Chapter 265

Paradise

John Henry kept the surveillance operational at the site the energy bubble appeared several times, or tried to appear. He was sure it was something big. He believed it was something important. John and Cameron both told him the same thing as well. The question was, what exactly was it and who?

By this time, he was sure like Cameron and John, it wasn't a threat. It was most likely either Mrs. Weaver, the other Duplicate set of girls, or River. He wanted it to be River, while at the same time he hoped it wasn't. Everyone knew if River visited them again, most likely Cameron was going to leave with her. River made Cameron feel complete. They discussed it. Cameron would always get a far away look on her face as she thought about River.

John Henry always found it somewhat strange on Cameron's part. It was actually Duplicate Cameron who was associated with River, not Cameron herself. She currently possessed Duplicate Cameron's files as her own. He always thought there should be a differentiation.

Cameron arrived in the Command Center as John Henry checked for any updates on the temporal location. It immediately caught her interest. She quickly reviewed any information from the last time she checked. There wasn't any. She didn't believe it was Skynet related.

"I want it to be either the other Duplicate Cameron or River." Cameron said.

John Henry needed to remind her it was a total unknown. All they knew was it was someone with future technology. The temporal incursion was most likely from the future. It could be from the past as well, with someone attempting to reach the present. It would be like the time jump Cameron and the Connor's did from 1999 to 2007.

"We don't know what it is." John Henry said.

Cameron could feel it was something 'good'. She couldn't explain why. She knew who she wanted it to be.

"I hope it's River." Cameron said.

John Henry could see how excited Cameron appeared when she suggested it. He needed to worry about the implications to the Resistance operations. They most likely would be significant.

"What will you do?" John Henry asked. "You've been able to think about everything for a longer time now."

Cameron frowned a little. It was her concern. It shouldn't be the worry of anyone else. She didn't think it was any of their business. She should be able to choose the direction her life went, and with who.

"John Henry, I know you've asked me several times." Cameron said. "The answer is always the same. I want to go with her to her future. You know I love her."

John Henry immediately thought of his earlier thoughts. He wanted to point out it was Duplicate Cameron who loved and wanted River. She only possessed Duplicate Cameron's files and feelings. They weren't really her own. The trouble was, they were her own now, since she consolidated all the files from Duplicate Cameron. It was all the same program anyway. He was sure if he pointed it out again, it would only agitate her further. He decided to stick with the present.

"What about John and your mission?" John Henry asked. "What about the future?"

Cameron saw this as her chance to get away from it all, forever. She possessed all of Duplicate Cameron's files and they were the same as her own files now. It included Duplicate Cameron's time spent with John and River. The latter were her prized files. She wasn't the property of the Resistance. She wasn't owned by anyone. She didn't belong to anyone. She may have been a slave to Skynet. She no longer was. She wanted some personal consideration from everyone. She felt she should matter too.

"What about ME?" Cameron snapped. "You know the torment I face every day here. What about me? I've provided John with everything, and everyone, he needs for his protection and for the future. My mission here is complete. People need to take some personal responsibility. They can't depend on others forever."

Cameron wanted to know why she couldn't return home to her future if nothing else. It was why they constructed TDEs in the past. It was so they would always have a way 'home'. What was the purpose if she couldn't use one to do so?

John Henry thought about all the 'stunts' Cameron pulled over the years. His program was on her chip before, he understood. He didn't have a good answer.

"I don't know, Cameron." John Henry said.

They looked at each other for a long moment.

Cameron knew exactly what he thought. Unfortunately it was the same thing she thought.

"Go ahead, say it." Cameron said.

Cameron knew where he was headed.

John Henry felt it was his duty to mention it.

"Everyone sacrifices for John Connor." John Henry said.

Cameron hung her head and soundlessly walked away. She felt defeated. None of them really understood her or cared about her. She felt she should matter as much as anyone else. Everyone else could do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. Why couldn't she?

A single tear slid down John Henry's cheek as he watched her leave. He knew of her pain and torment. He knew it was her secret desire to be someone different. She wanted to start over. He believed she was given the chance to start over when Future John purged her files and sent her into the past. He didn't know what she would do going forward. He was sure the only way she would find any peace in River's future was if most of her past was erased. If it wasn't, it would continue to haunt her as it did now. Nothing would change. How could it?

Savannah studied nearby. She'd heard the whole exchange, just as she heard all the exchanges from everyone. She knew everything about everyone, even things she probably shouldn't know. She knew the details of everyone's love life and sexual partners. She loved Cameron and River, she loved all of them. She knew Cameron was special among everyone, even her 'Mother'.

The older Savannah got, the more her love for Cameron 'evolved'. She never fought it. She knew what Cameron was. It only made Cameron more 'special' to her. She knew she would do whatever she had to do, to help Cameron. It included now, and in the future.

Cameron gave her a 'feeling' inside of her like no other. Savannah knew she would die for Cameron if she needed to, to save her. She would die with Cameron, even if it was so Cameron didn't need to die alone. She knew she was in love with Cameron. She stared off into the distance. Her face was blank as her mind wandered. She wasn't happy waiting for the future to come to her. She wanted her future as soon as possible. She was a 'big girl' now and she wanted what the others all 'shared'.

Her life was overly restrictive at the Resistance base. It wasn't done to punish her. It was done to protect her. She still needed more. She couldn't wait for the future and Young Allison. It would be years away from now before anything could happen and be accepted by the others. She couldn't wait.

Savannah was lonely….

Jim returned Derek and Kyle back to the base. They conducted several recon missions and terminated a few Grays, or future Grays.

John Henry debriefed them. Jim returned to his duties.

Kyle went off to see Sarah.

Derek thought about going to see Riley. He wanted to know more about the last target they encountered in the desert. Jim seemed to be in a hurry to get back after they looked over the area. It didn't seem to be something John Henry wanted to discuss either.

John Henry and Derek were about to go over some new targets and people to 'watch'.

Derek saw there was another female target. He noticed John Henry skipped over it quickly. She wasn't even mentioned. He thought maybe he should ask about it. If the person was a future Gray, their crimes would be egregious against other humans. He needed to get his head and rear end wired together and do the job which needed to be done, when it needed to be done. He was just about to ask for the information.

John Henry picked up a temporal disturbance in the hills. It was at the same location they kept under surveillance.

"The energy bubble is back in the mountains." John Henry said.

An alarm alert sounded. An armed drone out on patrol was diverted to the spot.

"What is it?" Derek asked.

John Henry hoped it was the same as before.

"It's the return of the energy bubble which never finished appearing completely." John Henry said.

It seemed like a threat to Derek. He felt they should take immediate action.

"Do you want me to get John?" Derek asked.

John Henry knew Cameron was trying to reach back out to John. She was trying to hang on to what she possessed, even if it wasn't what she truly wanted. It didn't seem like a good idea to disturb them. It may be nothing more than what was witnessed before.

"John and Cameron are 'busy'. They don't get much time together." John Henry said. "If something actually shows up, I'll notify him."

Derek was glad to hear things seemed smoother for John and Cameron than they did for Riley and him. They were in a rough patch. They seemed to 'fight' about everything. There was no love making. There was just rough sex every now and then. He didn't like when Riley insisted she be tied up first either. He thought the gag and blindfold were too much. It was the only way she'd let him touch her now. She seemed to like it best when she was 'hog tied'. It was all very disturbing. It seemed to be something from her past she needed to relive. Maybe it was because she was the one who had 'control' over it now. When she would tell him to stop and let her go, he would.

There were a couple of things he refused to do. He wouldn't slap her around or punch her. She asked him several times. He needed to draw the line somewhere. It was probably part of the same reason he didn't want to kill a future female Gray In cold blood. He actually thought John and Cameron were in a good place.

"I can say, lucky him in more ways than one." Derek said. "Getting the dessert is better than having to eat the vegetables everyday, all day, then maybe getting a scrap of dessert."

John Henry thought everyone from the future would be happy to be back in the past. It was referred to as 'Paradise' by all of them. There were many times when each of them seemed very displeased to be in the past, the present, Paradise.

"It sounds like trouble in Paradise." John Henry said.

Derek knew things could be a lot worse and in a much worse place. Unhappy Paradise was still better than the future 'Hell On Earth'. He'd take the punches as they arrived. Everything in a Skynet future was tainted and ruined. Even if something seemed good, it usually wasn't. It was just better than the Hell which surrounded it.

"Nope, it's just the way it is." Derek said. "Life moves forwards, not backwards.

John Henry alerted the Blackhawk crew to prepare for liftoff. He didn't know if they would need a team to respond. The drone would be able to make first contact if there was a threat. They would still need to check it out if action broke out. If it was a standard energy bubble, whoever arrived would be unarmed. If it was a Liquid Metal Terminator they would be able to do more damage than an endoskeleton Terminator could.

"I've put the helicopter on standby." John Henry said.

Derek didn't want to be caught flat footed. He wanted to snag Kyle before he got involved with Sarah, like John and Cameron were.

"Let me call Kyle." Derek said. "We need to get ready. We don't know what this is or how big of a threat it might turn into."

Derek made the call to Kyle as they waited for an update from the location.

John Henry hadn't observed anything solid yet.

"The drone will be there soon. Surveillance still shows nothing." John Henry said.

They waited a little longer.

Derek spotted Kyle as he approached.

"Bob, Jim, and Gail are ready." Kyle said. "We have all the gear ready to go."

John Henry redirected the closest team earlier. They would arrive after the drone did.

"Ed and Steve are headed there by vehicle. I diverted them from a stakeout." John Henry said.

It was all the unknown and it all took time for something to happen. Maybe it was nothing again. Maybe it was something important.

Earlier:

Gail and Jesse were deep in a love making session.

Jesse really liked the way Gail could make her feel. She was able to make all of her lady parts feel more pleasure than she thought was possible. She just 'finished' five times in a row a few seconds apart. She needed to rest for a bit. It was extremely intense.

She heard Gail get the alert.

"There's a situation." Gail said. "I need to go immediately."

Jesse knew the drill.

"It's duty before booty." Jesse said.

Jesse watched Gail quickly dress and prepare to head out for possible combat. She wanted to do her part and go as well. She felt she spent a lot of the time around the Resistance base in a bed. It was time to earn her keep. It was going to take a few seconds for her body to return to normal.

"Give me a minute. I can go too." Jesse gasped. "I just need to catch my breath a little."

Gail wasn't going to endanger Jesse. She didn't want to see Jesse die again. She couldn't go through the same pain and torment. The memories of Jesse, Duplicate Jesse, flooded her now. The words slipped out of her mouth. She couldn't stop them.

"No." Gail said. "I forbid you from going."

Jesse didn't like what Gail just told her. She didn't believe Gail possessed the right to tell her such a thing. Love was very powerful, but it only went so far. She didn't feel the same apprehension Gail did. It wasn't her who perished on that terrible day. She was a member of the Resistance. She felt a duty to serve as well.

"Look, it's my job too, Gail." Jesse said. "YOU can't forbid me. You don't own me."

Gail could only picture the worst happening. She couldn't go through it again. The thought of it now bothered her greatly. She needed Jesse to listen to her.

"No. I won't allow you to go." Gail said. "I can't lose you 'again'. I don't own you, but I love you."

Jesse was angry at the control Gail seemed to have over her. Nobody controlled her, not anymore. Life came with its share of risks. Paradise only went so far. It was time to get Gail straightened out. It didn't hurt to give herself a reminder as well. All good things came to an end.

"Everyone dies, love. It's how life works." Jesse said. "Don't make my duty a problem."

Gail thought there were others who could go. Jesse didn't need to go. The unknown energy bubble could be a terrible threat. An army of Terminators could arrive. An army of Liquid Metal Terminators could arrive. The Resistance forces wouldn't be able to stop them. She understood circumstances could determine a person's fate.

"They don't have to die needlessly." Gail said.

Jesse didn't think her help was needless. She stared Gail down. She needed to assert her independence. It was her duty to serve the Resistance.

"You can't stop me." Jesse said.

The 'Terminator' in Gail became evident. It didn't matter if she was a Restorator.

"I won't allow you to go." Gail said.

Bob arrived at Jesse's room to get Gail. He was very worried about what he currently watched. It looked like a bad situation. It was the first time he witnessed such behavior from Gail. It seemed to be pretty standard fare for Cameron and John.

The discussion between Jesse and Gail seemed to heat up.

Bob hurried away and went to get Vanna to help de-escalate the situation. He knocked on her door.

Vanna opened the door. She was topless. She made no attempt to cover herself as Bob quickly explained the situation. It sounded like she needed to go right now. She was still topless but left her room anyway. She grabbed a top on the way out the door.

Bob couldn't help but look at her topless form as she hurried across the hall. He thought she was incredibly beautiful. She was very different from most of the other females with her pigmentation.

They could hear the angry words as they approached Jesse's room.

Vanna slipped her top on. It was inside out. She didn't notice. The door wasn't closed tight so she went into the room.

"Is everything all right in here?" Vanna asked.

Jesse and Gail both looked upset and angry.

"No." Jesse said at the same time Gail said "Yes."

Gail tolerated Jesse and Vanna together but she didn't like it. She did like when she could spend time with Vanna herself. She figured Jesse sharing with Vanna was better than Jesse getting hurt again or worse. She did appreciate the fact whenever she was in off of rotation, Jesse spent all her time with her. If Jesse and Vanna needed to be together to not feel lonely in her absence, she actually did understand. She wanted what was best for Jesse, even if it was other females. She knew Jesse with Vanna, was better than Jesse with John and Cameron.

Vanna sensed a real ugly argument was about to erupt. She didn't think she could do anything to stop it and would probably make it worse.

From out of nowhere, help arrived. Another figure slipped into the room. They moved effortlessly past Bob and Vanna as if they weren't there.

"Jesse, can you help me with my school work?" Savannah asked.

Everyone looked at Savannah. She held a special place in all of their hearts, both human and Terminator.

Savannah could see the argument abruptly end. It was what she hoped for. She thought how to best play things going forward. She took a moment to look at those assembled.

"Hello, everyone." Savannah said.

Everyone said 'Hello' in return.

Savannah could see Jesse was steamed. Even with her darker complexion, she was 'red' with anger. It was clear Jesse was on the edge. She wanted to bring her off of it.

"Please, Jesse, for me." Savannah said.

Savannah looked at Jesse and smiled.

Jesse felt the 'pull'. It was Savannah's blue eyes which touched her deeply. Even if she was the same person as Vanna, there was 'life' and innocence there which Vanna no longer possessed.

Savannah knew she needed to push things a little. She 'presented' herself. She moved closer to Jesse.

Jesse looked at her. It was Savannah's eyes which did it. Savannah was so beautiful. Her young teenage appearance touched her. It was always special to interact with Savannah.

"Certainly, love, I'll be right there…." Jesse said.

It was clear Jesse wasn't done with her 'discussion' with Gail. The argument would flare back up as soon as Savannah left.

Savannah knew how to reach people. It was something she did with everyone, including the Terminators. She smiled and touched Jesse's cheek.

"Now would be better." Savannah said. "I would appreciate it if you did it for me."

Jesse felt an 'electrical' charge shoot through her. Savannah's hand and fingers were so soft and gentle.

The 'redness' disappeared from Jesse's face almost immediately.

Vanna could see how Savannah reached deep into Jesse. She wished she could do it herself. She wanted to make sure things didn't flare back up. She looked around and found Jesse's clothes. She handed them to her.

"Jesse and I will both help you." Vanna said.

Jesse took her clothes and looked down at herself. She realized she was still naked. She hoped she hadn't offended Savannah as she quickly dressed. She noticed the way Savannah's eyes roamed over her body as she put her clothing on.

Savannah took Jesse's hand and guided her away.

Gail caught Vanna's eye and nodded. She also nodded and smiled at Savannah when she looked back.

Savannah winked at Gail.

In that moment, Gail felt a 'special' attachment to Savannah.

Jesse was still hesitant. She never walked away from a fight.

Savannah squeezed Jesse's hand. It soothed her the same way as when Vanna did it.

Jesse felt another 'electrical' surge shoot through her.

Savannah stopped Jesse and looked into her eyes. She took Jesse's face in both of her hands. It was a very direct approach. It spoke with meaning and feeling, even before the first word came out.

"When it's necessary, we will all step up and take the risks. When it's not necessary, I don't want you to do so, either of you." Savannah said. "I already miss my mother. I don't want to miss either of you 'again'. I've already needed to do it 'once'."

Jesse and Vanna understood Savannah meant the Duplicate girls. They could both see how sincere and upset Savannah was and they all shared a long hug, they understood….

Savannah smiled to herself. The conflict was over. Everyone was happy. She placed Vanna's hand and Jesse's hand together and left them off at Vanna's room. There were more productive things they could do for each other rather than assist her with school work. She didn't need any help anyway. She hadn't in years.

Jesse smiled at Savannah and thanked her. She looked at Vanna and back at Savannah. She knew who Vanna was going to 'be' right now in her mind. She all but pulled Vanna into her room. She had her top off before the door closed. Vanna's top turned inside out and was now the proper direction.

Savannah winked at Jesse just as the door closed.

Jesse was all over Vanna with an intense ferocity.

Like Cameron, Savannah was in everyone's heart.

John Henry reviewed the security footage.

There was a solid contact this time.

The surveillance at the location told the tale.

"It's confirmed. There's someone on the ground." John Henry said.

Kyle wanted to get going. It sounded like they were already too late.

"How soon will it be until the drone gets there?" Kyle asked. "What about the Blackhawk?"

John Henry didn't have everything in place. It took time to make things happen.

"It's still a few more minutes for the drone." John Henry said. "The helicopter is ready and on its way. It will be here in two minutes."

Derek led the team out. They needed to get moving.

"Gear up." Derek said. "It's Showtime."

The team was at the landing pad as the Blackhawk approached.

The helicopter touched down.

Bob urged everyone forward.

"Get to the chopper." Bob said.

Bob was the last one on. He closed the door as the Blackhawk took off.

John Henry advised them on what was happening on the ground at the target location as they flew. Ed and Steve were about to arrive and the drone was armed and tracking.

Bob liked some music as the helicopter flew. Gail started it for him. Allison preselected some songs before for them. The Blackhawk thundered through the sky as the music played.

'Smokin' In The Boy's Room' by 'Brownsville Station', flooded their headsets.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Paradise

While offered by many
Few seem to heed advice
Even if they hear it twice
Or again if it's given thrice

One may think they are strong
What they seek is only a little vice
They are often soon shocked to realize
They are caught up in love's vise

What is lovingly shared is nice
It becomes more than life's spice
Into a heart and soul it will slice
More must be had at any price

One thing after another builds
What was once viewed as concise
Is now anything but precise
Many things begin to entice

More and more will not suffice
What was hot may turn to ice
One can gamble and roll the dice
Or appreciate they're already in Paradise

Nobody