Chapter 227

Black Out

John wanted to check out what was happening at the temporal incursion location. There was something happening there for a reason. It could be anything from Skynet, to some of the things they did in the past when they ran the TDE as they tried to get Cameron back. They sent out more than a few energy bubbles. They used the TDE in all sorts of ways it wasn't designed to be used. They evidently even brought back the 'almost Cameron' Liquid Metal Terminator. The energy bubbles they sent out could have ended up in the future or the past.

It seemed unlikely they would all reappear in the same spot over a period of several days. The current anomaly seemed to have some control involved with its arrival.

It could be something else entirely. It could be unrelated. Maybe someone wanted them there. It was a secluded location. It could be a trap or the start of an invasion. The earlier appearance of the HK drone near Tehachapi was a reminder of when they were 'called out' before. It was an attempt to terminate Cameron. A whole series of events played out related to it. It needed to be investigated. John wanted to assembled a team. It was time to get some answers. He spotted Gail.

"Gail, I need you or Sheila to go with me." John said. "We need to conduct an investigation."

Gail wondered exactly what he meant.

"What is it?" Gail asked.

John laid out what they knew so far. It was self evident why it needed to be checked out.

Gail saw it as an opportunity for Jesse. Cameron always pushed her agenda to get the human females closer to John. She would do her part to assist Cameron with Jesse. She knew what Jesse wanted. She told her so many times. It could be the chance for them to start a family.

"I'll go." Gail responded. "Jesse would like to go as well."

John wondered why she didn't ask Jesse first. It seemed she should at least check. Maybe they worked something out ahead of time. They could always use an extra set of eyes.

"It's fine." John said. "Bob is also coming."

John Henry informed John of the most recent developments.

There was the start of another time bubble at the same spot, but nothing happened. It was only for a few seconds. This time they thought they saw something in it for the three seconds it was there. John Henry analyzed the video and files.

At the location, the drone was ready to take to the sky. It was 'hot'. An air to surface missile was aimed at the location of the incursion. It was ready to fire. There was the possibility other hostile forces could arrive and try to infiltrate the area. The drone could be airborne in seconds and was ready for combat. John Henry placed the other three drones on standby. One was ready to go in a moment's notice and the other two shortly after.

Gail went to get Jesse. She told her of the upcoming mission.

Jesse was thrilled to be able to go alone with John. Gail would keep Bob from interfering. It should give her the chance to seduce John in a setting away from the base and all the influence and 'eyes' that watched everything. A one on one setting would be best.

All she needed was a little time alone with him. She would let him start out by either kissing or touching her. She would make sure he got a look at her nipple rings. It was the draw no one could refuse. Whenever she was with the human girls or the Metal girls, it was the first thing each of them touched. It made her wonder how they would respond to jewelry elsewhere. She previously viewed some images on the internet. It was something to think about.

Jesse liked the way John responded to her. She knew he wanted her. She could feel his hungry eyes on her. She wanted him 'real bad'. No one turned her down before, ever. His evasion made her want him even more. She planned to work him hard.

John wasn't the only Connor she attempted to seduce. Ever since Sarah knocked her down in the TDE room when she first arrived from the future, a desire burnt inside of her to be with Sarah. She was usually the dominant one in any sexual encounter. It didn't matter if it was a male, a female, or a Terminator. She was pretty sure Sarah would be the dominant one in their encounter. It was something she looked forward to. There was only one problem. It never seemed to go anywhere. Even if it never developed, she knew it was something Sarah at least thought about. She knew why too. Female survivors of violence understood where they could find true companionship and love. It was with each other.

She was more than ready to act with John. Cameron was on her case non stop to increase her attempts. It excited her to see John look at her jewelry. In fact it excited her to have anyone look at them, human or Terminator. Derek checked them out once and Riley caught him. It turned angry fast. She liked Derek to think about the times they were together. It made her feel good inside.

Jesse gave Riley a long look to quell her anger towards Derek. She learned long ago a woman could satisfy a woman better than a man could. A Metal girl was out of this world. Cameron would be Heaven.

Gail came back to see what Jesse was doing. They needed to leave.

"Jesse… Jesse… we need to go." Gail said.

Jesse looked around quickly. She was daydreaming of what could be and how sweet it would be. She decided to give Gail some 'spin'. She knew how to score a few 'points'.

"Sorry, love, I was daydreaming about making love to you." Jesse said.

Gail smiled. It was something she thought about often.

Jesse thought Gail looked really pretty when she smiled. Her statement wasn't exactly true. She wanted to make Gail feel desired. It always produced superior results in the bedroom.

Gail looked forward to pleasing Jesse.

"When we get back, you won't have to daydream…." Gail said.

Jesse thought it was even better. It was what she wanted to hear. If they had more time right now, she would knock off a quickie, either with or without Gail. Both ways worked for her. One was just more exciting than the other. All finishes were good, some of them were just better.

Claire and Summer were back at home now in Palmdale.

Holly and Cameron were there at her side. They were busy as they helped out.

Claire loved all the assistance. They all did everything for her and it really helped her out.

Allison was overwhelmed when the duties fell to her. She looked flustered and seemed on edge. The Metal girls always tried to help her. She wanted Cameron and Holly to let her try everything on her own. She wanted to see how she would do as a 'mother' herself. She personally saw her response and actions as a failure. She looked at her mother.

"Mom, I don't think I could do this on my own." Allison said. "It's a lot of work. I'll never be a good mother."

Claire could see Allison looked beat and flustered. She tried to give her some encouragement and advice. She believed it was more of a natural instinct response, which was something most mammals possessed. It also carried over to other types of animals as well.

"You can and will be able to be a good mother. It will come naturally to you. You'll always know what to do. If you don't, you'll figure it out fast." Claire said. "I felt like you do now at first when you were born. It gets better. You learn to adapt and adjust quickly. It's just because everything is new and you need to get some order and understanding."

Allison blew a few stray strands of hair which were in her face away. It was more an act of frustration than anything else. She already tried hard. She didn't see how she could try harder.

"I don't think so. I don't think I can be good enough." Allison said. "There is so much to do. What if I do it wrong or do the wrong thing?"

Claire believed Allison would receive plenty of help from the girls around her. It only seemed like Allison needed a little confidence in herself. Allison seemed to doubt herself when she didn't need to. She thought Allison did a respectable job so far. She didn't understand it was the fears of the future which haunted Allison. In the future, it was easy for things to go wrong fast. She reminded her again who was available to assist her.

"Trust yourself." Claire said. "I was able to raise you and I felt the same way you do now. Cameron, Holly, and Vanna will all help you. Everyone will help you."

Allison looked over at Summer and how tiny she was. She could see how helpless an infant was. If anything went wrong, it would be her fault.

"I don't want to do the wrong thing." Allison said. "I worry about it."

Claire smiled at Allison and touched her cheek. She didn't want her to worry needlessly. Everything was under control. Everything would be under control when it was Allison's turn as well.

"I know you can do it." Claire said. "I'll help you myself. It's what mothers do."

Allison was still skeptical. No, she was afraid. She watched babies die in the future. Sometimes there was little to give them. There was no medicine. There was no formula.

There was only the dirty and contaminated water for them to drink. Food was scarce on all levels. Everything was contaminated. It was all Skynet's fault. Maybe she should concentrate on taking down Skynet and preventing any version of it from gaining control. It was what she did in the past, the future. Maybe she wasn't good at some things, but she was good at others. Fighting was one of them. It was cut and dried. It was simple. Dealing with an infant was complicated and hard. It was also unpredictable at times.

Cameron was thrilled with the baby. She was even more determined to get an interface designed and break the encryption on the TDE. She wanted to get a hold of Duplicate Allison's body before she was terminated. It could become her body then if the chip transfer could be completed in conjunction with her brain. She needed to develop and construct a reverse 'Neural Interface'.

She was able to perfect and advance the 'Neural Interface' Skynet developed. She still needed to try it out. It would be to transfer over what a human knew to a Terminator's chip to make them a better infiltrator. It was to make the Terminator more like the human it was patterned after.

She was fascinated as Claire nursed Summer. She was transfixed as she watched her do it. She wondered what it was like to do it. She wondered what it tasted like. She tasted what various animals could produce. The one most common she encountered was from a cow. She also encountered some from a goat. She didn't care for what the goat offered. She noticed the 'kid', or baby goat, didn't seem to mind at all. She turned her attention back to Claire.

"Summer seems to like the procedure." Cameron said.

Claire noticed the way Cameron looked at her and watched her. She was pretty sure what Cameron really wanted to do. She didn't think there was anything wrong with it. It was something natural and it would raise the curiosity in many individuals. She looked around. She lifted the shirt which covered her other breast.

"You can try a taste." Claire said. "It won't hurt you."

Cameron looked at the breast. It called to her. She slowly moved her head towards it. It was right in front of her. Her eyes were big and round as she looked up at Claire. There was a smile on Claire's face. She squeezed herself gently and a small drop appeared.

"Go on." Claire said. "I have plenty."

Cameron moistened her lips as she moved her head forward. It was something she wanted to do for multiple reasons. The lactation involved was only a bonus.

There was some noise in the background.

Cameron lifted her hand and touched a drop which formed with her index finger. She straightened and stood up. She ran a chemical analysis. She touched the tip of her finger to her mouth for a taste.

It wasn't what Claire hoped for. She wanted Cameron to be closer to her. She thought it would have been a plausible excuse to use. There was still the issue of what Cameron actually tried.

"What do you taste?" Claire asked.

Cameron tilted her head slightly. She began a chemical breakdown of the components of the fluid.

"I detect Whey protein, Alpha-lactalbumin, Lactoferrin, Casein, Serum albumin…." Cameron started.

Claire frowned slightly. She interrupted Cameron.

"I mean, what does it taste like to you?" Claire asked.

Cameron smiled. It was a very positive experience.

"It was pleasant." Cameron said.

Claire cupped her free breast. She wanted to make her desires known. She was more than ready to return to her old ways. Her lifestyle before she was married was something she thrived on. She desperately wanted to experience those same things again.

"There's plenty more if you want to analyze it further, or just taste some more." Claire said. "I'm available anytime."

Cameron moistened her lips again and she looked at Claire's free breast.

"I won't forget." Cameron said.

Claire wondered if there was a way she could better motivate Cameron to do more. She thought maybe Cameron, or one of the Metal girls at the Young residence, could 'monitor' her several times a day to make sure everything related to the lactation was good and healthy. The way for them to do it for the best results would be the same way Summer would do it. They could take a 'pull' directly from the source. She thought maybe she should wait before she mentioned it. She actually thought she might have some more luck with Holly than she would with Cameron.

Cameron looked down at her own breasts. She remembered when the right one was 'gone'. It was heavily damaged in several different gun battles with the enemy. It was another thing which made her aware of the limitations of her chassis. This was one of them, another one of them.

She was just glad after much effort, and a re-infusion of Allison's DNA, helped restore her to her normal appearance. The right breast was slightly smaller than it used to be. She knew a human couldn't tell the difference, but she could. She was aware there was often a slight difference with human females between the left and the right breast. Her issue was the fact what was there now, was slightly smaller than what used to be there. At least it was there and looked the same to the others. She wouldn't let John see her when she was damaged. She was worried he would see her as a 'freak'. She understood her appearance was very important to John. It was what motivated him.

Cameron noticed Claire look at her as she looked at Claire.

"Your body is wonderful because you can provide life and nourishment for Summer." Cameron said. "My body can't function like yours can. Thank you for the sample."

Claire wanted to give Cameron another reminder.

"There's plenty more where the sample came from." Claire said. "I recommend you try more the next time."

Cameron smiled faintly. It was something she really wanted to try, with or without the lactation.

Claire could see Cameron felt bad because she was barren.

"Cameron, you have many other attributes." Claire said.

Cameron didn't see it the same way. There were other things she would rather be than a killing machine.

"I would rather be a mother than a Terminator." Cameron said. "You and Allison are lucky to have been born instead of built. Everything about you is real and natural."

Claire saw it as fate.

"None of us had any say in the matter." Claire said. "First we weren't, and then we were."

Cameron didn't want to think about it. She sometimes thought the 'weren't' part was better than the 'were' part. It brought back the desire 'to get away from it all'. It seemed to her there was more than one way to do it. Some were a little more terminal than others.

"The fact you can create without building is wonderful." Cameron said.

Claire didn't want Cameron to go off on a tangent about something she couldn't do. She believed Cameron, or anyone else, should look at the positive side of things instead of the negative side.

"Holly is amazing with children, Cameron, as are you." Claire said. "She seems so shy sometimes. I know she will take care of both of my Allisons. Cameron, I admire the way you comfort Holly when she 'needs' it. I know when you face similar 'circumstances' in the future, she will be there for you. I'll be there for you too, Cameron."

Claire took Cameron's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Cameron scanned her. She knew Claire 'said' a lot more without 'saying' it.

"The future waits for no one and John must be protected at all costs." Cameron said. "Everyone sacrifices for John Connor."

It seemed like Cameron was the one who always needed to sacrifice to Claire.

"Some more than others…." Claire said.

Cameron looked very sad. Claire thought she could cheer her up some.

"Cameron, can you hold Summer for a while?" Claire asked. "I'd like you to take her from me."

Cameron's face instantly lit up and she smiled.

"Yes! Thank You." Cameron said as she looked into Claire's eyes. "Thank You, Claire."

John was on the way to the temporal incursion site. Jesse and Gail were with him along with Bob. They wanted to do an on the ground investigation.

John Henry came over John's com.

"It's happening again." John Henry said.

John hoped there was something this time. They needed answers. If they could put the 'grab' on someone, they should be able to get them to talk, one way or another. He knew the Terminators could be very persuasive when they questioned someone.

"We're almost there." John said. "Did anything come through this time?"

John Henry didn't have good news.

"No. I have a feeling the energy bubble is trying to pick up something rather than send it." John Henry said. "It's a revolutionary concept if it is."

John needed to think about it for a few seconds. Was it possible? Could the energy bubble appear and someone step into it and be transferred back to where the bubble originated from? It opened a whole realm of possibilities. Maybe it made the chance of a temporal error greater too.

"Skynet didn't have any such capability." John said.

John Henry instantly thought past anything related to Skynet with the new possibility.

"Perhaps it is Mrs. Weaver." John Henry said. "Or…."

A sense of doom flooded John. Maybe it was someone with more technology from a further future who was intelligent enough to make it work. He already remembered who helped them with their TDE earlier. It was now someone who knew all the specific information about how it was constructed as well as worked.

There was only one other choice. John filled in the blank.

"Or River…." John finished the sentence.

They both knew what it meant. Cameron would leave if River came back for her. River was to Cameron, what Cameron was to everyone else….

John wasn't happy at the prospect, but he would rather have Cameron do it than be terminated by self termination, or by termination in combat. He believed there was nothing he could do which would stop her. He would need to deactivate her. At that point, she would cease to exist. It would be him who 'killed' her then.

He remembered the words his mother once told him: 'Sometimes when you love someone, you need to let them go….'

John was willing to let Cameron 'go' if it ensured her continued existence.

He was very aware sacrifice was the true test of love.

John was aware he may have to sacrifice his heart so Cameron could live. He felt it was a small price to pay for Cameron's existence and happiness.

Vanna was in her room. There was a knock at the door. She opened the door. She was surprised.

"Hey." Vanna said.

"Hey, love, you look lonely."

"I am." Vanna said. "I miss Allison."

"I'm here."

She moved up and kissed Vanna.

Vanna responded instantly. She wasn't one to turn down a finish, especially a shared one.

They both rapidly undressed.

Vanna lay on the bed. Her hands clasp the tight Asian body. She pulled her closer. Her hands touched the firm figure as they slid down her sides and lower back.

She stopped. She moved her hand up and down and a little to each side. Something was missing. She hadn't expected this. This was different.

"Is something wrong, love?"

Vanna made the connection. The body she currently touched was perfect. There was no scar. It wasn't Jesse. It left only one other choice. It was a good choice too.

"I thought you were Jesse." Vanna said.

Sheila smiled at her. Her full lips were enticing and called to her.

"It's me - Sheila." Sheila said. "Is it a problem?"

Vanna looked into her eyes.

Sheila moved closer and kissed her.

Vanna felt a sense of excitement and a rush of lust. She wanted to take this all the way like Jesse did and told her about. She wondered if she could make it to the 'other side'.

"No. It's even better. I want you to run your maximum programming." Vanna said. "Don't stop until I black out. I want to go all the way and then some."

Sheila smiled again as she moved in for the 'kill'. She already did the same thing for Jesse on multiple occasions. Since she currently ran Gail's program, she was aware of what Vanna looked like. She was very unique, especially with her pigmentation. There was no variation at all.

"I intended to." Sheila said. "Don't worry. I know CPR. Hang on…."

'Smoke On The Water' by 'Deep Purple', played.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Branded

Wherefore art thou
Why have I been abandoned
What have I ever asked of you
What have I ever demanded

Forsake me not
Alongside you I have fought
Now when I call and plead
It's me you have forgot

What is happening
I really can't understand
Burnt into my heart and soul
I carry YOUR brand

You can see, hear and feel
The emotional scar you branded upon me
Forever seared into my mind
I can NEVER unsee

The endless drudge of life
Drags me down like quicksand
But you turn from me, reject me
Not taking my pleading sinking hand

Nobody