Chapter 279

Not Good

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In Some Future:

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The two men filled Cameron in on their operations and all the local activity. They apparently didn't want to 'meet' Jesse's knife. Jesse WANTED to use her knife too. They could both tell, especially 'Joe'. The men were very talkative…. There was plenty of activity in this sector. Skynet was in control. It seemed to be true of all the sectors the men knew about.

The Resistance there appeared weak and unorganized to her. It seemed the center of any effective Resistance emanated out of the Los Angeles area. It is where the big push against Skynet came from recently. Cameron knew It's where they needed to go. There was no apparent way to get there. There was nothing but Skynet controlled territory between them and Los Angeles. There were a few pockets of the Resistance scatter around, very few. The trip was possible, but it would take many days, if they even survived. There were Scavengers out there too. Skynet seemed to give Scavengers a 'pass' on most occasions. They were able to hurt the Resistance for them and weren't much of a threat to Skynet.

Cameron asked the men if they ever saw any of them before. They said, 'no'. They looked at her kind of strangely for even asking the question. She didn't know if it was good or bad. They said anyone who looked like her would be hard to forget.

The people in charge of the local Resistance were names unknown to Cameron. She wanted to ask about John Connor or Mrs. Weaver specifically. She didn't want the names out there, yet. She needed to know more before she gave any information out. She would wait for someone higher, up or some type of computer access. She hoped to infiltrate a Skynet facility.

Where they currently were wasn't Cameron's future. It was apparently where Mrs. Weaver was. The Terminators fighting Terminators seemed to come out of nowhere they told her. There was a female General leading them. She asked if they knew the female General's description, they didn't. She knew Mrs. Weaver could look like whoever she wanted, when she wanted. It included her too.

Cameron was informed there were two groups of Terminators fighting each other. One group known as Restorators, was working with the Resistance against Skynet. The two men weren't well informed. They didn't like Terminators, any Terminators. They seemed bothered because there were Terminators helping them.

When it was clear they were on the same team Jesse put her knife away.

Sergeant Collins felt more than a little relief when he saw the knife disappear. His assessment of the girls was they were on their side. He wanted to offer them shelter, food, and protection.

"We'll take you to our camp." The Sergeant said.

Cameron looked at both of the men. She didn't like the sound of it. The last thing she wanted to be was inside of a Resistance base and 'made' as a Terminator. Since Restorators were known to be assisting the Resistance, it might give her some wiggle room if push came to shove.

"You tell us where it is and maybe we will go there to visit." Cameron said. "It's not the direction we're going."

Cameron didn't trust everything they told her. She was more than a little worried how they would feel about 'Friendly Terminators', like her. She would rather scout out things better and see for herself what was what. They may have ways to check to see if she was a Terminator if she entered their complex. They would most likely think she was a Skynet Terminator. Trying to explain everything to a bunch of 'Metal Haters' with itchy trigger fingers isn't something she looked forward to having to do.

She wanted to part on good terms with the men. She gave the men back their weapons. She also provided them with some of the supplies she gathered. She figured she could appropriate some more from the battlefield. She really didn't want to stick around the area too much longer if it could be avoided. What she needed to do was find out where a Skynet facility existed which might have a TDE. The men thanked her and apologized. She sent the men off and led the girls away from where they were. Cameron retrieved the supplies she abandoned to come to the girl's aid. She would retrieve the plasma mine later.

Jesse looked in the direction the men went.

"Is it wise to let them go?" Jesse asked.

Vanna didn't care for the way she was touched by one of the men.

"I don't like them." Vanna said.

Allison didn't like the way she was treated.

"We were almost…." Allison started, but didn't finish.

Cameron was dissatisfied with things too. She could tell how upset Allison was. She didn't want it to eat away at Allison. She was sure it would. None of the girls seemed very happy about their encounter with the local Resistance.

"They didn't tell us the truth about everything." Cameron said. "Maybe I should go back and terminate them."

Cameron looked in the direction the men went.

Vanna could see Cameron might terminate them. It was clear they were going to need help to get back to their time period. It might be better to make friends instead of enemies. She didn't like the men either, but she didn't necessarily think they needed to die. Well, not yet anyway.

"Is that how we want to start out?" Vanna asked. "So when and where are we?"

Cameron wanted a look at the night sky. She hoped there would be a clearing. There always seemed to be a lot of cloud cover.

"I don't know the 'when' yet. If I would have asked them the year, it probably would have created a bigger problem. It's between 2025 and 2030 as best as I can tell. I need to see the stars. They said this is the San Diego sector. We need to get to the Los Angeles area and it's unsafe to do so on foot." Cameron said. "I think it may be where Mrs. Weaver is at because of the report of Terminators fighting Terminators."

The information gave Vanna a little optimism.

"I hope so. How many female Generals are there with a force of Terminators?" Vanna asked. "I hope she can help us."

Cameron was worried about what was in the current future to assist them. She was afraid they were in a less advanced future. Since they weren't in her future, her only goal was to return to the past. She was probably going to need assistance to do it. She needed to find out what was what for sure and not based on hearsay. She needed to worry about the safety of the girls as well. She didn't want any of them to die, especially for nothing.

"I hope they have a TDE here somewhere. I want to get back to John." Cameron said. "I've made a big mistake coming here and endangering all of you. Now I have less than nothing. I NEED to get back."

The fact Mrs. Weaver was still there, and NOT in her future made Cameron think there was no TDE, or no power source to run it. Since there was no mention of John Connor as the leader of the Resistance, she wasn't sure what to expect. Right now it wasn't very much.

The girls all tried to console each other and reassure Cameron they were all there by choice. Somehow it all seemed like a good idea before they left. It all fell apart when they spotted Riley right before the energy bubble enveloped them. The fact they weren't in her future, only made it worse.

Cameron wished none of them were there. Riley was alone with John and they didn't have a way home yet. She pictured John picking up with Riley right where they'd left off, on a trip to the bedroom, ANOTHER trip. In fact they were in the future now, meant it already happened, and probably was going on for years. Unless they could get back to stop it before it started, she knew it was how it would play out.

She needed to find a more secure location to hide the girls for now. Once she found a more secluded location, she would then go scout out the Resistance camp. On her return she would try to get whatever information she could on Skynet. She needed to know what Skynet was capable of. From what she gathered so far, based upon what was on the battlefield, she didn't believe it was capable of too much.

None of it looked good for her or any of them. She only hoped she could keep them all alive. Getting back was going to be secondary at this point. Staying alive was going to be the main goal.

Cameron thought about John pursuing Riley. She switched her prime directive again. She now placed the girls before John. It was at least until they got back…. She may leave it the same way depending on what developed with the girls and if they could get back.

The worry about their ability to leave changed everything.

It was if they got back. It looked bleak now.

Cameron led the girls towards another location she spotted earlier. She hadn't been able to get close enough to it to give it a thorough inspection. There were several destroyed buildings up ahead.

"I need you three to remain here." Cameron said. "I don't have far to go."

Allison was still steamed about the earlier abuse.

"What do you want us to do if anyone approaches?" Allison asked.

Jesse was wary of any newcomers as well.

"The only people allowed to touch my norks are you three." Jesse said.

Cameron realized Jesse just included her.

Vanna tried to suppress a smile. She couldn't.

"I think it applies to all of us." Vanna said.

Cameron didn't know what the future would bring.

"I guess time will tell." Cameron said. "I need to find a TDE."

Cameron moved the girls into the remains of the ruined building. She felt they were as secure as they could be. She thought the same thing earlier when she placed them in the bunker. She wanted to go back into the past to stop John and Riley from starting a relationship. If she couldn't do it, what the girls offered was something she seriously considered. They would all need companionship to survive.

She made a circuit of the collapsed buildings. She headed towards the area where the hills were. It didn't take her too long to get there. She scanned the area where there were a number of rocks. She spotted something which looked promising. She needed to move several boulders out of the way. She checked around her again to make sure no one was hidden. If they saw her lift the large rocks, they would know she wasn't human. It didn't seem like she was in an environment which was very Terminator friendly for the Resistance.

Cameron reached down to pick up the first boulder at its base. She caught some movement towards her hand. She quickly moved it. A snake slithered away. She thought about going after it to catch it. She could terminate it and leave it for the girls to eat later on. She was aware snakes were part of the diet of the future. She wasn't ready to make the girls feel the full gravity of their current situation yet. It wasn't a viper or she would have. It was a constrictor. It wouldn't pose a threat to the girls if it returned.

She moved a few more rocks out of the way. She uncovered a small cave. It was more of a rock out cropping with boulders along one side of it covered with dirt in most of the areas. It didn't look very stable but everything was solid for now. It would serve well to prevent the girls from being detected by any HK equipment. It included everything from HK drones to Terminators.

Cameron took a moment to look over the surrounding area. She really didn't know where she could find a Skynet facility. She didn't know when she did, if there would be a TDE there.

She took a moment to rearrange the rocks and boulders where she was at. She wanted to make sure the girls were provided with a secure location. She was satisfied with the way she was able to arrange everything.

Cameron went back and got the girls.

"I found a location which offers some protection." Cameron said.

The girls collected their things.

"We already know no place is safe." Allison said. "We can take what we get for now. We all know it's not going to be the Ritz."

The girls shared some small talk along the way. They all tried to remain alert and make sure they weren't detected. They didn't want to be compromised before they settled in.

Cameron felt the girls were somewhat secure in their new location for now. She needed to scout around more and better to determine what was around them, especially what was below ground. She didn't like the way the two men seemed to appear from nowhere previously.

The fact there were Scavengers around bothered her greatly. Scavengers were a threat to the Resistance and to the girls.

Cameron wanted to retrieve the plasma mine and use it to protect the girls. It would be effective against Skynet Terminators, and any humans, who tripped it.

She approached the location with caution. There was some movement around it. She dropped lower to the ground. She didn't want to be spotted. There were two people there trying to remove the mine.

Who were they?

She hoped they were Grays. She would beat the information out of them about Skynet's ability in this timeline. She moved closer to observe them.

They could be from the Resistance if they weren't Grays. They could also be Scavengers. She noted some of the dead she spotted earlier were moved. There was a female body missing. It was the only female she spotted among the dead earlier. The two men were probably Scavengers.

She passed the rubble of a building. There were fresh drag marks on the ground. There was some noise inside the mostly collapsed building.

"Come on, man, hurry up." The first man said.

"You already took a turn." The second man said.

Cameron moved up closer. There was a discarded shirt. There were bloody bullet holes in it. She moved closer to where the voices were. She spotted a discarded boot and then another. She looked around her to make sure she wasn't being targeted. The men were right on the other side of the partially collapsed wall between them.

She moved to check to see where the men were at who were trying to move the plasma mine. They were still at it. She moved back to the partially collapsed wall. She peered around the corner. It was what she figured. There was a nude female. She was terminated.

"Come on, man." The first man said. "You did the back and the front already."

"I want to finish where I started." The second man said. "You know broads are hard to come by. She's not even a 'stiff' yet, even if she's a stiff."

There was some sick laughter between the two men. It was evident what they did was business as usual for them.

Cameron was repulsed at what she witnessed. She knew the men were Scavengers. The female was deceased. There was blood on her torso where she was shot. It didn't seem to bother the two men. It was nothing new to them. She wanted to think they were worse than animals. She didn't want to give animals a bad name. Animals didn't exhibit behavior like what she witnessed. Scavengers were less than animals. She planned to terminate them. She needed to find out more first. There was nothing she could do to help the female now. She was dead.

"It took long enough." The first man said. "Go help those other guys and hurry up."

"They both wanted another turn." The second man said.

"They can have it when they bring the mine." The first man said.

The second man adjusted his pants and left. The first man looked around quickly, he started in again. Cameron wanted to kill him right now, but she wanted the men to bring the mine to where she was at. They took the risk of being spotted, not her this way. If the female would have been alive she would have terminated both men already.

When the men switched, she was better able to get a look at the deceased female. There was a bullet wound to her head as well. About a sixth of her skull was missing above her left eye. She didn't think any normal person could do what she witnessed with anyone else in the same condition.

There was some arguing in the direction the other man went.

"I want another turn now." The third man said.

"Bring the mine and you can both have her when we get back to the hooch." The second man said.

"I'm not going to wait till we get back to the hooch." The fourth man said.

"If you guys want to hang around and wait for a Terminator to show up, or some sissy patrol from the Resistance, it's up to you." The second man said. "Don't be so greedy and you can have her all night."

Cameron checked on the three men out after the mine. They were on their way back with it. She took one last look at the deceased female. The first man rolled her over and started on the back side now.

She watched the three men return with the mine and set it down. They all went around the corner to where the first man was at with the deceased female.

She could hear them laughing and joking. It was clear they were all going to take another turn. They discussed bringing her corpse back with them. The current corpse in their bunker was already four days old. It may have been a male. There were more Scavengers there waiting for them to return.

Cameron moved up to the mine. She opened the control panel and set a timer on it for thirty minutes. She broke the display which showed it was armed. She wanted them to take the mine back into their bunker. When it exploded, it would terminate everyone in the bunker. It probably wouldn't be a pleasant termination either.

She moved away from the mostly collapsed building and made a sound like an HK Track for two seconds.

The laughing stopped. She saw the men carry the deceased female away along with the mine. She watched to see where they went. If she didn't hear the explosion in twenty seven minutes she would need to track them down.

She hurried away from the area and went in the direction the two Resistance fighters indicated their base was located. She wasn't sure if the information was good or not. They told her after she gave them some of the food she collected from some dead Grays.

Cameron intercepted the two men as they made it back to their camp. She was surprised they were still out. They were able to find the dog, or it found them, at some point. It was probably what delayed their return. It appeared the entire camp was underground. She couldn't see a way in, but knew usually there were several ways out in an emergency.

She spotted some dogs at the entrance. They would be a problem. They were fearful of her. It wasn't the violent barking when they detected a Terminator, but a fear of meeting a deadly predator. They were overtaken by instinct to run, not attack or fight.

Cameron would wait and watch and see what turned up. The girls should be safe where she'd hid them for now. Then again it's what she thought earlier. Maybe she could intercept a patrol returning to see if they used an alternate entrance. She waited and watched.

She soon spotted another patrol return and then another one. She didn't think any of the patrols were very careful. They seemed to have little training and poor leadership. It was a wonder they weren't all wiped out by now. It was clear this version of Skynet wasn't as advanced or developed as the one from her future. The version of Skynet from her future was driven by both sides becoming better at what they did, and each side raising the bar.

In the distance Cameron could hear an HK drone flying a search pattern. It grew increasingly louder. She needed to find a better hiding spot or it would pick her up. It was possible she would need a transponder to not be viewed as an enemy. So far she hadn't found one on any of the dead earlier. It may be something this version of Skynet lacked as a precaution. It would view her as an 'unfriendly' most likely. She didn't want to find out the hard way.

Cameron started to move away. As she did, she noted a second drone also appeared. Most likely they picked up one of the returning patrols, or another one attempting to return. The Scavengers may have been spotted too. They were out in the open for a longer time period than they should have been.

She stealthy moved her location. She saw two figures run to a new hiding spot in the distance. One of the HK drones moved to intercept them.

Cameron saw she could get a clear shot at the HK drone as it hovered near the two figures. She knew if she didn't act, they were going to get attacked by the HK drone. She aimed her plasma rifle and fired. The HK drone was hit in one engine and wobbled violently. She fired a second time and it lost power and crashed. There was a metal tearing sound, but no secondary explosion. It was a pile of junk on the ground now. Smoke poured out of it.

The other HK drone came to investigate. Cameron did the same thing again. It too crashed into the ground. Neither of them exploded. It was what she hoped for with her shot placement. She wanted to disable them so she could try to get a look at their chips and communication abilities. She wanted to get as much information as she could. If she could get to a Skynet base, she knew it would be her best chance at finding a TDE. Those would all be further challenges. It seemed there were going to be many.

Cameron waited and then advanced forward to where the two figures she spotted were last at. They were still huddled there. They were both too frightened to even know they should have been killed, but were saved by an unknown fighter, her.

Additional Skynet equipment would soon come. It always did. In the distance she heard a muffled explosion. She was pleased at the timing. Thirty minutes passed and the plasma mine exploded on time. She smiled to herself as she pictured the Scavengers covered with burning plasma. She thought she even detected a scream or two. She needed to deal with the people In front of her right now. They needed to get away from where they were at or they would be discovered soon enough.

Cameron approached them as they shook in fear and extended her hand out to them.

"Come with me, if you want to live." Cameron said to them.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Not Good

Who is there to help
Who is there to take
Who will be real
Who will be fake

Many may suggest
Fewer actually do
When the clock stops ticking
It all falls on who

The hand that helps
May seek to acquire
The motive may be
A veiled lustful desire

Not everything is done
With dignity and honor
Someone may be targeted
If they look like a goner

I think everyone can tell
It does not belong to the meek
It goes to those who take
What they greedily and unjustly seek

There was what could
There was what should
There was what would
They all proved to be not good

Nobody