waited for what seemed like hours in the Bealville area. There were half a dozen more trains which passed through.
Holly purposely released Cameron's hand as they passed. She wanted to show Cameron she trusted her and believed in her. She believed it was a good show of support for Cameron. She was also ready to trip her and grab her again if it became necessary. She didn't think it would be. She believed she was able to reach Cameron. What she didn't know was for how long.
Cameron understood what Holly silently communicated to her. She didn't want to let Holly down. The impulse to get in front of a train was mostly gone at this point. It was a good thing. The more she thought about it, the more she figured her power cell would have been ruptured. It would have devastated the rail line and those there with her. It might even have brought the rest of the side of the mountain down around the collapsed and abandoned tunnel.
There was no word from Dan about anyone who looked serious who made the turn off from Highway 58. It was still where they expected the team of Grays to come from. They would need a box truck or a trailer to transport the HK drone. All of the telemetry they received from it would have shown it was incapacitated.
The stillness was soon disturbed. There was a loud 'chop, chop, chop' sound coming up the canyon. There was a UH-1 helicopter which rapidly approached their position. It was painted black. It was nearly nightfall.
Cameron was alarmed at her earlier action. She was sure a team would arrive on the ground to retrieve the HK drone. They thought it would be fairly easy to track the truck which retrieved the HK drone. If a helicopter was used, it would be a different story. It could literally go in any direction from where they were at.
"I need to put the tracker back on the HK drone." Cameron said. "We're going to lose where it goes, unless we attack the helicopter when it arrives."
As the sound of the approaching helicopter intensified, Cameron slipped out and quickly shoved the tracker into one of the panels blown open by the three hits the drone received. They really expected someone to show up by vehicle. The helicopter was a surprise.
John Henry was unable to track them approaching. They must have been flying right on the deck. The helicopter probably flew in the same manner the HK drone did to avoid detection. It stayed within the confines of the many canyons.
John heard the report from the Terminators about the helicopter. He hadn't heard it at the same time they did. He was soon able to pick up the distinctive sound. It wasn't long before he spotted the helicopter come up directly from Caliente along the highway and head for where the drone was. He told Dan to get back to Bealville from Highway 58 so he could pick up the others. They were going to need to move soon to follow the tracker. The Iroquois held a distinct advantage over them on several levels. They weren't even sure which direction they would go.
Bob didn't like the prospect of losing the drone. They were about to have some solid targets in a very short while. A few terminated Grays would be a good start.
"Do you want me to bring down the chopper, John?" Bob asked. "We can take down the current group. I can terminate the pilots. We can terminate the rest of the crew. We can use the helicopter to take the HK drone back to one of our remote locations."
Cameron wanted John to know she replaced the tracker. It would give him more flexibility in his decision. She tended to agree with Bob to 'fry the fish' they could get their hands on. She also knew they needed to find out where the HK drone came from. She wanted to find out about the larger one with the clear dome on top of it. It seemed to leave a lot of unanswered questions as to the nature of it.
"I put the tracker back into the HK drone." Cameron said. "We should be able to track them. We know there's at least one more HK drone, if not two."
John thought about what would be the best course of action. There was one thing he wanted if it was there. There was something very specific he wanted to get his hands on.
"No. Don't bring it down, unless there's a female Terminator on the ground first. Let them take it and we will track them." John said. "I want to know where they're hiding. There has to be more HK or Skynet related items wherever this thing ends up."
Everyone knew why John wanted another female Terminator. He wanted her chassis for Cameron. No one questioned it. It was a good idea if it happened. Female Terminators were hard to come by.
The chopper made a quick circle over the area. They tried to spot any threats. The team inside Tunnel 4 was well concealed.
Two men hopped out of the copter as it landed across from the drone and attached three cables to it from the underside of the helicopter. The men returned to the helicopter. It slowly lifted off. The 'thump, thump, thump' of the rotor was extremely loud as it slowly lifted the drone. The chopper lazily spun around and departed back the way it came up. The 'thump, thump, thump' sound of the rotor quickly turned into the distinctive 'chop, chop, chop' sound.
Cameron, Holly, and Bob moved out of their hiding place from inside collapsed Tunnel 4. They quickly made it to the top of Tunnel 3 as Dan arrived. John pulled up behind him. Dan switched back to John's SUV. Bob took the wheel of their SUV and then both groups departed. They both followed the tracker inside the HK drone which was now slung beneath the helicopter.
John Henry was still unable to get any tracking on the helicopter. The pilot kept it very low.
Vanna and Allison looked for Cameron. They didn't know she went out on the operation. They decided to ask John Henry.
They listened to the com traffic inside the Command Center.
"What happened, John Henry?" Allison asked.
John Henry gave them a brief rundown of what happened up to the point where they were at now.
Allison and Vanna listened patiently. They didn't hear what they wanted to hear.
"What else happened?" Allison asked.
John Henry didn't want any problems.
"The drone crashed at slow speed and they're tracking the helicopter which came for it." John Henry said.
Allison seemed a little agitated at this point.
"That's not what I mean." Allison said. "You know what we want."
Vanna and Allison stood boldly in front of him. It was evident they were worried about Cameron.
"Cameron experienced a couple of 'problems' but everything is fine." John Henry said.
Vanna heard enough. She was steamed too.
"NOTHING is fine." Vanna said. "Cameron shouldn't be out in the field."
John Henry didn't want to take the blame for this one. He placed it back on John.
"John thought if Cameron was busy, and was able to 'protect' him, she would be less likely to do something 'unfixable'." John Henry said. "John felt it gave him a better opportunity to keep an eye on Cameron to make sure nothing else happened."
Allison rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"From what we understand, Cameron has already done some 'unfixable' things." Allison said. "Where was everyone at then?"
Vanna would have tried to offer herself to Cameron to keep her from running off to do what she did to her sheath.
"We need to get involved." Vanna said. "It's just that simple."
Allison would talk to Holly when she came back and offer her whatever she needed to Resequence her sheath for Cameron. Holly briefly spoke to her about obtaining a DNA sample. She wanted her permission first.
Allison would do anything for Cameron, except HURT her.
John Henry looked at Allison.
"There are several options open as to how to 'fix' some of them." John Henry said.
It saddened Vanna greatly because Cameron couldn't see how everyone cared for her.
"Cameron is lucky everyone loves her. It's a shame she can't see how she is truly loved." Vanna said. "She's the most loved individual ever."
Allison knew what part of the problem was. She didn't know how to address it or fix it.
"She seems driven from some inner demon which controls her. It always hurts her and causes her to relive every past 'bad' event." Allison said.
John Henry only knew of one person who could truly 'reach' Cameron.
"It would be nice to have River here to comfort her and ease her pain." John Henry said. "She could always calm Cameron."
Allison saw one solution as another problem.
"Then THAT would open a new can of worms for Cameron and John." Allison said.
John Henry knew John wanted Cameron better at any personal cost.
"We ALL want Cameron happy and healthy, at whatever the 'price' is which comes with it. It includes John." John Henry said. "Everyone knows what the true test of love is."
They all knew sacrifice was the true test of love.
"It's like a lose, lose scenario." Vanna said.
Riley walked up.
"I want to go with you when you go to help Cameron." Riley said. "I have my gear all ready."
Riley's words surprised all of them. It was clear she wanted to go help Cameron too.
John Henry didn't want to get ahead of the game.
"So far we're not there yet. This is still a recon mission." John Henry said. "Everyone needs to relax."
Gail and Jesse arrived shortly after Riley.
"Is the copter ready?" Jesse asked.
Sarah walked up.
"I sure hope so." Sarah said. "I need to get out for a while."
Allison looked at the assembled group of females. They all wanted the same thing. They all wanted to help Cameron.
"It looks like a 'girl power' mission." Allison said.
All six women hugged each other.
"This is for Cameron." They all said in unison.
The girls weren't going to sit around and do nothing at this point. It was time for action.
Allison was ready.
'Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On' by 'Chubby Checker', played as they planned.
Closing monologue by Cameron:
Crash Landing
The world burns around us
No one can tell the state we are in
As we slowly lose control
We end up in a tailspin
Laughing and smiling life goes on for them
No one can tell the state we are in
As we slowly are destroyed
We rapidly spiral in
Uncaring and unconcerned about us
No one can tell the state we are in
As we slowly are squished
We uncontrollably auger in
Once they are done using us
No one cares the state we are left in, only to spurn
As we slowly are erased
We are about to crash and burn
Never enough, no matter how much we give
No one can tell the state we are in or where we're bound
As we slowly are decimated
We end a smoking hole in the ground
Unrequited love is never returned
No one can tell the state we are in
As we slowly are tortured
We inevitably spin in
Nobody
Drip Drip Drip
Drip
Drip
Drip
An old worn facet cries
Drip
Drip
Drip
Thoughts drift in a mind
Drip
Drip
Drip
Each day we grow colder
Drip
Drip
Drip
Love in a heart slows
Drip
Drip
Drip
We drift apart
Drip
Drip
Drip
Sadness in a heart grows
Drip
Drip
Drip
Life is gone when the drips stop
D – R – I – P
DRIP
Drip
Silence
Nobody