Chapter 281

Relax

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In Some Future:

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Cameron didn't care for the Resistance crowd she was currently with, nor did it seem they cared for her. She found what she was looking for. It was the location of a Skynet facility. She obtained the coordinates. She looked at a map and knew where to go. It was where the two HK drones were based. Even if there was no TDE at the location, she could get into their files and try to find out where there was one. If there was one. There was no guarantee. It was a start….

She wanted to leave the Resistance base as soon as possible.

"I need to go back for my sister and friends." Cameron said.

There was some movement behind her. She glanced at her plasma rifle.

"You're not going anywhere…." The voice of authority said.

Cameron hoped not to get into a confrontation with the Resistance. She wasn't about to let anyone stand in her way to get back home. She would terminate anyone she needed to, Terminator, or human, to protect her friends and get back to John. It didn't matter how many she would need to terminate. Her friends came first. They were all stuck there because of her. Her hand closed on her plasma rifle….

She was ready to spring into action. The next words would determine if the people around her lived or died. They were literally a word or two away from termination. She calculated where all her targets were, and which threats to neutralize first. She was ready to act. It would be over with in seconds. She would then need to fight her way out of the compound.

Cameron would let them decide their own fate. She would give them one chance to clarify themselves.

"Excuse me?" Cameron asked.

She was ready to strike.

"You're not going anywhere, until I can thank you for saving two of my men and helping two others." The voice of authority said. "It was fantastic work. I wish you would join us."

Cameron faced the new voice. The leader didn't appear aggressive. He actually looked appreciative. She liked what he said. It wasn't often she heard praise for her efforts. she certainly didn't hear it around the Resistance base from John. Usually all she heard was some type of criticism for the way she did things. She knew they didn't always like the way she did things. They still needed to be done. She needed to get out of there before things got worse inadvertently.

"You're welcome." Cameron said. "I have my family waiting for me to return. I need to go before they start to worry."

The leader seemed concerned because she wanted to go back out into the Wastelands alone. It was risky for anyone to be out there alone, let alone a female.

"It's not safe out there. There are Scavengers and Terminators everywhere. Where are you trying to go?" The leader asked.

Cameron hoped to find someone she knew in Los Angeles, even if it was Mrs. Weaver. She may not fully trust Mrs. Weaver, but they worked as allies before. She hoped they could do it again if it was necessary.

"I need to get to Los Angeles." Cameron said. "I have some family I need to be reunited with."

The leader looked her over. He couldn't imagine a beautiful young female out on her own with other young females. The prospects and alternatives open to her were very limited and even more grim.

"It's going to be all but impossible unless you're taken prisoner by Skynet." The leader said. "From what we've been able to gather, it seems to be where most of them are taken. We're not sure what happens to them."

Cameron felt it may take time, but wasn't impossible. She was a Terminator. No one she met was going to know it until it was too late for them. It seemed possible to her.

"Why would it be impossible?" Cameron asked.

The leader genuinely looked concerned for her welfare.

"Here's the problem…." The leader said.

Cameron listened and saw her chances of success fall even more. The odds kept stacking up against her. There was a lot of hostile territory between where she was and where she needed to go. She could travel in darkness and under harsh conditions, the girls couldn't. She needed to think about their safety and well being too.

The entire endeavor seemed to be a mistake, a big one.

What was worse was, there was no apparent way to resolve any of it. She couldn't help but think every minute she was stuck in the unknown future, in some future, it was one more minute John was with Riley in the past. She needed to find a TDE and find it fast. She needed to get back moments after they left the Resistance base to prevent John from repeating the same mistake he did once before. There was no doubt in her mind he wouldn't turn around and do exactly the same thing he did before. If anything, he would probably approach it with even more gusto once he realized he could have Riley again.

The girls began to worry. Cameron hadn't returned. It didn't look good. It seemed she should've been back in the time frame she laid out before she left. She was just supposed to go on a scouting mission and attempt to retrieve a plasma mine she spotted. Too much time went by.

Allison was worried stiff. She looked over her weapons. She felt an obligation to go look for Cameron. Cameron would come to look for her, or any of them.

"Cameron's been gone too long." Allison said. "I need to go search for her."

It sounded like a bad idea to Vanna, a real bad idea. There were a lot of unknowns in the Wastelands. It didn't matter which future the Wastelands were in. They were still the Wastelands.

"You can't go out there." Vanna said. "You don't know what's happening, besides Cameron told us to wait here. She's going to expect us to still be here."

Jesse felt they were supposed to wait longer. Cameron concealed their position from the outside. She went to a lot of effort to protect them and have them remain where they were at.

"Cameron did all but block the entrance to this place from the outside." Jesse said. "No one can get to us, but we can get out if we need to."

Allison still felt it was too long of a time period since Cameron 'sealed' them in. She should have been back by now. She didn't even have a specific spot. She only knew the general area where to look.

"We need to get out. I need to go out." Allison said. "Cameron is missing. I'm worried about her. We need to find out more. We can't let things just hang and drift in the wind."

Vanna didn't see their chances were going to be any better. If Cameron was captured or terminated, they were going to fare worse. There was no need to rush their fate. She felt Cameron needed more time. She may have discovered something important.

"If Cameron is missing, what do you think will happen to us?" Vanna asked. "She may have located something worth investigating. We don't want to get picked up by Skynet, or even worse, by Scavengers."

Jesse and Vanna traded glum looks over the last part. Both of them were heavily abused by Scavengers in the worst ways, more than once…. It was something Allison hadn't experienced firsthand. It almost happened to her at a young age. Vanna was able to trade 'herself' for Allison's freedom.

Allison was determined to help Cameron. She couldn't just remain in 'safety' for herself without knowing what happened to Cameron.

"It's a risk I'm going to have to take." Allison said. "It's something I have to do. it's something I need to try."

Allison moved towards the entrance.

Vanna blocked her path. She didn't think it would end well.

"NO!" Vanna said. "I won't allow it."

Allison was a little taken aback.

"But…." Allison started.

Vanna wanted Allison to sit back down.

"No, Allison. Cameron will return. She can handle anything, you know it." Vanna said. "I won't be taken alive by Scavengers again, not alive…."

There was a long pause as everyone reflected on what Vanna just 'said'. There was only one way to guarantee it wouldn't happen.

Vanna's next words were as shocking as they were about her love for Allison.

"I won't let them take you alive either, Allison…." Vanna added. "I've seen things which are worse than death on multiple occasions in their camps."

Allison could see Vanna was serious. She knew for Vanna to kill her, it would be an act of 'love'. Death would be more merciful than to have Scavengers savage her until she died.

Jesse knew how bad it was like Vanna did. She didn't plan on going through all of the misery and agony again either. The longer Scavengers let a female live, the more degrading life became for her. Once one of them started cutting on someone, it only got worse. She knew a lot of the darkness inside of her emanated from what she witnessed and endured in Scavenger camps. The only way to survive was to become like them. She wasn't going to allow it to happen again. Death needed to come before dishonor.

"She's right, love. I won't either." Jesse said. "They can have my dead body, but never again will they have me while I'm alive…."

Jesse watched Scavengers savage a dead female before. It was repulsive. When they were done with the dead girl, they savaged her next to see how they 'compared'. They said the crying and screaming excited them more. Just to be sure they all savaged the dead girl once more and then her again…. She'd tried not to scream and cry, even with the beatings. When they brought out the knives the screaming and crying started again. There was no way to stop it. It was never going to happen to her again.

"I swear it." Jesse almost shouted.

Vanna and Allison looked at her. It was clear she was emotional. She looked like she wanted to kill someone. There was no doubt her attacks would become savage against the enemy when they faced them.

"Don't lose focus." Allison said.

Jesse didn't want her anger to get the best of her.

"It's a touchy subject." Jesse said

Vanna wanted to be truthful. She wanted to give her a grim reminder.

"Remember to save the last round for yourself." Vanna said.

Vanna wasn't joking. It was the only way someone could be sure.

Allison thought of the horrible things done to her two friends. The scars in their minds were a million times worse than the scars on their bodies. Vanna said there were things she could never talk about. She couldn't imagine anything so bad. How terrible was it? Her body shuddered with fear. She didn't want to cause them any additional worry. She would let a little more time pass so they wouldn't be so worried about her right now. Her resolve and conviction was still strong.

"OK, I'll wait a little longer." Allison said. "If she's not back in two hours, I'm going to go look for her. It's something I HAVE to do."

Allison knew the danger involved but she couldn't abandon Cameron to the unknown. She came along to protect Cameron and sacrifice herself in Cameron's place if it came to it. She still planned to do the same thing. It would just be a little different than what she expected.

Jesse felt there was only one honorable solution to all of it. She was just as worried about Cameron as Allison was. She wanted to give Vanna and Allison some peace of mind.

"Then we all go together." Jesse said. "I won't let Scavengers take either one of you 'alive'. I promise."

Vanna and Allison looked at each other and back at Jesse. They both nodded. They both knew it would be better if they didn't have to kill the other one. It would be better if Jesse killed both of them instead.

"Try to make it like George did to Lenny." Vanna said.

Jesse wasn't sure what Vanna referred to.

The girls all waited in silence. Each one imagined their worst fears might become true. Each one pictured life in a Skynet work camp where they would be worked to death. They would be abused there by the Grays first. Next would be the rest of the prisoners who all knew they were going to die. The other choice was having their bodies savaged by Scavengers until they were mutilated and dead. Either way both stories ended the same way. It ended in death. What was the point in going through all the additional suffering if the end result was death?

A shot to the head would be a merciful end over a torturous one.

Vanna and Allison hoped Jesse acted swiftly when she finished them off.

Allison read the same book Vanna did. She would quietly tell Jesse what Vanna actually referred to. It seemed like a good way to go actually.

The Resistance reluctantly let Cameron depart. Everyone there thought it was the last they would see of her alive. They offered to give her an escort part of the way but she turned them down. She didn't want to endanger them or have them find out she was a Terminator. If she needed to act in close quarters, they would see she was a Terminator. She didn't want to tip her hand. It would put the girls in danger as well. They would most likely assume all of them were Terminators.

Cameron headed back to where the girls were. She spotted another HK drone flying around the area she brought the other two HK drones down at. She thought of adding a third one to the 'scrap pile' but decided against it. It would only bring more Skynet Metal. It would probably be Terminators to investigate everything on the ground.

She made sure she wasn't being followed or observed by anyone. There'd been two men from the Resistance bunker who were sent to shadow her. She was able to lose them in no time. She didn't want them needlessly endangered. They would end up being discovered long before she would by any enemy out there.

When the men saw the HK drone, they hunkered down. They knew to wait there for a few hours before they moved again. They knew there was no way forward for her. It was time to cut their losses.

Cameron knew they 'wrote her off'…. She really couldn't blame them. She was in the Wastelands 'alone'. She was going to link up with three more females. She understood their concern, but they didn't know who they were. They didn't know who she was. She didn't doubt her ability, even if they did.

She formulated a plan to enter a Skynet facility. She was going to need some better clothing. It took her back to the site of the earlier battle. It was clear Scavengers visited the area since she was last there. She needed to look for any Grays or Terminators who were still there.

Most of the serviceable weapons were gone. The food and water any of the Grays carried was gone. She was able to gather enough clothing and gear to make a complete uniform for a Skynet Terminator. She also was able to get more clothing for both Grays and Resistance fighters. She didn't know what the girl's would need once they started their trek. They might have to do a 'quick change' depending upon any individuals they might encounter.

There was a snap in the brush near where she was at. She didn't turn and look at where the sound emanated from. If someone had her zeroed, they would be able to burn her before she could act if they were spooked. She would try to move away and see about making her way around them, or responding from where she could have some cover. She didn't want to sustain any sheath damage this early in the game.

She carefully placed all her appropriated clothing in a large pack she found. There were several burn holes in it. It was fine for the clothing.

Cameron was out of the line of sight for whoever moved in the brush earlier. She looked through a gap in some debris and spotted them. She knew exactly where they were at now.

She moved through a dry wash to come up around behind them. She didn't know if it was a Resistance fighter, a Gray, a Scavenger, or an escaped prisoner. She was certain it most likely wasn't a Terminator. She believed a Terminator already would have acted. It's what she currently did now herself.

When she looked up out of the dry wash, she was behind them. It was a young male. He still looked where she was last visible at. He appeared unarmed. She looked around and approached him from behind.

Right before she reached him, he spun around and faced her with a sharpened stick. She saw his eyes widen as he looked at her face. It was evident he hadn't seen a pretty female in a long time. She hoped to find out a little bit more before things turned to a more serious note.

"I won't hurt you if I don't have to." Cameron said. "Don't make me."

The young male was clearly scared.

"Stay back." The young male said.

He jabbed the stick in her direction.

"I don't stay back for anyone." Cameron said.

She reached out and pulled the stick away from him.

"Why are you out here?" Cameron asked.

The young male looked more terrified than anything.

"I got caught out here when the battle started." The young male said. "I needed to dodge the Grays and Scavengers. I saw them strip a girl and carry her away. I saw what they did to her."

Cameron would like a lead on the Scavengers. She wanted to verify they were all terminated.

"Do you know where they went?" Cameron asked.

The young man sobbed a few times.

"No." The young male said. "I ran the other way. I should have tried to help her."

Cameron moved forward with her plasma rifle ready and touched his neck as she held him firm.

"She was beyond help when you saw her." Cameron said. "Tell me everything…."

She listened to his story and determined he belonged to the Resistance. She took him back to where the two men who tried to follow her were at. They were still hunkered down.

Once she was in eyesight of them, she got their attention. She indicated the young male and sent him on his way. It appeared they knew him. They made a gesture of thanks and the three of them left. So did she. She was glad they didn't attempt to follow her again. She hoped they took her latest gesture of kindness into consideration when they thought about her going forward. It was another thing she didn't have to do. She did it anyway. It was the right thing to do. There were other things she needed to attend to. The girls needed her.

The girls waited. Each of them wondered what was going to happen. They were all there for Cameron. Cameron needed them in her time of distress. None of them hesitated to go with her to try and help her. They each wanted to try to prevent her from being terminated, or self terminating. They all cared for her and loved her. They knew sacrifice was the true expression of love. They all thought they were going to end up sacrificing themselves at this point for each other. It was something they were all willing to do.

Allison was on watch. She thought she saw Cameron on her way back several times but there was nothing there when she looked further. This time there was something.

She noted movement in the distance and followed it.

"Someone's coming." Allison whispered. "I saw them this time for real."

Vanna and Jesse picked up their weapons and silently got ready.

Cameron was almost back to the hiding place. She heard Allison whisper to the other two and knew they were getting ready to fire. She was back much later than planned. The girls were jittery. She didn't want to get lit up by friendly fire.

"Relax." Cameron said. "It's me."

Allison wanted to be sure. She issued a challenge phrase.

"Ruby red." Allison said.

Cameron responded properly. She knew it's what she should have said first.

"Slippers." Cameron said.

Allison lowered her weapon. So did Vanna and Jesse.

"Welcome back." Allison said.

Cameron moved the obstruction and replaced it behind her. A few minutes later an HK drone flew by and lingered. It was a little worrisome, but then it flew off. She was afraid it would come back but it didn't. It was how they would operate at times. When they didn't get a hit after a short time, they would appear to leave and then return a while later and look again.

The girls all shared some hugs all around. The closeness was comforting in this time of uncertainty.

Cameron briefed the girls on the situation. She wanted to get to the Skynet facility to see if they possessed a TDE. If not, she wanted to try to commandeer a Skynet transport. It seemed to be the only way to get to Los Angeles. The Resistance told her a transport came every so often to take prisoners away. Sometimes it brought them from a different area.

On the way back she collected enough undamaged Skynet clothing to pose as a Skynet Terminator. She would act like she was taking the girls in as prisoners for work camp duty if it came to it. It might mean they could walk right in the front entrance.

Cameron hoped to be a little more clandestine if possible. She decided to cover all the bases. A few back up plans might come in handy.

Allison took it all in. None of the proposals seemed promising. She wanted Cameron to give it to them straight.

"Cameron, what are our chances realistically?" Allison asked.

Cameron didn't want to sugar coat anything.

"Slim to none." Cameron said. "At best."

Vanna figured as much. There was a bigger concern which troubled her.

"Was there any word about my mother?" Vanna asked.

Cameron spent some time to try to get a better answer for the question herself. None was forthcoming.

"There was none other than what we were told before." Cameron said. "There was no mention of her type of Terminator, so I didn't ask. I didn't want anyone getting suspicious of me more than they already were."

Cameron was worried she would have to kill some Resistance members to get out of the base as it was.

Jesse wondered how far Cameron would go for them.

"Did you almost have to kill them?" Jesse asked. "Would you have?"

Cameron already set her directives. They weren't going to change until they were back home.

"I will terminate anyone who threatens you or tries to prevent us from getting back to John." Cameron said. "I have to get back to John and I'm bringing you three with me. It is my sole function to protect you three and return you back to where we came from."

Allison reflected they all came from the future, different futures….

'Back to the future is where we are now.' Allison thought.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Relax

To live life on the edge
Is seldom a good choice
One becomes very small
They soon lose their voice

It can get lonely
Without any friends
Then you must be wary
To see who pretends

Not every hand is kind
That offers to 'help'
What it does instead
May cause one to yelp

The crowd walks by
Who can you trust
More often than not
One gets ground into dust

It's only through time
Once life has collected its tax
That one can find peace
And in the end relax

Nobody