Chapter 238

Interrogation

John and Bob wanted to check on the current operation for the night. They arrived just as Derek, Kyle, and Ed left.

"It looks like we just missed them." John said. "Do you want to check out the location after they leave?"

Bob scanned the SUV of the other team. He could see they were one member short.

"Jim isn't in the SUV. He must still be inside." Bob said.

John felt a few red flags go off. He wondered why three of them were about to leave the area without Jim. It was supposed to be a simple hit. Maybe something went wrong.

"Let me call and ask them what's happening." John said.

Bob thought there was another factor in play. He wanted to find out what it was. He didn't want to make a false assumption.

"No. Let's wait a few minutes and see what happens." Bob said. "There appears to be a plan deviation on someone's part. I think we should try to determine what it is and why. If we tip our hand too soon, something different may be done."

John understood the implication. There was only one person who would change the dynamics of a mission, especially if they weren't informed about it by John Henry. He most likely was unaware of it as well. The one person was Cameron.

A few minutes later, Jim came out with a figure wrapped in a bedspread. He loaded the unmoving form into the trunk of a car. He removed the bedspread. They could see it was a female who was bound and gagged. He closed the trunk of the car and went back inside with the bedspread. He returned a few minutes later. He started the car and drove off.

John could see it was a major revision of the plan. He was a little concerned with the implications.

"Is the prisoner alive?" John asked. "Can you tell?"

Bob attempted to determine the same thing when the bedspread was removed from the figure.

"The heat signature was the same as a living person." Bob said. "It would take a short time for a deceased individual to start to change the reading. It's the best I can determine from our current location."

John wondered what was really going on. He was the one who approved the plan. It was to be the simple termination of a future Gray. There could only be one person behind the change. He wondered what was going to happen next. It didn't sit well with him for multiple reasons.

"It wasn't part of the plan." John said. "I'll bet he's taking her to Cameron."

With the apparent 'abduction', it was the only conclusion which could be reached as to why the plan changed. Termination was what was necessary.

Bob agreed with John. They both knew who was behind the change, even if they didn't for sure.

"It's a suckers bet." Bob said. "I won't take it."

John wanted to know more and not get caught spying on Jim. He knew it wasn't Jim's fault. He hoped it would provide them with a lead about Cameron.

"Follow Jim from as far back as you can. Let's try to see what happens." John said. "Cameron is up to something. It can't be anything good. Maybe we can find her base."

Bob felt it was futile to try to spy on Cameron, even if it was indirectly. It didn't seem like a good idea on several levels. He would try and dissuade John.

"She'll know soon enough and outsmart us." Bob said. "Maybe we should let it go."

John thought he could play the game too. He was sure he could pull one over on Cameron.

"Let's try to outsmart her for once." John said.

Bob didn't think it was a good time to tell John it was impossible. He would go along with John's plans for now.

"Affirmative…." Bob said and took off after Jim.

Jim left the location where he took the Gray into custody. He would have preferred a simple termination.

Cameron called him and told him he was being tailed.

Jim thought he saw something a few times in his rear view mirror. He perceived it as a problem.

"Do you wish for me to neutralize the threat?" Jim asked.

Cameron told him it was John and Bob. She then gave him specific instructions on what to do next.

Jim wasn't sure what all the 'Hocus Pocus' was for. He did as instructed. He slowed and made a couple of turns. He popped the trunk and dropped the woman in a dumpster on the side of the road where Cameron instructed him to. He then quickly got back in his car and accelerated back to where he should have been at his current speed when Bob and John turned the corner.

Bob and John followed him for a little longer. They didn't detect the deviation.

John thought the surroundings were very familiar.

"Where's Jim going?" John asked.

There was only one possible answer.

"It looks like he is headed to the base." Bob said.

John grew a little excited. It was what he wanted. He wanted to know where Cameron's secret base was located.

"Do you mean Cameron's base?" John asked.

Bob kept his eye on the car Jim drove.

"No. He's going back to our base." Bob said. "He's headed for the Resistance base."

The elation within John quickly faded. He didn't want a prisoner at their base.

"We don't need any Grays around the others." John said. "As soon as we get there, I want you to take the Gray away and terminate them elsewhere. I'm going to have a talk with Cameron about this. Catch up to Jim.

Jim drove back to base without any other stops.

Bob and John pulled up behind Jim as he parked.

John quickly got out of the SUV and approached the car Jim drove.

"Open the trunk." John said.

Jim opened the trunk.

Bob and John looked at each other. The trunk was empty.

"Where is she?" John asked.

Jim was instructed to tell the truth as he knew it by Cameron. She was the one who covered all of the variables. He wasn't supposed to lie on her behalf to John.

"I don't know." Jim said. "I left her in a dumpster. I followed the instructions I was given. Cameron has her. It's all I know."

Bob and John wondered how. They were behind Jim the entire time he left with the woman.

John was upset because Cameron bested him again. He took some of his frustration out on Jim.

"Do you know who is in charge around here?" John asked.

Jim tilted his head slightly. He looked at John.

"Aren't you?" Jim asked.

John looked disgusted. It sure didn't seem like it at times.

"Sometimes I wonder…." John said.

Jim filled John in on everything which occurred. There was no need for Bob and John to return to the point where the female was dumped. Cameron would have her by now. They would be long gone by the time they arrived. They still wouldn't know where Cameron took her or where her secret base was located.

Earlier:

Once Cameron decided she wanted the female, she went to oversee the operation. She was there when John and Bob arrived. She'd been tracking them to see where they went earlier. She knew they were on the way to the other operation. If they wouldn't have been there, she would have Jim place the female directly in her SUV. She decided to play this out some and show John he wasn't as smart or slick as he thought.

She drove to a specific location she passed earlier. She waited for Jim to drive away and watched Bob and John follow him. She wondered if John didn't trust her. She knew it was a personal challenge for him to try and find where her base was at. She smiled to herself. It didn't really matter. She figured John must like to 'lose'. Why else would he try to outsmart her? Didn't he know who she was by now? She thought back on an earlier rude comment John made to her. It still bothered her. She didn't believe she was the one who was 'dense'.

She watched Jim pull off the maneuver as she laid it out. The plan worked perfectly. Bob and Jim turned the corner and continued to follow Jim. She waited a few minutes and retrieved the woman from the dumpster.

The female was a Gray back from the future, Cameron's future. She looked much older than Cameron remembered her from the Skynet lab and test facility. She was afraid the female may be too old now for all of her plans. It wasn't part of her original calculation. She anticipated the female would still be the same age she previously was. It was an unforeseen variable.

Cameron carefully searched the female to make sure they hadn't placed a tracker on her. She was clean. She drove her to her base and set her up in the interrogation room. The interrogation would start soon enough.

She knew she was about to take a big step into the unknown. She was sure it was going to cause a lot of problems with the human Resistance if they found out. She would need to make sure they didn't know what she was up to. She believed she was successful so far since they couldn't locate her base even.

The woman was seated. She was bound to a chair. The room was dark. She looked up and around. She remembered places like this before. They were places she created. She wasn't sure who had her in custody. It didn't appear to be the authorities. She hadn't been read any 'rights'. She only remembered coming out of the restroom before everything went black.

Her main thought was on how to escape. They should untie her for restroom breaks or to eat. She would try to make her escape when they did. She survived some pretty extreme conditions in the past, the future. She was able to escape once before from a very extreme group. Unfortunately her escape then wasn't soon enough.

She was startled when she heard a voice right by her.

A figure spoke from the shadows.

"What is your name?" The voice asked.

It was a cold metallic voice.

Fear gripped the woman. She knew her life was over. She was in the custody of someone from the future. There was a Terminator in the room with her. It was most likely not her Skynet overlords at work there. She wasn't exactly sure who it was. She was sure she would find out soon enough.

The woman said nothing. Any answer wasn't going to be good enough.

"You know what is coming next if you do not respond." The voice said.

The woman said nothing.

There was a bright light now turned on in her face, something moved. On the table in front of her there was now a rattlesnake….

John was still miffed because Cameron outsmarted him earlier.

John Henry kept tabs on the traceable money John and Bob planted during the 'drug buy' operation. He was fairly certain when it was removed from their control.

"Cameron hit the drug operation and took the money." John Henry said.

John was excited. Now he had her! They outsmarted her this time. He wanted to rub it in her face. He really wanted to find her 'secret base'. Who did she think she was anyway? He was the General. He was the one in control of the Resistance.

"Can we track her?" John asked. "Do you have the location?"

John Henry wasn't so sure why John was so elated. He should have let him explain things further.

"Yes. I have the location." John Henry said.

John Henry was aware the location wasn't what they expected.

John smacked his right fist into his open left palm. He was ecstatic. He waited for John Henry to reveal the location. Nothing happened. What was he waiting for?

"Well?" John asked. "Did you get her location or not?"

John Henry thought the best thing would be to show him what the tracking revealed. It should drive home the point a little clearer than just telling him. Some visual reinforcement would leave no doubt as to what occurred.

"Follow me." John Henry said.

They went to the car pool. He led them to the vehicle Bob and John used earlier.

"Open the back." John Henry said.

John opened the rear end. In it was the 'bait money' with a note attached to it. He looked at it.

John Henry couldn't see what written on the note.

"What does it say?" John Henry asked.

John handed it to him. It was a heart shaped smiley face. He knew Cameron out played him on both fronts and was aware they tried to trick her and track her. Now the game would get even harder. It appeared Cameron acknowledged the challenge in a playful manner. He wondered how long her attitude would stay playful. He doubted it would be for long if they continued to pursue her.

"There's no way we can win at this is there?" John asked.

John Henry felt all John was going to do was drive Cameron further away.

"No. The more you push her, the more she'll go deeper and darker." John Henry said.

John shook his head. Why did Cameron need to do any of this? It was all unnecessary. She rubbed everything in his face each time he was outsmarted. He didn't like being outsmarted. He didn't always like the way Cameron did things. He really wondered where he was.

"I don't even know who she is anymore." John said.

John Henry wanted to point out the obvious. It seemed like a valid question based upon what he knew. The deception started from the moment Cameron made contact with him at school, in Red Valley.

"Did you ever?" John Henry asked.

John flashed a quick smile of resignation. He strongly doubted it. Cameron was always one or more steps ahead of him from the beginning.

"No, I can't say I ever really have." John said. "All I know is I hurt her and she's never ever going to get over it. I'm the one who did this to her…."

Bob felt there was another factor involved, even if the point was moot.

"Future John helped." Bob said.

John shook his head. He was Future John too…. There was a whole chain of events to think about in multiple times and places. Somehow it all fell back on him.,

"Bob, I made her HATE herself in the present, the past, and the future." John said. "Her programming will never allow her to get over it. It doesn't matter how much I love her or she loves me. The actions will forever remain unchanged since they've already occurred. There's no way around them."

John knew his actions were responsible for Cameron's never ending torment. Now it was going to get worse because he openly challenged her.

"Beautiful." John said in disgust as he walked away. "Absolutely beautiful…."

He began to wonder at what point Cameron would do something against him. He figured it wouldn't be very long. He didn't know what it was. He didn't know when it would happen. He didn't know where it would happen. The only thing he knew was, it was going to happen.

Cameron met Holly and discussed with her what was going to occur. She explained about the 'Neural Interface' and how it was going to be used. She explained about Hanna and 'Ally' and asked if Holly would like to be the base program behind either one. Cameron showed her the now deactivated form of 'Ally', ex Cameron Too.

Holly was thrilled to see 'Ally'. She was identical to Cameron. It also meant she was identical to Allison, her lover.

She liked the reasoning behind Cameron's choice of the name. It was the first two letters of Allison's name and the last two letters of her name. Ally was pronounced as 'alley'. It signified the union between Allison and her for the 'Neural Interface'.

"She's just like you. She's just like Allison." Holly said. "I'll be the base program which will interface with Allison in this chassis. We will be joined as one. It's what I want. We will be complete. Ally will be like our 'child'."

Cameron tilted her head slightly as she thought about it. It actually seemed quite logical, even as unique as it would be.

Holly was excited she would be 'one' with Allison. It was what she wanted. She believed she would be able to interface with Ally and view Allison's personal files in her. Everything still needed to happen first. She didn't want to do anything to change Cameron's mind. There were a few other questions raised.

"What about Hanna? Do you wish to join with Vanna as well?" Cameron asked. "I would prefer your program because of Allison's and Vanna's long 'association'."

Holly wanted it, but she didn't want to get updates from them as part of her own program. Her earlier desires were quickly thwarted. She didn't want to see Allison's love for someone else other than her. She certainly didn't want to feel it either. It would be much worse.

"Will we need to interface with each other as 'myself' in the future?" Holly asked.

Cameron determined it was unnecessary. She wanted the three Terminators to remain separate. She wanted them to become individuals. She would give Holly the option anyway.

"Not if you don't want to. Sheila and Gail aren't going to and will be distinct Terminators. They really already were anyway. You may choose the same option as well." Cameron said. "Ally will be much like me, but with better programming and uncorrupted. Ally will be more 'Allison' than 'you'. Hanna will be more 'Vanna' than 'you'."

Holly felt Cameron was superior to her. She thought it would be an honor to have Cameron and Allison together as one.

"I would rather you be the base programming behind Ally." Holly said. "You're superior to me."

Cameron almost laughed. She didn't feel superior to anyone. She thought of the disasters with all three versions of Isabel and Cameron Too. They all seemed like failures to her on multiple levels.

"No. Every time I try it, it ends up causing a problem. I experienced a problem on the first day already with Ally's chassis as Cameron Too." Cameron said. "She was a total Bitch. It means I'm a total BITCH. She threatened to replace me. I needed to terminate her."

Holly thought about what Cameron just said. She'd basically committed a form of suicide through an abstract 'self termination'.

'You terminated yourself.' Holly thought.

Holly didn't want Cameron to terminate Ally or Hanna at some later date. She would do what Cameron wanted.

"I'll do it for both of them. Hanna and Ally will be like the 'children' of the girls and me." Holly said. "I'm going to have two 'children'."

Cameron still contemplated the issue. It was valid to a certain point.

"Indeed…." Cameron said.

Holly heard about the other project Cameron worked with. There was some concern about it. No, it wasn't some concern, it was a lot of concern.

"What are you going to do with the other special project?" Holly asked.

Cameron smiled at the thought of her special project.

"I'm going to become 'human'." Cameron said.

It was what Holly feared. Cameron would want a human female. Cameron would want Allison as 'herself'.

"Please don't take Allison from me." Holly said. "I won't let you. I don't want to fight you, Cameron, but I won't allow you to take my Allison."

Holly's statement made Cameron feel a little guilty. It made her think of some of her earlier actions in the past, the future.

"I won't harm Your Allison or My Allison." Cameron said. "I won't touch either of those Allisons."

Holly was around Cameron long enough to know how she thought and how she played. She knew what Cameron wanted. She wanted to know more. The next possibility concerned her greatly.

"I know you're going to use an 'Allison'. Where are you going to get her from?" Holly asked. "You'd better not think of taking Young Allison either."

Cameron planned to use an 'Allison' alright. She didn't want Holly to worry about it. She didn't need any interference either.

"There should be more of 'Allison' somewhere. I'll get her either from 'in some future', or the one I got killed in the past, Duplicate Allison." Cameron said. "Young Allison is safe as far as it involves me."

Holly didn't like to hear it. She knew which 'Allison' Cameron was going to 'steal'.

"I know which one you want. You want the one with John's baby in her." Holly said.

Cameron wanted the Duplicate version of 'Allison' for the exact reason. There was only one problem. It was the TDE at the Resistance base. There was no way for her to retrieve terminated Duplicate Allison yet.

"YES. It's the one I want." Cameron said. "I can't go back to get her yet."

Holly felt it was wrong. It was wrong to 'kill' any 'Allison' and steal her body.

"She's still MY Allison. She's still OUR Allison. It would be wrong to do this if you can save her." Holly said. "She should be able to live as who she was. She's the same as MY Allison."

Cameron already made the decision. She saw no need to change it.

"It would appear my hypocrisy knows no bounds." Cameron said.

Holly wanted to try and reason with Cameron. She would plead for Duplicate Allison's life.

"You can't do this." Holly said. "Please don't do this."

There was one other option available to Cameron. She didn't want to wait more than a decade to make it happen for what she wanted. She wanted to make her options clear to Holly.

"Then I'll go into the future and take Summer…." Cameron said. "She will look almost exactly like Allison and me as a teenager, only more beautiful."

Holly was appalled to hear it. It was something Cameron obviously thought out and planned already. She needed to say something.

"I can't allow you to do this." Holly said.

She didn't want to fight Cameron but was afraid she might need to do it to protect the girls. She wasn't sure if Cameron was in the process of some new 'problem' or not. There always seemed to be one hovering around her. Based upon her long-term interaction with duplicate Cameron, There were multiple instances in the past. There was no reason to believe there wouldn't be even more going forward.

Cameron didn't like anyone to get in her way. It didn't matter who they were. she already experienced enough problems with John. She wanted to make her position clear to Holly. She started the player on the bench.

"You can't stop me." Cameron said. "Nobody can."

'I Don't Care About You' by 'Fear', filled the air as Cameron left the room.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Interrogation

Some things in life are filled with joy
They start out as a beautiful creation
They bring us happiness and pleasure
As they fill us with jubilant elation

The feelings and desires of two
May be filled with adulation
With their ongoing cultivation
They lead to endless exhilaration

What was viewed as infatuation
In time can turn to stagnation
What was once a captivation
Morphs into a type of fixation

What was felt as salvation
Becomes filled with aggravation
There's nothing left as motivation
Everything becomes an empty obligation

We are left with frustration
When the once lovely relation
Has reached the end of its duration
What is left behind is resignation

The beauty turns to desolation
Everything turns into an accusation
Shared time becomes an interrogation
The only escape seems to be termination

Nobody