Chapter 194

Aurora

Derek and Kyle wanted to get away from some of the drama around the base. They were able to score another recon from John Henry. John was usually distracted, so there was no interference from him. Jim and Mel would accompany them.

Mel was already in the carpool. He had an SUV stocked and ready.

Jim held the door for Derek and Kyle.

Derek looked back over his shoulder.

"Sometimes it gets a little too intense in there for me." Derek said.

Kyle nodded. It seemed there was a lot of drama over nothing, even if it was 'nothing'.

"I hear you, bro." Kyle said.

Mel pulled up with the SUV.

Jim reached for the passenger's side door handle and paused.

"Does one of you want to sit up front?" Jim asked.

Kyle didn't think it was a big deal.

"You can." Kyle said. "We'll sit in the back."

They joined Mel inside the SUV. He drove out of the carpool and away from the Resistance base.

"We've got a couple locations to check out." Jim said. "You can look at the satellite photos on your phones."

Derek and Kyle looked over the images.

"Thanks for bringing us with you." Derek said.

Mel wanted to make sure they remained within the parameters of a recon.

"We're just supposed to give the locations a 'once over'." Mel said.

Kyle received some additional images on his phone.

"I can see there are surveillance cameras inside two of the locations." Kyle said.

Jim and Mel placed them there before.

"We've been to a few of the places previously." Jim said. "We probably won't visit any of those today. Nothing's been picked up on surveillance since we placed the cameras."

Mel turned down a side street. He turned right onto a smaller street.

Both Jim and Mel looked over to the left side as they went down the street.

"What are we looking for?" Kyle asked.

Mel continued down the street at the same speed.

"We're trying to get a view at the rear of a property between the buildings." Mel said.

Jim and Mel both spotted what they wanted.

Mel made a left at the corner. He made a left at the next street. He pulled over to the curb and stopped.

"The target building is across the street." Mel said. "It's the third one down."

Derek and Kyle looked at each other.

"Are we waiting for something?" Derek asked.

The two most recent satellite photos showed there was a box truck at the rear of the location. The two Terminators spotted it parked behind the building when they passed by on the street behind it.

"A box truck should leave the location in the next fifteen minutes." Jim said. "We could see it behind the building when we passed through on the street behind it. We want to see where it goes."

Derek and Kyle didn't know much more than they did earlier.

"What's so special about the box truck?" Derek asked.

Kyle wanted a little more information too.

"What do we know about the location in front of us?" Kyle asked.

Jim and Mel didn't have much to go on.

"The box truck was previously at the first locations you viewed surveillance photos of." Jim said. "It was observed leaving the location. No one was inside the building at the time."

Derek thought about it for a moment.

"So someone showed up at the other location, took the box truck, and drove it here." Derek said.

Me nodded.

"Affirmative…." Mel said. "It hasn't returned to the location it was taken from. It has left this location several times since it was moved here."

Kyle understood the implication.

"This building is a target, as well as wherever the box truck goes." Kyle said.

"Affirmative…." Mel said.

The team waited for an additional ten minutes. The box truck pulled up in the driveway. It let two cars pass and made a left.

Mel waited a few moments. He let one car pass before he pulled out behind it. The box truck was half a block ahead of them. They looked over at the front of the building the box truck left from. It looked like any other building. It would require further investigation once they determined what other locations were associated with it.

Derek, Kyle, Jim, and Mel continued their loose pursuit of the box truck. They always kept one or two cars between them and the box truck. They wanted to see where it went.

John went to see what remained of Cameron's chassis. He opened the door. He looked inside in disbelief.

He staggered and almost collapsed. What he saw shocked him like nothing else he could remember. He'd prepared himself for the worst but this… this….

John collapsed.

His mind couldn't process what his eyes witnessed.

John finally stood and reluctantly walked over.

He needed to physically will one foot in front of the other.

John knew to climb a mountain, you needed to take one step at a time. This was a mountain, a big one….

He stopped in front of 'her' and looked.

John couldn't believe his eyes.

It was Cameron. She looked 'perfect'. He'd never seen her look so beautiful and so Tight, ever. She lay on a cot. All of her makeup was perfect. Her clothes were perfect. She wasn't destroyed. She hadn't Resequenced. She was as perfect as the day she was built. It was his Cameron. He knelt beside her and wept as he held her.

Cameron was here waiting for him all this time. Now all she needed was her chip back. It was probably going to be a chore in itself to get Isabel to give it back. He doubted she would.

At this point, John wasn't sure anyone would help him. He would need Terminators to do it. He also knew they were all loyal to Cameron. Maybe the girls and a Taser would be necessary. Whatever it was, it was going to be a problem. He doubted even his mother would help him.

John was so elated and so happy right now. Was this real or a dream? He actually pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He pinched himself hard. It hurt. The little blood blister was proof it wasn't a dream.

He held Cameron in his arms and wept. His tears rained on her cheeks.

Tears wouldn't wake her, the girls already tried….

It broke the three women's hearts to see Cameron laying there unmoving for so much time, and look 'dead'. They saw she never changed. She never Resequenced. She only lay there. She looked prettier every day.

Whenever they tried to talk to Isabel about it, she wouldn't listen and walked away. She didn't want to hear it. She was angry at them and almost became violent at times. The girls never feared for their safety. Well, not too much. They didn't believe 'Cameron' would ever hurt them. They were ready to accept their fate if she chose to terminate them. They knew they were out of their time. They were from a different timeline and didn't really belong there.

There were always little things which crept up. It made them feel out of place. There was always the reminder of what they left behind. It seemed so strange to think of it as the past, when what they left behind hadn't even actually happened yet. They needed to stay around the base as much as possible. They did go out at times, but there was always a Terminator escort with them. They understood it was for their own protection. They were all targets of Skynet, whether it was directly or indirectly.

Previously:

What actually happened earlier:

The test with the 'acid round', and 'Thermite grenade', was to see IF Isabel-Cameron could actually harm herself. She couldn't. Holly loaded a fired casing in the M79 when she gave it to Isabel-Cameron, just in case. The Thermite grenade was without a fuse, just in case. Isabel-Cameron's finger closed on the trigger, but she couldn't pull it enough to fire the weapon. She couldn't release the spoon on the Thermite grenade once the pin was removed. She couldn't destroy herself. The 'Holly' on her chip, prevented her from making fatal errors.

Isabel Cameron still believed she would Resequence and didn't want to watch it. She wanted to wait until Cameron was 'gone'. She didn't want to see anything until the trash was thrown away….

What they didn't know, was the encryption which blocked Cameron from altering her genetic Resequencing files, actually happened the instant she tried to Resequence herself. It prevented her from doing it, even though she thought she did. It was a safeguard which was placed there to activate if she tried to 'harm' herself. It was the same as the message if her termination was imminent. The files were already there.

Cameron didn't know those files were downloaded into her system after she took the files from Duplicate Cameron out of Holly the first time. They were put there by River into Duplicate Cameron. They then transferred to Holly when Duplicate Cameron downloaded her program onto Holly's chip.

River evidently left her a few 'surprises'. They were all done to protect her. River knew everything about Cameron, Duplicate Cameron. River now helped protect Cameron centuries before she was even born. Cameron was sure there were files from River hidden in her system from the day she arrived in the past somehow. It was possibly another indication she was reliving her life over.

Isabel-Cameron was really the combined programs of Cameron and Holly together on the same chip. Holly was in the background to act as a calming effect on Cameron. The periodic 'plug-ins' were for Holly to make sure Isabel-Cameron was functioning at one hundred percent. 'Holly' in Isabel-Cameron always remained as a background program.

Isabel-Cameron never went back to check on the Resequencing of her previous chassis. She didn't want to see what she became. When they needed another Terminator, she would activate her former chassis. Until then, she never wanted to see 'Nobody' again. At least until 'Nobody' was no more.

Jesse's frustration mounted. She was tired of crying about it. It was time to resolve things. She wasn't sure if it was her place to act or not. She believed enough time elapsed, so it was. Gail was with her.

Gail was there for Jesse for whatever she needed.

Jesse was very pleased at the work they completed today.

"I can't bear to see her look perfect and lifeless anymore." Jesse said. "Isabel needs to go and see she can be Cameron again."

Gail thought things might be different this time. There were different people in play.

"John was there this time, maybe he will tell her once he sees she's 'perfect'." Gail said. "He never wanted to listen either."

Jesse thought Gail only came to pick her up and take her away from the storage room.

"You saw her often too?" Jesse asked.

Gail and the other Terminators didn't like what happened to Cameron either. They all watched over her.

"Yes, at night. There was always one of us who was there with her, sometimes there was more than one." Gail said. "We didn't want to abandon her. Cameron never wanted to be abandoned again. We made sure she wasn't."

Jesse felt the love for Cameron ran deep with humans and machines.

"You all love her too." Jesse said.

Gail thought back on her own feelings and why she felt them. Cameron saved her. She wanted to self terminate. Cameron reactivated her and gave her life back to her. She gave her true love back. It wasn't the same, but it was close enough. Jesse was still Jesse, even if she wasn't Duplicate Jesse. They were all the same individual. It was clear Cameron cared about all of them. It didn't matter if they were humans or Terminators.

"Yes, everyone loves Cameron." Gail said. "To know her, is to love her."

Jesse wanted 'Cameron' back. She knew everyone did. With Cameron's chassis there, and in perfect condition, there was no reason she couldn't be what everyone wanted and loved. She felt the responsibility to take personal action.

"We need to go find Isabel and tell her to fix this NOW." Jesse said. "The madness needs to end."

Gail could tell how important it was to Jesse. She did feel jealous because Jesse loved Cameron so much, but she knew it from the start. Jesse made it clear to her. She was aware Isabel became easily agitated, violent, and unstable whenever 'Cameron' was mentioned. It really made no sense. Jesse would need protection to 'confront' Isabel. She wasn't looking for a fight. She just wanted to make sure Jesse wasn't hurt.

"Let's get you cleaned up and we'll go together. I need to go with you in case she 'attacks' you." Gail said. "She becomes extremely violent at any mention of 'Cameron'."

Jesse was very appreciative Gail would back her up on her quest. She knew it must cause some 'pain' to Gail to do it. It actually showed Jesse Gail's love for her, and she would 'sacrifice' to do it for her.

"Thank you, Gail." Jesse said. "I know you don't like it, but you do understand my 'feelings'."

Gail didn't like it, but she did understand. She let a little more slack out on the leash. At the end of the day, Jesse would still be hers. It was no different than when Jesse shared with Allison and Vanna. They enjoyed each other's company. When they were 'done', they all returned to their lovers.

Everyone knew who 'belonged' to whom. There were no problems with the sharing. It was something they all thought was beautiful.

Jesse previously asked Allison and Vanna to go and 'see' Cameron.

Allison was reluctant to go and see the 'remains' of Cameron. She needed Vanna's strength to do it. Once they saw Cameron's chassis and sheath were perfect, they wanted Isabel to become Cameron again. There was no reason she couldn't.

Vanna was in favor of it. She still wanted to get a copy of Cameron's program. If she had it now, she could have downloaded it onto a chip. They could have activated 'Cameron' on their own. They could bypass Isabel if they did. It more than likely would create additional problems going forward. It was a chance she was willing to take to get Cameron back.

Allison didn't know if she was angry or frustrated, maybe it was both. It was time to do something and not back down when Isabel-Cameron became enraged. Whatever it was, she was filled with determination and resolve. Sometimes a person needed to 'take a stand'. This was one of those times to her. Things didn't get done thinking about them. Not every choice was easy. Life was about choices, and it was time to make one.

"We have to say something." Allison said. "I'm going to make her listen."

Vanna knew they tried it before. It never went anywhere.

"She won't listen to us when we try to tell her." Vanna said.

Allison wasn't going to back down this time.

"We have to make her LISTEN." Allison said. "She HAS to."

Vanna was very proud of the way the three of them made Cameron look. Isabel needed to view Cameron to see how good she looked. She thought it would make a difference.

"We really made Cameron look Tight." Vanna said. "Cameron's appearance slacked off quite a bit. We brought out her natural beauty."

It made Allison wonder why she could never do the same thing for herself. She never looked as good as they made Cameron look right now. It was something she could never understand.

"How come I can't make myself look as good as her?" Allison said. "I try and try. I can never look as good, even if you and Jesse help me."

It was a question which always plagued Allison. There never seemed to be an answer. She didn't know if there was an answer. She was sure it was her own fault, and the result of her own shortcomings. She really didn't know.

"John was there today. Maybe she will listen to him, if he tells Isabel." Vanna said. "Neither of them ever wanted to listen to us."

Allison wasn't so sure about it. It seemed all Isabel and John ever did was argue and fight with each other. It was usually over the name 'Cameron'. It was very sad to witness. They should have been making love to each other, not pushing each other away. It seemed they went out of their way to anger each other, without even trying.

Before they left today Allison took some preemptive action.

"I left my player in Cameron's hand. Maybe John will activate it and go do something." Allison said. "The song should get his attention."

Vanna was still not sure about confronting Isabel. She might hurt one of them without trying. The subject about 'Cameron' was always extremely upsetting to her. She could tell when Allison would get wound up. It appeared she was wound up right now. She wanted Allison to think everything through first. She knew when Allison made up her mind it was hard to change it. She still felt she needed to give a warning.

"You know how irritated Isabel gets if we try to talk about it." Vanna said. "I can see you're getting steamed up over this."

Allison was steamed. She was angry too. All of it rubbed her the wrong way for too long. It was time to act. She knew it was something she should have done earlier. She shouldn't have hesitated or pulled back. She should have stuck to what she believed. Maybe it was part of the problem as well.

"I don't care. I'm going to drag her down there myself and show her." Allison said and stormed out. "I can be a Bitch too."

Vanna thought about stopping Allison, but it was time for action. She wanted Cameron back as well. She loved Cameron. They would 'face the music' together. She went after her lover. Allison wouldn't need to face Isabel alone.

"What are a few snapped necks…?" Vanna mumbled as she followed Allison.

Allison was pleased to see Vanna back her up. She heard what Vanna said.

"How long do you want to live anyway?" Allison asked as she glanced back over her shoulder.

Vanna didn't have an answer for Allison's question. She was sure if they were still in their future, they both would be dead by now. Maybe they were just living on borrowed time. Maybe the time was up. So be it. All good things come to an end.

The girls were on a mission. It was about Cameron, not them. It was about doing the right thing. The right thing wasn't always the easy thing to do either. It was still the right thing regardless.

John looked around the storage room and took it all in. He wondered why he waited so long. The girls all tried to tell him. He didn't want to hear it.

He was at a loss as to what needed to be done or what he should do.

John took in Cameron's beauty. Somehow she was more beautiful than ever. He felt he needed to do something.

Finally, John kissed Cameron's lips.

"I love you, Cameron, and you love me." John said.

His tears gently fell on her, a short time passed.

"I love you, John, and you love me." Cameron said as she rebooted. "How long have I been inoperable?"

John couldn't believe it. Was it real? Did he doze off and just dream this. He held Cameron in his arms, so he couldn't pinch himself again. The fact he could feel her weight was pretty real to him.

"It's been far too long, Cameron." John said. "I've missed you dearly."

John held Cameron in his arms and cried.

"I love you, Cameron." John said.

Cameron lifted her hand. Allison's player was in it. It was queued up and ready to play.

Cameron hit 'play'.

'I'm Ready' by 'George Thorogood', blasted through the room.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Angel

You are my sweet Angel
Precious cherished and treasured
Never to be besmirched or tarnished
Perfect is how you should be measured

I too will be your Angel
When the darkness may appear
May you always feel and know
It's YOU I hold very, very dear

I ask that the cherub Cupid
Send a special arrow from me
Tipped with hope and promise
May it set your troubled soul free

I also ask the cherub Cupid
Deliver his arrow gently to you
May you understand me better
That I can reach your heart too

I'm not worthy myself but
I pray that God may help you
Your health, mind and heart
Freeing you of all suffering and rue

Nobody