Chapter 275

Growing Up

Jim and Gail were on their way to a hillside location in San Bernardino County. It was a location where Grays were encountered before. They were terminated before they arrived by an unknown group. It was suspected it was the anti-Metal faction. Both groups were a threat to the Resistance.

They used a four-wheel drive truck to approach the area from the opposite direction they did before. It necessitated a much longer drive on dirt roads to reach the location. They paralleled the high tension power lines for part of the journey. There was always a dirt access road next to them.

Jim kept his speed down so they didn't produce too large of a dust cloud. They were on the opposite side of the hill from when they approached the first time. They stopped approximately a mile from the location and left the 4x4 pickup hidden between some large rocks. They made the rest of the journey on foot.

Gail spotted the smoke drifting out of the side of the hill as they approached.

"I think the smoke was heavier earlier." Gail said. "It doesn't seem like very much at all now."

Jim wondered if the source of the smoke may have burnt itself out. It's possible the fire consumed all the oxygen within the passageways. It wasn't the only consideration which needed to be taken into account.

"When we arrived the first time, it was only a few hours after the Grays there were terminated." Jim said. "Once we determined the passageway into the hill was blocked. I immediately withdrew with the Reese brothers. It was possible the location was still under observation by whoever terminated the Grays. We were unable to detect them if they were there. Nothing seemed to happen there for the time we kept it under surveillance. We need to consider the possibility the smoke was started to get us to come and investigate. It would make us the targets."

Gail thought if it was the plan by the perpetrators, it worked.

"Well, we're here." Gail said. "Did John Henry uncover any other possible entryway or air shafts?"

It was something Jim checked into. One of their drones made very low-level scans around the surrounding area to see if another one could be found. The only thing located was the one air shaft which now emitted a slight trace of smoke.

"The only other possible entry route detected is the one we're currently headed for." Jim said. "The same information is most likely known to the perpetrators. We will need to watch for booby traps and any of the enemy."

Gail looked around where they were at. The enemy would be anyone else other than Jim and her. They were in a remote and inhospitable area. The type of weapons anyone carried would determine the nature of the threat.

John really wanted to know what his future would be. He wanted to know if they could stay ahead of Skynet, or at least control it. He already saw what happened when he went into the future, it altered the future for the worse. It was a disaster. The version of Skynet there hadn't grown as strong as the one from Cameron's future.

He was adamant about Cameron not changing the timeline, now he was trying to see what it would be. Then he would be the one himself altering it. At least he thought some version of Cameron survived to live her life all over again. The question was which one. At some point, if it's a different one, they must interface with HIS Cameron. Maybe it only happens in the past when the chip is reset. Was Cameron a Duplicate? Was Cameron a clone? What if she was the tenth clone? What if she was the hundredth clone? What if she wasn't Cameron at all?

Once he started to run all the possibilities through his mind, John saw how it distorted everything. The 'what if' issue popped up and further clouded everything. Does 'tomorrow' ever come? Isn't today, yesterday's tomorrow? What happens when tomorrow never comes?

John realized he could die sixty seconds from now, or sixty years from now. It was all mind boggling. Cameron at some point would have all the answers. Maybe he should start doing what she told him to do. It was not just all in her mind. She must know some things or why are they persistent enough for her to keep pushing them? That was the trouble. There are no answers to much of it.

Why were the things Cameron pushed so hard important to her now? Was Skynet closer than they thought? He would have to check with John Henry and have him double his efforts to search for it and its offshoots. He was aware Skynet taking control changed everything for the worse. John Henry, and Cameron's network, would be able to prevent as much damage from happening, but billions would still die. The planet would still be wrecked. They would be better able to combat Skynet with the arms caches they stockpiled and the knowledge they possessed going in. Skynet would have a fight on its hands from the start.

John only wanted to know one thing. Did they stop Skynet?

Maybe the real question was, could they stop Skynet?

Did Cameron become Skynet?

No one talked of Cameron's latest stunt. They knew she completed her mission and saved all of the Duplicate versions of the girls and herself. It was enough for everyone to celebrate, not berate.

Gail was a little upset because Duplicate Jesse hadn't come back with Cameron. She knew why she really stayed in the future. She tried to tell herself Duplicate Jesse stayed to not mess with the current timeline. Previously Duplicate Jesse told her of her secret desires and wishes. She knew Duplicate Jesse stayed because Cameron, a Cameron, was there without John…. She was painfully aware as to how much Duplicate Jesse and Jesse both loved and wanted Cameron…. Who didn't? Even she did now.

Cameron saw Gail's trepidation and reassured her SHE asked Duplicate Jesse to remain with the Duplicate girls and River. It was to prevent corruption, or disruption, to their current timeline. She told Gail she promised John she wouldn't change the timeline, or create a new one.

"Gail, I know it's not the same, but you have Jesse back, a Jesse." Cameron said. "It's something to cherish. You got your life back. Jesse loves you, both of them."

"You did it for me, Cameron. YOU did it for ME." Gail said. "I'm forever grateful to you for it. You gave me back my life with a 'Jesse'. You saved me and now you saved her."

Gail didn't think now would be the right time to tell Cameron how much she loved her. With the thought, she couldn't blame Duplicate Jesse at all. She would have made the same choice herself. In fact, she was going to see if Ally was free tonight. She knew what she would do…. She knew Ally could find action whenever she wanted any. Ally liked playing 'Cameron' for the others.

Cameron obtained more information from River on the development and construction of her even more improved TDE. She wanted to incorporate the improvements into her TDE at her base. She was afraid they would end up encrypting hers as well. She asked River about the encryption. River told her she apparently created the encryption file at her request. River also told her she herself possessed the key to override it when the proper time would come. She didn't know where to look for it. She thought she looked everywhere in her files. She was aware some files didn't appear until they were necessary. The files which appeared for Duplicate Cameron when her termination was imminent were an example

The news wasn't very comforting to Cameron….

Would it mean they would need the Duplicate girls or Duplicate Cameron in the future? Why did River insist they update? What if Duplicate Cameron was really Cameron Prime, and she was really a Duplicate? Maybe Cameron Prime existed from the LAST transfer, not the first. Did River know it? Duplicate Cameron did all three transfers. She only did one.

Cameron noted she began to glitch wildly again. Maybe SHE was a Duplicate.

If Cameron was a Duplicate, then she didn't belong at John's side. It meant she was an imposter. Isn't it what an infiltration unit was anyway? Isn't every Terminator an imposter? She knew she was an imposter to John since the first day she laid eyes on him at school.

Did River know the truth to any of this? If she did, would she tell her or tell Her Cameron? Maybe there was no truth to any of it. Maybe in beauty there was no truth. Maybe in truth there was no beauty.

John Henry felt there was too much distraction around the base. John and Cameron seemed wrapped up in their own little worlds. It was no way to run an operation or fight a war.

He expected more from Cameron's base but it didn't seem very forthcoming. It seemed Cameron was more concerned with her side operations at times. They did bring in a lot of extra funds which were shared so there was plenty to go around.

There were storage rooms with millions of dollars in cash from drug and sex trafficking operations which were taken down by Cameron's teams.

Sheila, Ally and Hanna often operated on their own under Cameron's guidance. Sheila was very brutal and cruel. Jesse warned them about it when the 'Neural Interface' was done. She warned them there was a lot of darkness inside of her. Even if it was something she suppressed, it was still there. It was always just below the surface. It usually played out during an operation.

Since they operated separate from the Resistance the carnage couldn't be tied to the Resistance. It was why Cameron wanted her own base in the first place. If anything, they were the Terminator Resistance in reality. Only Cameron really knew what went on over there. The Metal girls weren't talking. Their loyalty was to Cameron. It was probably a pretty good bet none of them wanted to be deactivated either.

Derek was out with Bob. It was supposed to be a recon. Sometimes they turned into surveillance. Other times they went hot if a target was identified. If the target they sought was spotted, there was no reason to wait for their termination at a later date.

Bob was behind the wheel of the SUV as they neared the target location. He glanced over at Derek. He was a little concerned and how events would play out. Often when the Reese brothers were involved in a non-combat operation, it usually turned into one. He was the one responsible for Derek's safety.

"You know you don't need to go on these operations." Bob said.

Derek was aware Cameron and John wanted all of them protected. He didn't look forward to taking the risk either. It didn't matter. There was a job which needed to be done and everyone needed to assist.

"I know the drill." Derek said. "I still like to stay in the game."

Bob could understand Derek wanted to remain proficient. The danger still existed.

"Things may go hot." Bob said.

Derek thought of the recent chain of operations.

"It seems more do than don't anymore." Derek said.

Bob felt they did a lot of damage to Skynet. He could understand the upturn in its operations.

"Skynet tries to protect its assets for the future." Bob said.

It seemed to Derek every Skynet asset was simply another one to take down.

"So they do." Derek said. "It sounds like more targets."

Bob drove by the location at traffic speed without slowing down. He didn't want to attract any attention.

Derek spotted something which caught his eye. It seemed somewhat out of place for what they were about to do.

"I think I saw some muscle across the street." Derek said. "It looked like a crew of thugs."

Bob picked up on the irregularity as well.

"I saw it too." Bob said. "It may be unrelated."

Derek recognized a threat when he spotted one. He didn't need a printed invitation to be invited to a 'party'.

"It may be related too." Derek said. "Either way, they looked like future Scavengers. I won't have a problem taking them down."

Bob thought about how previous events played out under similar circumstances.

"There were three of them." Bob said. "There's most likely at least one more with their vehicle."

Derek checked his weapon.

"I have a full magazine." Derek said.

Derek racked the slide on his M9. He removed the fifteen round magazine, which now only held fourteen shots. He replaced it with a twenty round magazine. The extended magazine only added just over an inch in length below the frame. With one in the 'pipe', there were twenty one shots available before he needed to reload. It seemed unlikely he would need to use all of his rounds. Even if he did, he carried extra spare magazines.

Both Derek and Bob wore a windbreaker over their ballistic vests to conceal them. When operating in an urban environment it was better to blend in instead of stand out.

Bob replayed his files of the individuals across the street. It was possible they were connected to the Syndicate or the Cartel.

"It may be someone to collect a debt too." Bob said. "Some of these 'egg head' types think they can game the gamers. They want to try to play the system. The system is well established and knows all of the ploys."

Derek encountered it before. Some of the individuals were a little more skilled, or maybe just luckier, than most of them.

"Sometimes they can for a long while." Derek said. "We've taken some down before."

Bob tried to think of the most likely scenario.

"The target may have borrowed some money he can't pay back on time." Bob said.

Derek didn't see the need to risk anything unnecessarily. If there was a separate group there to conduct harm, it seemed they should let them act first. They could simply clean up the leftovers instead of battling two separate groups.

"We can let the crew take care of it for us then." Derek said.

Bob turned the corner and crossed over an alley in back of the target location. He parked a block away. There was no need to make a direct approach.

"We can move up through the alley in the back." Bob said. "It looked clear. I'll lead."

Bob and Derek moved up behind the house.

There was a struggle going on inside the house when they arrived. Apparently the crew made their move in the time it took them to park and approach the location from the rear.

Bob moved towards a window when someone was thrown through it. They landed on the ground amongst a shower of broken glass. The man's skull was crushed.

Two seconds later another man landed on top of the first. His head was at a crazy angle. It was nearly detached.

Bob quickly recognized it for the threat it was.

"There's a Terminator inside." Bob whispered.

Derek drew his Taser, as did Bob.

A third man landed on the pile. It looked like a fist was driven through his chest.

It was less than eight seconds from the first body to the last. The three men were the crew they spotted across the street when they drove by just a couple of minutes ago.

Bob moved forward towards the rear door.

Derek moved towards the shattered window. There was some conversation inside.

"Who are you?" A man asked. "What are you?"

The voice was very shaky and filled with fear.

Before there was an answer, there was a breaking of wood sound as the hostile Terminator crashed through the rear door and grabbed Bob.

Bob lost his Taser as the shattered door impacted him.

Derek moved to where they grappled with each other on the ground. They almost rolled into him as he tried to line up a shot with his Taser.

A skinny man looked out the door at what was going on in his backyard. He was the target. He took one look at what was happening and disappeared back inside. It was evident he wasn't going to become involved in the physical altercation.

Derek was able to get a shot off with his Taser at the Terminator.

The hostile Terminator rolled again. Only one barb made contact. The first electrical charge was useless.

Derek fired a second time and scored. The Terminator went slack.

Bob was clear of him and moved forward with his knife to pull the Terminator's chip. He spotted the man they were after take off running.

"Go after the target." Bob said. "He's our primary objective."

Derek handed his Taser to Bob and switched to his M9. He didn't think there would be a second Terminator. He quickly realized he didn't know one way or the other.

He went through the wreckage of the door into the house. He didn't spot the target. He moved through the kitchen into the dining and living room area. There was no sign of the man. He saw the front door was knocked down. It looked like it was how the Terminator entered. He must have been watching the target when the crew arrived. It also meant they passed by him and didn't detect him.

Derek saw the target was out in the front. The man stopped and ran back towards the house. It indicated to him there was an additional threat. He couldn't help but think about where his Taser was. It was with Bob. He hoped it wasn't another Terminator.

He was able to spot two more of the crew. They were probably in their car ready to make a get away when they spotted the trouble.

Derek moved back from the door and waited. The target ran back into the house. Two men entered a few seconds after him. They all passed beyond his position against the wall into the center of the room. It looked like an opportunity to him. He made his move.

"Hey!" Derek said loudly.

All three men looked. He shot all of them three times. They ended up in a heap in the living room. Derek quickly looked back out the front to make sure there were no more surprises. There could be anything from more thugs to another Terminator.

Bob arrived from the back a few seconds later. He saw the target was terminated.

"At this point, it doesn't look much like a recon." Bob said.

Derek doubted it would be from the start. It did turn into a little more than he anticipated. He hadn't counted on the thugs or the Terminator. He called it like he saw it.

"So much for a recon, it was a 'donnybrook'." Derek said.

Bob looked at the three bodies in the center of the dining room.

"I want to torch this place." Bob said.

Bob went back outside.

Derek was a little surprised when the three bodies from outside were tossed back inside. There was a one gallon can of gasoline which was set inside too. It was probably for the lawn mower.

He dumped the gasoline around the interior of the house. He started a fire. It ignited with a 'whoosh' sound. The fire took hold and rapidly expanded with the gasoline dumped on the rug, couch and drapes.

Derek went outside to the back. Bob used his com to have John Henry suppress any any emergency response to their location.

Bob picked up the Terminator and moved him to the back of the property.

Derek thought they were going to take him back to their SUV.

There was some smoke starting to come out of the house.

An SUV pulled up. Hanna got out from the passenger side and opened the back. Bob loaded the Terminator in the back and closed the door. Hanna got back in the SUV and it took off.

Derek and Bob hurried back toward their SUV. It was parked a block away.

"Where did the help come from?" Derek asked. "I didn't think there was any."

Bob didn't either. He received an update from John Henry.

"CamNet sent the Metal girls to assist us." Bob said.

Derek was a little concerned about what would be reported back to the Command Center.

"How is this going to be reported?" Derek asked.

Bob doubted the full extent of what occurred would be known. Since Cameron involved the Metal girls, she obviously wanted the Terminator for herself. It would be another addition to her all Terminator force at her personal base.

"I doubt it's going to be like it happened." Bob said.

Bob handed Derek his unfired Taser. He made sure it wasn't damaged first.

The house was soon fully engulfed. It was time for them to move on before the burning house started to attract too much attention.

They returned through the back alley to their SUV and drove away. No one seemed to pay too much attention to them.

Allison wanted to make sure Holly agreed with her decision. She wanted it to be both of their decisions. She didn't want to force what she wanted on Holly.

If Holly said 'No', it was 'No'.

"If you don't want me to, I won't." Allison said.

Holly held Summer now. She played with Young Allison earlier. She could tell there was more than one factor involved. It shouldn't fall on her shoulders to make the decision.

"I can't tell you not to." Holly said. "I enjoy being around the children, Allison. I really do, I can see you do too. Sure Young Allison and Summer can be a handful sometimes, but so can you. You know I'm incapable of reproduction so if we do start a family, you're the one who has to take the lead."

Allison felt she was ready for the next step. She was sure what was necessary to make it happen, would probably turn into another issue.

"I'm ready, Holly. I want to have a child of my own. I want you at my side to help me raise it." Allison said. "I want you at my side as my 'partner'."

Allison moved over and sat next to Holly. She took Summer from her.

"You can see how beautiful it is." Allison said. "I know you can. You know how much I love you too."

There were still a few things which troubled Holly. They seemed to be pretty important issues.

"What about Vanna or John?" Holly asked. "Will I have to 'share'?"

Allison was very uncertain about the future. One thing she knew was it wasn't set in stone. It was fluid and unpredictable. Her life was proof of it. Where she currently was at in life now, is nothing she ever envisioned actually occurring. She was sure if she would have remained in her past, the future, she would be dead by now.

"I don't know what the future holds. I do know we live in the 'now'." Allison said. "We don't know what tomorrow will bring or the future. I've promised to be at John's side when I need to be. I KNOW you understand it and WHY. Vanna and John will always be part of my life, our lives."

Holly didn't want to share. She wanted Allison for herself, exclusively. She also knew if she didn't share or agree to share, Allison would move on without her.

Allison being with Vanna, or even Jesse, didn't worry her. What worried her was Allison in John's bed. Cameron would be there somewhere. Everyone knew Cameron could take whoever she wanted from anyone.

Holly knew Cameron could even take her and she would go. Maybe Sarah was the only one who could resist Cameron, then again, even it was debatable any more….

Cameron seemed to have a hold on everyone in some manner or fashion. Maybe it was just because of the unique individual she actually was. She was different from any human, even if she was very much like one. She was different from any other machine as well.

Holly knew she was 'growing up' and she didn't like it.

'I Don't Wanna Grow Up' by 'Scarlett Johansson', played in Holly's mind.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Growing Up

There are many challenges in everyday life
The direction becomes clouded
It leads to much worry and strife
Few painful events are shrouded

Starting out we make few choices
Others dictate what will be
There are always many voices
Few care what they actually see

At some point in time
Everyone must step up to the plate
Away fades youth that was once prime
We must hurry up and then learn to wait

Who is there to care and listen
Most seem empty and hollow
Some will shine and glisten
Deeper is better than shallow

What offers promise and a future
Often soon ends in a breakup
That nothing can suture
It is painful indeed to grow up

Nobody