Chapter 283

Let's Go

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In Some Future:

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Cameron slipped away from the patrol she followed out of the Skynet facility. No one really seemed to be in charge of everything. Other than her one encounter with one 'officer', no one seemed to care about much. There was one Gray who accosted her. His body was stuffed behind some machinery.

She didn't like to leave the one female in the hands of the Grays who started to abuse her. Another glitch impulse shot through her left hand. She needed to think about the girls and get back to them. She was on a timetable right now.

Her three clones would take the HK transport, along with the female prisoners who arrived on it. The clones were left with the task of making sure their chip wasn't captured if they were about to be. They each were given a plasma grenade to detonate next to their chip port. She didn't want the information on their chips to be found and disseminated by Skynet in whatever future they were in. It seemed especially important because the future they were in appeared to be less advanced than Skynet did in the other futures she visited.

She didn't want to give the current version of Skynet a heads up as to what any other Skynet was up to. She certainly didn't want Skynet to know about the Resistance in the past, or River in the future. She didn't want to be responsible for making Skynet more powerful. It was always a fear of hers she would become Skynet.

Something moved in front of Cameron. It brought her back to 'now'. She needed to focus and pay better attention. It was a rat. She actually thought it was a less vile creature than the human versions which roamed the Wastelands. The rat didn't have a choice as to what it was. The individuals who chose to become Scavengers did have a choice. It made them worse.

Cameron checked her surroundings. She would need to change out of her Skynet uniform at some point. She figured she would collect her other clothes where she left them and maybe change there, or wait another few miles. She didn't want to be caught in the wrong uniform, in the wrong area.

When she reached the location she left her clothes, she checked to make sure no one was around. She was about to change when she heard something in the distance. It was a tracked vehicle. She spotted where it was at. It was an HK Track. It was the smallest of the tracked HK vehicles. They sported a minigun as well as a few small missiles. They weren't much more than guided rockets really.

She decided to leave the Skynet uniform on and keep going. HK Tracks seldom operated alone. There were usually more of them, or troops to follow behind them.

They may be headed for the Resistance base. They could be going elsewhere too. She didn't plan to find out. The Resistance base would be able to hear the HK Track before it could inflict serious damage.

She passed through the area she went through before. She decided it was time to change her clothes. There was a greater chance of running into a Resistance patrol or Scavengers at this point.

As soon as she took the Skynet uniform off she heard several shots. She grabbed her plasma rifle and sought out the danger. She moved from one collapsed building to the next. There was a Scavenger who'd fired on some Resistance fighters. It didn't look like the Scavenger would be able to kill any of them. She decided to go back and get dressed. Being naked in broad daylight was bound to cause a negative response for her with anyone who spotted her.

"Nice day for a walk." The first man said.

Cameron spotted two men over at her clothes and the supplies she picked up along the way back. She didn't have time to fool around with them. She would give them one chance to leave peaceably. She would give them the impression of it anyway.

"Leave now and no one gets hurt." Cameron said.

The two men looked at each other and laughed.

She continued to approach the men. She held her plasma rifle still. It was charged and ready to fire.

The two men both held rifles. They could damage her, but not incapacitate her.

"I think we all know what's going to happen here." The second man said.

Cameron fired twice and both men were hit. They both died instantly.

"I doubt you thought it was going to be that." Cameron said.

Cameron quickly dressed.

When she turned around the Scavenger she saw earlier was standing there pointing a plasma rifle at her. She glanced over at hers. She would most likely sustain at least one hit before she could reach it.

"It was a shame you just put those clothes on." The Scavenger said. "Now you're just going to need to take them off again, or I'll rip them off."

Cameron needed to buy a little time.

"These are my best clothes." Cameron said. "I don't want them to be damaged."

The Scavenger made a threatening gesture with the plasma rifle.

"Strip, NOW." The Scavenger said.

Cameron took her clothes off again.

The Scavenger took a moment to look her over. He looked her over from head to toe and back again.

"Now THAT is sweet." The Scavenger said. "I don't think I've ever seen anything so perfect. What are you? Are you a Gray who ran away to join the Resistance? I saw the uniform you wore earlier."

Cameron wasn't about to tell him she was a Terminator. She would go with his supposition.

"Yes." Cameron said. "I didn't like how the prisoners were treated. I didn't like how I was treated. I just wanted to get away from it all."

The Scavenger laughed as he approached her.

"I think you're going to like life out here a little less than on a Skynet base." The Scavenger said. "I was going to take you back to my hooch, but I'm not about to share you with anyone. At least not for a few weeks. You won't look quite so nice by then. I've never seen a body like yours before. It's absolutely flawless."

Cameron tried to look scared. It was hard to do.

"Don't hurt me." Cameron said. "I'll do what you want."

The Scavenger laughed again.

"You bet you will." The Scavenger said. "You'll do it quite frequently too. You look pretty fresh to me. You're going to do it a lot more often now than you've done it in the past."

Cameron tried to look embarrassed.

"I feel dirty." Cameron said. "You don't know what it was like."

The Scavenger wondered what she considered 'dirty'.

"What do you mean 'dirty'?" The Scavenger asked. "Everything out here is dirty. Do you have some kind of disease? I thought everybody with a pre-existing condition died a long time ago."

Cameron moved a little closer.

"I don't know what you would call it." Cameron said. "It wasn't anything normal. It wasn't natural in any way."

The Scavenger was pretty sure he either heard or saw it all already.

"What are you talking about?" The Scavenger asked.

Cameron tried to look like she was about to faint.

"They made me be with those machines." Cameron said. "Do you know how sick it was?"

The Scavenger stopped. He wasn't exactly sure what she meant. He knew what it sounded like.

"What?" The Scavenger asked. "Tell me exactly what you've done."

Cameron started to sob.

"I didn't do it. They made me be with those machines, the Terminators." Cameron said as she moved closer to the Scavenger. "Every single one of them at the base was with me a dozen times, at least. When they first started I couldn't even walk for almost a week. You don't know what it's like looking at those red eyes with no emotion or expression on their face as they pound away. Everything was a total mess. It probably still is."

The Scavenger was very unsure of himself right now. It was something he never heard of. It made him wonder what was different. Maybe there was a new kind of Terminator now.

"Why would they act in such a manner?" The Scavenger asked. "Are you contaminated?"

Cameron looked down for a moment.

"I can't really check." Cameron said. "Will you do it for me? I don't think things are right down there anymore. I think everything's messed up now. They were very rough."

The Scavenger was thrown off guard. His eyes were focused on her groin area. He wondered exactly what he would view..

Cameron moved forward and punched him in the throat. She crushed his windpipe and larynx. She pulled his plasma rifle away from him. He fell over backwards. Both of his hands held his throat as he gasped for air.

"I look like this because I'm a Terminator." Cameron said. "Next time you'll know. There's only one problem. There won't be a next time for you."

She walked up and kicked him in the side of the head and snapped his neck.

Cameron quickly dressed, gathered her supplies, and moved out. She took the Scavengers plasma rifle along with her own.

She needed to pick up the pace.

All of the events were set into motion already. She needed to make sure she upheld her side of the deal.

She was on a timetable.

The girls waited with worry and anticipation. It was the uncertainty and not knowing which made it worse. They didn't know what happened to Cameron. They didn't know what would happen to them.

Allison was on watch. She thought she saw some movement. It was almost like the last time

"Someone is coming." Allison said.

All three girls readied their plasma weapons Cameron provided them with. Cameron wanted them to be able to fight against anything which threatened or attacked them. It could be a human, a Terminator, or any kind of Skynet Metal.

The girls were ready to rock….

Jesse moved up and took a look.

"It's Cameron." Jesse said somewhat relieved.

Vanna knew they needed to use caution.

"She could have been captured and reprogrammed." Vanna said. "It could be a different type of Terminator in disguise."

Cameron heard what the girls said. She developed a challenge phrase to be used in case any Liquid Metal replaced her or them. A 'code' word would be spoken. It required the proper response.

"Halt." Vanna said. "Mother."

Cameron smiled to herself as to what the response would be. Somehow it seemed appropriate.

"Red Devil." Cameron replied.

The girls backed away from the closed opening, but still held their weapons ready.

Cameron removed the obstruction to their hiding area and entered. She could see the girls still held their weapons ready. It was time to get ready to leave.

"There will be transportation here for us shortly." Cameron said. "Get ready to move out."

Allison wanted to make sure everything was good.

"Where was my kiss at?" Allison asked.

Cameron pointed to her cheek and then at the girls.

"Not where I wanted to put it." Cameron said as she winked at them.

The girls all lowered their weapons. They started to gather their things. There wasn't much. They hadn't consumed very much water and even less food. They didn't know how long they would need to make the supplies last.

Cameron filled them in on what happened so far. The girls were shocked to learn there were three more of 'Cameron' now, even though they would look different. She explained to them she was her program, not her chassis or sheath. She knew some people could have trouble with the concept…. John seemed to be the biggest one. If the girls weren't her prime directive now, the remembrance would have bothered her more just to think of it. It was very insulting to her and her clones because technically her clones were actually her. She hoped the three new ones would be better accepted.

"Each one is identical to me. We only appear different." Cameron said. "If anything happens to me, there are still three more of me, even if I look different. It's still me. There's nothing different about our programs. It will change as time goes on. We will need to find a way to continuously update with each other so we will remain as one entity, even if we are four different individuals in appearance."

The girls thought it might take some getting used to. Humans based a lot on appearance. The appearance of someone is what always caught another's eye at first. Through prolonged exposure, or limited contact with others, people with a less desirable appearance could be attracted to each other through association. Everyone was different, but there were certain things which seemed to make others look. In the end, true beauty was in the eye of the beholder. Physical beauty was transitory. It would dull and fade over time.

Jesse thought about what Cameron said, There three clones who ran the identical program as her. She looked at Vanna and Allison. There were three of them as well, as in Allison, Vanna and her.

"I can't help but notice there are three of us and three clones of you." Jesse said.

The fact hadn't been lost on Cameron. It didn't start out as something intentional. If she would have been able to finish copying the fourth chip, she would have attempted to get another female Terminator and turn her into a clone as well. She might have had to settle for a male Terminator. It didn't really matter. The fourth chip still needed to be finished before it could be used properly. It was only a jumble of partial information from her chip.

Cameron worried if there were three more of her they would end up fighting over John at some later date. She would assign one to each of the girls and have the clone change their 'prime directive' to the specific girl. She would have them firewall all files related to John and any 'activities' John and her may have 'shared'. A personal clone of her would give each of the girl's better protection as well. There was no need to rush things yet.

"Each one of us is expendable, including me." Cameron said. "It's my goal to return all of you home. One of 'me' should survive. Even if my appearance is different, the one which survives will still be me…."

The girls thought it sounded grim.

Allison would be more than happy to share her DNA with any of the clones so they could be Resequenced into Cameron's appearance. It was something she hoped wouldn't be necessary and nothing would happen to Cameron.

Jesse still wondered what exactly how things would play out going forward.

The three cloned Cameron Terminators loaded the female prisoners back onto the transport and restored the electrical system Cameron disabled earlier. So far no one raised the alarm. One of the clones collected some plasma rifles.

Another clone entered the flight compartment and disabled all non 'hands on' control of the aircraft. There would be no outside control, or any autonomous control. Once the female prisoners were secure aboard, it was time to go. They lifted off and headed for where Cameron instructed them to go and land. No one shot at them when they left. There was no indication any HK drones were sent after them. It would probably take some time for someone to figure out what happened. The three clones knew everything Cameron did at this point so they knew where the girls were waiting.

The female prisoners huddled together. They were unsure about everything and afraid of what would happen. One of the clones assured them they would soon be free. They were apprehensive, but didn't want to end up in a Skynet work camp or worse, in a Scavenger camp, again. All of them spent time in one, including the girl. Jesse, Vanna, and Allison were all aware of the horrors associated with Scavenger camps.

The females said it was because the Terminators attacked the Scavenger camp is why they were able to be freed. They were happy to get out of the Scavenger camp before they were 'marked'. They didn't expect things to be much better when they reached a Skynet work camp. They heard all the stories about what went on in them as well. There would still be plenty of abuse, but not the constant threat of mutilation. The prospect of death seemed to be the end result in both locations.

Cameron and the girls waited. If everything went smoothly the transport would arrive shortly.

Allison didn't hear Cameron mention anything about a TDE.

"Are we going to a location where we can use a TDE to get back?" Allison asked.

Cameron frowned.

"I couldn't locate any information about one." Cameron said. "It would be Top Secret if one existed. I think our best bet now is to make it to Los Angeles if we can."

Vanna felt a little apprehension.

"Do you think the female General is really my mother?" Vanna asked. "I know it sounds like it should be. There could be a female Restorator in charge and she may have moved on."

Cameron tilted her head slightly. It was a possibility she hadn't really considered. Since Vanna suggested it, it very well could be. She wondered if she would find a Restorator version of herself. No. She didn't think so. Mrs. Weaver would probably make a Restorator who looked like she did.

"I don't know what we'll find." Cameron said. "I don't know how close we'll be able to get. There's a good chance at some point we might have both the Resistance and Skynet shooting at us. The transport should arrive soon."

As they waited, each of them worried over what the future would bring. None of them thought they would be going home any time soon. They also knew they might never return. It seemed more likely as time went on.

The troubled silence was soon broken.

"I hear it coming." Cameron said.

Soon the girls heard it too.

The very sound of it was frightening. Whenever they heard a similar sound in the past, the future, it was always HK drones. There was always death which followed with them. The transport was even louder.

The transport touched down and Cameron went forward to make sure all was as it should be. The rear ramp opened. She went up the ramp and saw the females huddled in fear and two of her clones. The third clone piloted the transport.

Cameron motioned for the girls to come forward and they did.

"Let's go." Cameron said.

Everyone got on board. As soon as they were in, she gave the signal to lift off as the ramp closed.

She filled the girls in about the female prisoners. The girls knew what to expect. The girls went to console the females and calm them. They told them they were much safer now than they were before. They said Cameron watched over them as well. Allison talked to the younger girl while Jesse and Vanna spoke with the women. They were able to relate because they all shared similar experiences….

Cameron moved up and took the controls of the transport. She flew at about twenty feet off the ground at the maximum speed the transport would go. She hoped to cut down any radar signature they would generate, as well as pass quickly over any ground installations before anyone could act or react. On the ground someone may hear the transport coming, but it would be over them and past them in seconds. The transponder was disabled as well as any GPS devices.

Allison moved up to the cockpit. She was amazed at the controls and Cameron's ability.

"Do you know where you're going?" Allison asked.

Cameron didn't know where she was going. She didn't know what they would find when they got to the Los Angeles area. It seemed the Los Angeles area was the headquarters of the Resistance. There was a lot of uncertainty involved with everything.

"I know where I want to go. I don't know what we'll find when we get there. At some point, we're going to get shot at by either the Resistance or Skynet. We can't be lucky forever." Cameron said. "This thing has no defensive or offensive armament. It's not well armored either. It can take some damage, but it will depend upon where it is at."

Cameron felt they were in a flying target. She still felt the low level approach would serve them best for now.

Allison thought about the lack of defensive or offensive capability for a short while, something clicked in her memory. She thought it was worth a try.

"Open the rear ramp part way. Two of your clones can act as 'tail gunners'. I remember seeing a movie Derek watched. There were bombers with tail guns. It's most likely the HK drones would attack from a pursuit mode, at least at first anyway." Allison said. "They won't expect this aircraft to be armed. They won't expect to be shot at."

Cameron liked the idea. It might help them at first. There would probably not be more than one HK drone on the first encounter. The quicker they could destroy it, the less information it could relay back to its base. The less each group of HK drones knew about what to expect, the better it would be for them.

"Go tell two of them to do it." Cameron said. "It's an excellent idea."

Allison left to pass the word. She sure hoped the clones were as good a shot as Cameron, then again they should be, they were 'Cameron'.

Cameron felt a little more hope now than she did a few minutes ago. They still needed to go a long way. She really didn't know what they'd run into.

Cameron continued her low altitude high speed run. She heard bullets strike the craft from time to time. She really hoped no one was able to get off a lucky shot and disable one of the power plants. They would most likely need to set down if it happened. If all the engines were disabled. They would crash. There was little aerodynamic lift to any of the flying Skynet equipment. At one point there was a very loud impact. It appeared they took a plasma rifle hit. It burned a hole in the side of the transport about a foot in diameter. It gave everyone something to think about. It was obvious a hit to a human, or a Terminator, would cause a lot of damage to an individual. They decided to make the most of the third clone. She was now there at the new hole as a 'waist gunner' with her plasma rifle.

Jesse suggested they could blow a hole in the other side and she could man it as well. Cameron didn't want to do it yet. She was afraid they would end up with more holes without trying. She really hoped none of the hits would disable the transport. It was a real possibility.

Cameron flew on. She tried to avoid any place which even looked like someone would be waiting for them. She pushed the speed a little more.

She didn't know the extent of communications between the Resistance groups, or Skynet's capability either. If there were enough outposts, they would be able to track their direction and try to set up some offensive action. It applied to both the Resistance and Skynet. Right now they were everyone's enemy.

One of the clones indicated to Allison an HK drone was approaching from behind them. She wanted them to have some additional help.

"There is an HK drone coming up on our tail." Allison said to the third clone at the hole in the side.

The third clone joined the other two at the partially lowered ramp. The clones figured with three of them, they should be able to score.

Jesse moved in to fill the clone's spot at the hole in the side of the transport.

The three clones at the rear discussed firing strategy.

"We will all fire at the same time." The clone in the middle said. She looked at the clone on each side of her. "You take the port engine, and you take the starboard engine. I will go for the control center. Wait until it closes up on us more."

The three clones waited. They were all one hundred percent sure they could score.

The three clones fired simultaneously. They all scored. The HK drone went down in an instant. They were proud of their actions. There was also a grim possibility.

"Next time there will be more." One clone said.

After the encounter Cameron immediately switched directions and headed for the coast. Once she picked up the beach, she dropped to ten feet above the water. The engine temperatures rapidly neared the redline as Cameron flew on at full throttle. She needed to get as close to Los Angeles as possible before the transport was disabled or shot down….

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Let's Go

The path of life
Exists in a shadow
Its destination is seldom
At the end of a rainbow

The journey itself
Can be fast or slow
It can reach high
Or dip down very low

There's no pinnacle
Or even a plateau
Everything is always in flux
Like a never ending escrow

What does one keep
What do they forego
What do they lend
What do they borrow

Life without substance
Is vacant and hollow
Few things can grow
Everything remains shallow

Is the direction to follow
Where the wind will blow
Filled with folly and woe
As one goes with the flow

Nothing actually started long ago
Somehow the past we still must tow
There are feelings to bestow
That can set one aglow

Who is a fried or who is a foe
Do we really ever truly know
Upstream one must always row
When everyone is ready, let's go

Nobody