Chapter 234

Everywhere

Derek and Kyle tried to talk Jim into taking them on another recon. The last one they were on turned hot. A Gray was terminated in a spectacular incident on the highway. They also freed a female prisoner from the trunk of his car before the shooting began.

Jim was a little hesitant to take them out again. He was worried about the repercussions he would face from John and Cameron. They thought all the information they could gather ahead of time would be beneficial. They noticed Cameron was damaged more often recently.

"Look, we need to check some of these leads out before Cameron shows up by herself without any intel and gets shot up." Derek said.

Jim didn't like the idea. Recons could escalate. The last one he took the Reese brothers out on did. There was a Gray who shot at the van they were in. His shots all missed. The ones Kyle returned didn't. He wanted to remind Derek it was a two way street.

"It could happen to Kyle and you." Jim said.

Kyle smiled and patted Jim on the back. He didn't want him to worry. Everything worked out the last time.

"It's why you're along with us to prevent it." Kyle said. "You always keep us safe. You're the man."

Jim wanted to deliver a blow to Skynet. He looked at the 'target list'. There were a number of different leads on it. Most of them would turn out to be nothing. The pendulum could also swing the opposite direction.

"These could all turn out hot." Jim said.

Derek didn't think so. It seemed most of the time it was just busy work.

"They could all be dead ends too." Derek said. "A lot of the time there's nothing else to find."

Kyle wanted to keep it about Cameron. The more they could do, the less she would have to.

"Either way, we would be able to clue Cameron in on how hot a target could be." Kyle said. "If it's nothing, then it saves her the time to check it out. If we find something, she knows what to expect going in. She can plan accordingly."

Jim wanted to take some of the heat off of Cameron as well. He thought about the last time he went out with the Reese brothers. Things escalated quickly.

"There was quite a spectacle created the last time you two were out." Jim said. "It was in broad daylight, all out in the open. There were a lot of potential witnesses."

Derek and Kyle looked at each other. They thought they put the issue past them. It didn't look like it.

"It wasn't our fault." Kyle said. "The future Gray lost control of his vehicle."

Jim knew the reason why it happened.

"It was after you shot him." Jim said.

Derek thought it was a righteous shooting. They were originally going to 'pop' the Gray at a traffic light and grab the box he picked up from a building. The Gray evidently made them as a tail when they started to make their move.

"He shot at us first." Derek said. "I would have done the same thing Kyle did. You would have done the same thing too. It wasn't our fault the Gray spotted us first before we could act."

Jim didn't think his driving was the issue. He was the one behind the wheel when the Gray spotted them. He would have done the same thing Kyle did. When someone shoots at you, you shoot back. It still turned into quite an event. He needed to go back and clean the mess up on his own. He dumped the Reese brothers back at the base and went back out. He was unable to recover the box the man picked up from the second establishment he visited. The box was burnt and the contents were destroyed when the man's car burnt after the accident. It meant he needed to go to the source to find out what was in the box from both locations.

He went to both of those establishments later on. He was unable to determine anything Skynet related at either one. He did find out there were some illegal narcotics being handled. It may have been what everything was about. Grays were encountered before dealing in narcotics to raise funds to obtain weapons and computer gear. Either way he didn't take any chances. The second building had one man in it when he entered. He snapped his neck and burnt the building as he left.

He went to the first building. He found the same things as he found at the second building. There were two people in the first building. They were both terminated and the building was burnt as well. He made sure drugs would be found at both of the buildings he burnt. It wanted it to look like rivals 'took care' of each other. It was common anyway. It was one of the techniques Cameron often used when she conducted her 'off the books' operations. He didn't really agree with those, but they provided resources for the Resistance to use in the way of weapons, vehicles, and cash. The byproduct of it all was it eliminated future Scavengers. He was sure it was the most important part of the entire procedure.

He decided to tie up the loose ends. He went to where the female was returned to her home. He was going to terminate her as well. He didn't want to spend the time beating a confession out of her to determine the nature of her involvement. He was somewhat concerned to see two police cars there. Maybe she was a legitimate victim. If she was dirty she wouldn't want the authorities involved. He drove by without stopping.

An investigation would reveal the Gray was driving her vehicle. She may have reported the incident, or they may have traced the vehicle back to her address. Either way she was the one tied up in the trunk and didn't appear to be a willing participant in whatever the Gray was involved in. Now if she were terminated, it would draw closer police scrutiny. He would need to let things slide for now.

The Reese brothers wanted to go out again. He saw them speak to Hanna earlier. She said she would go with them. He told Hanna he would take care of it and it's where they were now. He didn't want to have Hanna damaged anymore than he did the Reese brothers. He was sure both of them would become a big issue with Cameron. He would think about it some and try to find out a little more about the targets first.

Riley didn't like when Derek went out on recons or did surveillance. He always seemed to push it. She followed him from their quarters and saw he met up with Kyle. It usually meant they were going to pull a fast one and try to go out on an operation.

She was more surprised when they hit up Hanna to be their Terminator escort. They figured she may not know how far they would push things. She did know. John Henry must have observed what was going on because Jim arrived and told Hanna he would take care of it. Hanna left.

Riley listened to Derek and Kyle try to con Jim to take them on a mission. She heard enough. It was as she suspected.

She thought maybe it would be good for them to be out for a while. There was something she wanted to do. She sought out Hanna.

"Hi, Hanna." Riley said.

Hanna looked at Riley and smiled.

"Hello." Hanna said.

Riley didn't care for the way they tried to scam her.

"I see you dealt with the boys." Riley said. "They didn't get very far."

Hanna didn't think it was a big deal. She knew what they wanted as they approached. She was pretty sure she knew what Riley wanted as well. They were two different things. She would find out soon enough.

"I did deal with them." Hanna said. "They forgot I run Holly's program and know all the angles. I still would have gone out with them anyway. It does everyone some good to stay in the game."

The reminder excited Riley that Hanna was 'Holly' in a different chassis. She remembered nothing went forward before when she tried to stay in the 'game'. It was a different 'game'. She also needed to think of the burden Cameron carried for the Resistance.

"I don't like seeing Cameron shot up either." Riley said. "If you want to do a recon, or surveillance mission, I'd like to go with you. We will play it by the book and do what our job is. If we need to bump it up. I'm in with it too. I want to help as much as anyone."

Hanna smiled at her. She didn't want to put Riley at risk. She was sure Cameron would be even more upset if something happened to Riley than if it happened to Derek or Kyle. She didn't understand Riley's concern and her reasoning. She felt it was legitimate.

"Maybe we can do it sometime." Hanna said. "If something comes up, I'll seek you out first."

Riley smiled.

"Thanks." Riley said. "I also want to say you look really nice too."

Hanna looked down at herself. She looked a lot different as 'Hanna' than she did as 'Holly'.

"I do?" Hanna asked.

Riley thought all of the girls were beautiful. It didn't matter if they were human or Terminators.

"You do." Riley said. "You're beautiful."

Riley smiled at her again and turned around and left.

Hanna watched her go. She tried to process the nature of the conversation. It seemed there was something important she needed to do before Riley got away.

"Thank you." Hanna said.

She wasn't sure if Riley heard her or not.

Cameron went out on her own. She followed up on another lead.

She spotted an exchange of gunfire between two vehicles on a side street. It caught her attention. It didn't appear anything was directed at her. She decided to follow one of the vehicles.

The first vehicle didn't get very far before it went out of control and slammed into a telephone pole. Two of the occupants were ejected through the front windshield upon the impact. She knew what it felt like to have her head go through a windshield. She could only imagine what it was like to have her entire body pass through the windshield. It didn't appear to her the two occupants were going to survive.

She concentrated on the second vehicle. It's sped away from the scene. She stayed far enough in back of it to not spook them further. She followed them for a number of miles before they turned in to an abandoned apartment building. She turned around and drove several blocks away.

Cameron left her SUV behind and approached the location on foot. She was clearly in gang territory. Everyone she encountered was fair game as far as she was concerned. If anyone accosted or challenged her, it would be their last act. She moved through an alley across several side streets to reach the location where the abandoned apartment was located.

So far she hadn't encountered anyone. She moved up along the side of the abandoned apartment building. She could hear some activity in one of the rooms. She carefully moved up to the window and looked through a crack in the boards which covered it. She could see several individuals working on someone who appeared to have a gunshot wound. It didn't appear too severe.

She moved on down to the next room and listened. She carefully pried on one of the boards covering the window. There were several females inside of it. They appeared to be drugged. They wore only underwear. Another female entered the room. She went and checked on the two females who didn't move much. Based upon her conversation, she was their 'handler'.

Cameron smiled. The 'handler' was young and somewhat attractive. She believed she would make an excellent candidate for her upcoming program. She would return at a later date and collect her.

She left the area and headed back towards her SUV. She was almost to it when two men came out of the shadows. She thought they were after her. She pulled her Glock and shot both of them. There were some shots behind her. She felt something strike her arm and her neck. She believed it was bullet fragments or shrapnel. She returned fire. Another body dropped to the ground. She was upset about the latest damage to her sheath. She quickly left the area. There were some things she needed to take care of with John Henry.

Cameron returned to the Resistance base and headed for the Command Center. She wanted to run a few ideas by John Henry. She knew he wouldn't approve of them. It seemed there were very few who approved of anything she did, or tried to do, anymore anyway. Nobody liked the way she did things. She understood the irony of her own thought. She wasn't even sure she liked the way she did things. They still needed to be done. Someone needed to do it. Why should anyone else need to take the risk when she could do it?

John arrived soon after she did so she couldn't discuss everything with John Henry she wanted to. What made it worse was she was currently 'damaged'. She didn't like John to see her damaged.

She went along with the conversation. She knew John would insult her again soon. He was very rude to her. She waited for it.

"It appears Skyshield has given up on military contracts for now." John Henry said. "They're trying to build a super computer on their own to take control. Skynet is battling to re-establish itself as well. We all know Skynet is behind Skyshield anyway."

Cameron looked disturbed. She would need to clean out another 'nest'.

"I'll handle it." Cameron said.

John noted the new damage to her neck and left arm. He'd given up asking her what happened because she would disappear for a few days to a week when he did. It was evident she was in combat again, and recently. She tried to hide the damage. He didn't want her to act alone. He wanted to remind her sometimes it was nice to have help.

"No." John said. "We'll handle it together. I'm going to go with you."

John and Cameron exchanged a long look. A lot was said without a word being spoken.

John reached over and took Cameron's hand.

Cameron pulled her hand away slowly. She hadn't been with him for a while. She often informed him there were others he could 'associate' with in her absence, both human and Terminator. He wondered what damage she was hiding, it must be horrific. They all wore protective vests now. Where was she damaged at? He didn't even want to think about it.

She previously informed all the female Terminators they could be with John if they shared the files of John and them with her. She was afraid it would soon be the only 'interaction' with John she would have. It would be from shared files of John with the other Metal girls. She was sure she was going to receive irreparable damage soon.

It angered Cameron because John wouldn't do as she wanted him to do. She was upset John refused his destiny. She was befuddled why none of the people could understand John's life depended on humans being around him, not machines. It wasn't just humans who needed to be around him, but females as his wives and lovers. REAL people he loved and trusted. He needed the human connection and people needed to see it was real. Without the human connection he would become withdrawn and lonely. It was what happened to Future John. She was sure it was why Future John latched onto her the way he did.

"It's unnecessary." Cameron said. "I can deal with everything myself."

John shook his head a little as if in disbelief. It was clear Cameron was damaged elsewhere other than what he could see.

"Can you?" John asked.

'Here it comes.' Cameron thought.

Cameron glared at him.

"I can." Cameron said.

It seemed like a good time for John Henry to go elsewhere.

"Perhaps I should come back later." John Henry said.

John Henry was about to unplug.

Cameron didn't want John Henry to go elsewhere. He was normally in the Command Center. It was his job. It was John who should depart. She wanted to finish her conversation with John Henry

"No. John was just leaving." Cameron said.

John didn't like the way Cameron treated him. HE threw his hands in the air.

"Whatever…." John said as stormed away.

Cameron thought things went easier than expected. She watched John leave. She was still unable to understand his reluctance to carry out her 'wishes'.

She wanted to pick up her conversation with John Henry where she left off before John arrived.

"Do you think it will work?" Cameron asked as soon as John was gone.

John Henry didn't agree with the program.

"I don't know." John Henry said. "These are your friends. They are women who love you. It may damage them. I hope you understand they're devoted to you because they love you. Do you want to abuse their love for you?"

Cameron would try her invention on 'volunteers'.

"It will be tested on others first." Cameron said.

It seemed she would steal someone's body and life. John Henry didn't agree with it. There were a lot of moral implications.

"It's not ethical." John Henry said.

Cameron blew him off. Morals, scruples, and ethics were never Terminator strong points. She wasn't going to be deterred or alter her plans.

"Nonetheless, it's what's going to happen." Cameron said. "If I damage someone before I terminate them, it makes no difference. They will still be terminated. It's their lifestyle or actions which have determined their fate, not me. My experiments may give them a few more hours of life."

John Henry tried to make clear what she wanted was very difficult.

"You may transfer human brain engrams to a chip easier than data from a chip to a human brain." John Henry said. "The chances of any measure of success are extremely slim."

Cameron said nothing at first. Was his interpretation going to be a new problem? It was evident John Henry was 'on to her'. She didn't think it was a big deal.

"OK, so you've figured it out." Cameron said. "What I do personally is outside the scope of operations of the Resistance. What I do doesn't involve or taint the Resistance. I act as a private individual. I'm entitled to my free time the same as anyone else. I can do what I want on my own time. I can do it where I want to do it. I have my own facility."

None of it was news to John Henry.

"We know." John Henry said.

Cameron felt defiant in her resolve. She was aware they tried to follow her. They never could. It didn't stop her. Nothing would stop her.

"Then you understand I'll do as I please." Cameron said.

John Henry faced her.

"I understand it's a bad idea." John Henry said.

Cameron frowned. She remembered a similar conversation with John once.

"But you know it's going to happen anyway." Cameron said.

John Henry could see there was no stopping her.

"Whose body are you going to try to 'steal'?" John Henry asked.

Cameron already determined how she would obtain what she wanted.

"I'll take what I seek from the 'dead'. If someone was terminated, I have a right to 'resurrect' them and claim their 'existence'." Cameron said. "They'll be alive again as 'me'."

John Henry knew Cameron meant Duplicate Allison with John's baby. He didn't agree with her interpretation at all. It was all wrong.

"You don't have a right to steal someone's life." John Henry said. "They should be allowed to be who they are if you give them a second chance at life. It's why the TDE is encrypted. It was done to prevent you from doing this very thing. It was to prevent you from altering the future by altering the past and creating divergent timelines. River created the safeguard at what I believe was your request."

John Henry's statement irritated Cameron.

"I've checked my files. I find no such 'request'." Cameron said.

John Henry felt there was a good reason for it.

"It may be because you haven't made it yet." John Henry said.

Cameron was more than upset. She was angry now.

"That's illogical." Cameron said.

John Henry decided to throw out what Cameron professed herself on more than one occasion.

"You yourself have said you 'FEEL' you're living your life over and over." John Henry said. "If you are, then you meet River in the future and she helps you with all of this to mask its presence in your programming."

Cameron encountered unexplainable files already.

"I'm aware of files now I never knew I possessed. If it's the case, they would have been on my chip when you were on my chip as well."

John Henry felt it was all by design.

"I never detected them." John Henry said. "I believe it's the point. You only need them at certain times in your life. It's at that point they become activated."

River promised Cameron she would be back. River said she would come back for her and take her to her future. She realized it would happen on the day she arrived in the past in 1999.

She believed after John's death she would travel back in time to 1999 to replace herself. She would then have the choice to go with River to her future, or relive her life again with John. She felt she chose John every time. She couldn't understand why. It didn't make sense. She wanted to be with River after John died. Why would she want to be with John again? Her life was miserable at times.

There was another possibility. She thought maybe she lived her life with John until he died. At that point she went in the future to live with River until she died, or was near death, and then returned to 1999 to deactivate 'herself' as she arrived from her future. She believed she reset her chip and relived the same two lifetimes over again. She didn't have to choose that way, she could do both.

Cameron was sure it must have happened already in some way.

She would need to travel to New Mexico and search for where she placed, stored, or hid her newly arrived deactivated selves in 1999. If she really did do it, she believed she would save her endoskeletons. She didn't think she would destroy them. If she could find them, she could be everywhere at the same time….

They wouldn't be clones or copies or Duplicates. They literally would be HER.

Cameron could be an army of ONE.

John left the Command Center. He didn't return to his room. He went to another room nearby. He listened to the conversation as John Henry and he agreed to. It was so Cameron would speak a little more freely. It was clear Cameron was out of control. She was really in danger of becoming 'Skynet' herself if anything went wrong. It seemed there was a lot which went wrong with Cameron. Cameron said she feared she would become Skynet. It was all happening by her own design. Cameron was fulfilling her own prophecy.

Then again, if Cameron was reliving her life over and over, history was merely repeating itself….

John wondered when and how he would die so Cameron could fulfill her 'destiny' and live her future, in the past.

'Eve Of Destruction' by 'Barry McGuire', came to John's mind.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Razed

I see the little ant people
They don't even try
All they can do
Is complain and cry

They think they're better
When they're not even equal
They can justly speak
When they offer a sequel

Parasites and leeches
Describe one and all
They can't meet the challenge
They know they will fall

Ashamed of who they are
Behind multiple false identities they hide
They fool no one
They lack honor and pride

I laugh in their pathetic faces
As I rule the board
To watch them falter and fail
Has become my reward

Everything is backwards
When the lazy are praised
The world will be much better
When everything is razed

Nobody