Chapter 288

Staying In Touch

Cameron worked on trying to share the love John deserved from her, and their love for each other. She was aware of all the hardship and suffering she put John through. It wasn't her fault both Johns made her feel so bad about herself and about life. It wasn't her doing. They did it to her. She knew they both tried to make amends and make it right, but she could never escape her deepest feelings, ever. She tried and failed, just as she failed to restore the 'Natural Order' of time. She really was at a loss at what to do sometimes. She always seemed to question her decisions.

No matter how much she thought through a decision, it never seemed to turn out as she planned, or how it should have. Everything seemed to lead her back to the same thing, where she started from. It was if time redirected her back to where she 'belonged'.

Her programming was still expanding. It expanded past her need to be with John. She'd 'been there and done that'. She knew John wanted, and needed, to be with her so she would allow him to share with her, she usually still participated, other times she was just there until he 'finished'. It seemed to be more and more as well.

Cameron even started running other programs as John savaged her chassis. Sometimes she was so deep in thought she was unaware he finished. She felt she needed something different. She wanted more. As to exactly more of what, she wasn't sure or even how to attain it. How do you seek what you don't know you want? She felt she was on the road to nowhere without a direction to go even.

She spoke with Sarah about it. Sarah told her all people go through feelings and phases like hers. Sarah told her it was better to try to build upon the foundation they already have, rather than tear it up and try to rebuild a new one, or another one. Every relationship hits the rocks sometimes. If the people really love each other, they try to patch the holes and move on, not abandon ship. She said it was only when one sought the comfort of another the relationship was really over.

Sarah regretted saying it as soon as she saw Cameron's hand glitch. She knew she MADE Cameron think about John and Future Riley. John sought the comfort in the arms of another with Future Riley as he shunned Cameron.

"I'm sorry, Cameron." Sarah said. "I didn't mean it like that. Please forget I said anything."

Sarah hugged Cameron. She knew Cameron thought about and relived John replacing her with Future Riley. She knew it always caused a problem for Cameron. She knew to Cameron it was as if it just happened, again.

Cameron didn't say anything. What was there to say?

Sarah was very concerned about her mistake.

"Please, Cameron." Sarah said. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

The two faced each other for a long moment.

"I understand." Cameron said.

Cameron didn't understand at all.

It seemed she understood less and less. Somehow the more she knew, the less she knew.

Cameron turned to walk away.

Sarah took her hand and stopped her. She gave Cameron a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm truly sorry, Cameron." Sarah said. "For everything…."

They both exchanged a tearful hug again before Cameron left.

Sarah watched Cameron walk away and felt her pain. More tears flowed down her cheeks. She knew of all the hardships and pain in her life. It seemed to her Cameron's pain and troubles were a hundred times worse.

Cameron wanted to see John. She felt she needed to do something else first to clear her mind. Maybe a hunt was in order. It would allow her to focus on something else first.

She called the Metal girls. They were always up for a little adventure. They arrived a short time later and picked her up.

Cameron was always pleased to see them. It was time to get down to business.

"What have you uncovered so far?" Cameron asked.

Sheila drove the SUV.

"We've got a few wankers picked out." Sheila said.

Ally thought about future Scavengers.

"We have illegal drugs, gambling, human trafficking, and sex trafficking all selected for further review." Ally said. "There are a few Skynet related targets as well. We know you usually like to handle those."

Hanna pointed out some of their earlier activity. It was usually a standard procedure for them whenever they were out for anything.

"We took care of a few pimps and set the girls free." Hanna said.

Cameron did a lot of the same thing. She found out the girls who worked the section of the 'trade', all seemed to find their way back to it. It was their 'job'. They were mostly drug users. It helped support their chosen way of life. It was sad really. She found more than one of them dead later on. Few of them were willing to enter rehab. She tried to help more than a few. It reminded her of a saying she heard about how someone could lead a horse to water, but they couldn't make it drink. It seemed those addicted to drugs didn't do any better when they were given a chance to rehabilitate. It wasn't going to stop her from trying. Even if she could salvage one out of ten lives, it was worth it.

"If we run across any of those operations I want to take them down." Cameron said.

It was the bigger operations which gleaned Cameron the vast sums of cash she was able to amass. The drug trade was where she could score millions at a time.

Everyone associated with any illicit activity was a future Gray or future Scavenger to her. Those were the types of people who ended up with those two groups. They were all people looking to get something for nothing. They were people who liked power and control over others. Politicians were another group to get on the Skynet bandwagon. It seemed to her once someone was a sellout, they were always a sellout.

Sheila pulled up in the back of a row of buildings. There was a massage parlor located there. It was a front for putting the grab on girls looking to make a quick buck. Some were put to work in the massage parlor, other ones disappeared. The clandestine operation was the one Cameron was after.

It seemed there was a high demand for beautiful young females for clients in the Middle East and Asia. It was more so when the girls didn't have dark hair. It was decided Ally and Hanna would go in the front door. Cameron and Sheila would enter by the back door a few minutes later.

The attendant at the front desk looked up from the old issue of Hustler magazine he flipped through. It was well worn. A few of the pages were stuck together. There were various stains on the cover and inside. It was probably best to not to think about what some of them were.

He expected to see another older man walk in looking for some 'action'. They recorded what went on in all of the rooms. He would often view the tapes when he was bored. It was pretty sad for a lot of them. It seemed many of them were unable to perform. They blamed it on their old wrinkled and 'dried up' wives, but it was them. The men hoped to score with a young sweet thing, but few made it. The best they could do was sample the results from the last five men she was with earlier in the day.

The funny part about it was, while the old man was out attempting to get some 'strange', the old 'dried up' wife was getting her bell rung by the pool guy or the gardener. There didn't seem to be a shortage of young men who would turn out the lights for a little cash, and treat the older lady like one of the girls they might try and score with. Once the lights were off, and with a little lube, things were as smooth as a twenty year old. Everything felt pretty much the same as long as there was no visual to go along with it.

The attendant needed to refocus. He looked the girls over again.

"The hair salon is two doors down." The attendant said.

Hanna reached up and touched her hair.

"We just came from there." Hanna said.

Ally reached up and unbuttoned her top a little more as the attendant looked at her.

"They told us we might inquire here about some 'employment'." Ally said.

The attendant quickly closed the centerfold and hid the Hustler magazine. He hoped they didn't see what he viewed when they came in.

Hanna looked at where he hid the magazine. She looked around the room as well.

"We're not talking about in a place like this either." Hanna said.

Ally arched her back some to make her breasts more prominent.

"We're looking for the 'big time'." Ally said.

The attendant was a little in awe of how beautiful the girls were. He was used to the street trash, or a truckload of illegals, they normally dealt with. He used to like the flow of young Asians, but young illegals from all of the countries south of the border were much easier to round up. Most of them were abused half a dozen times on the journey north and didn't think they were any better than a sex worker at that point. About a third of them were already pregnant when they arrived so they could work seven days a week for a few months straight. It was about all the longer any of them lasted. They would usually OD, or a client would get a little carried away. When the client took things too far, especially if the girl didn't make it, was when the girl was really worth something. They filmed everything and they could blackmail someone for years.

The attendant tried not to stare, but couldn't help moisten his lips anyway as he looked at the two girls and what they indicated. He wanted to give the girls a heads up about the procedure.

"I think you need to speak with the boss about any 'employment opportunities'." The attendant said. "Before there's a problem, you have to know you will both be 'interviewed' to determine your value."

Ally looked insulted. She wanted to indicate such a procedure was beneath her.

"It's going to take some 'green' before someone gets any 'in between'." Ally said.

The attendant thought the boss might spring for it just because the two girls looked so fine. He even would if he had any cash. The best he could hope for was one of the regular girls to be so strung out at the end of the day, they didn't really care what happened. Most were passed out anyway. He actually liked it better when they were. He just did his business and left. They needed to deal with the mess. He didn't need to put up with any back talk, insults, or complaints either. He knew he couldn't really complain about what he got for free.

"I'll let you work out the details with the boss." The attendant said. "I get minimum wage."

Hanna was acquainted with the way the establishments worked.

"I'm sure the fringe benefits you get at the end of your shift helps make up for it." Hanna said.

The attendant looked a little embarrassed. He buzzed them into the back room. He took a good look at them. He knew he would never see either one of them again. Anyone who even looked a quarter as good as they did left in the meat wagon. They were usually on a plane by the end of the day.

The girls were in the back room for less than a minute when he heard some struggling sounds. He figured one of them was a little reluctant to be 'interviewed'. There were two 'enforcers' who were with the boss to make sure there was compliance with the 'interview process'. They both would get a 'turn' after the boss was done with them. He usually 'interviewed' the new girls each twice. Well, the ones who were strung out on drugs anyway.

After about a few minutes, the attendant glanced over at the door and it looked like blood was running out underneath it.

'What the Hell?' The attendant thought.

The room was quiet. It was unusual. He went to the door and knocked. There was no response. He figured he would see one of the enforcers appear, or an angry verbal rebuke.

The attendant needed to take a step back because there was so much blood coming out now from under the door. He was about to knock again but didn't.

He looked around and opened the door.

The first thing he noticed were the three men on the floor. They weren't tied. They looked as if they were resting. They were dead. He quickly realized where all the blood was coming from.

The safe was open and empty. The file cabinets were open. There were files missing. He could see the hard drives were removed from the computers as well. Someone cleaned them out, and took all the cash and information with them. He looked at the three men on the floor again. It wasn't how he intended to go out.

He figured work would be closing early today. He went to the cash register and opened it. He cleaned out the cash and headed for the door. He paused and hurried back and took the battered copy of Hustler magazine with him. He figured it was about as close to a female body as he was going to be for a while. He didn't plan to return. It was time to move on to a different city. A different state would probably be even better.

Earlier:

Cameron and Sheila entered the location from the back.

They found a female locked in a back room. It was clear she was abused and beaten. The let her out the back.

Cameron wanted retribution. She looked at Sheila.

"When we're done here, you can do what you want." Cameron said.

Sheila smiled.

Cameron didn't condone such behavior unless it was warranted. She would look the other way when it was. Sometimes punishment needed to be part of the process before some individuals were terminated. There needed to be some accountability.

The smile never left Sheila's face.

"Justice will be served." Sheila.

Cameron wanted to put the other local establishments on notice. She knew word would spread of what occurred there. It was her intent.

"Make sure you send a message." Cameron said.

Sheila's smile broadened.

"I always do." Sheila said.

Cameron and Sheila made their way towards the office area. They waited until they heard Ally and Hanna enter. They came in through the rear door to join them. The three individuals in the room were subdued almost instantly. They were confused as to what just occurred. They were even more befuddled how they were easily overpowered by the four Hot looking females. None of them could even scream before they were rendered unconscious.

Once the safe was cleaned out, Cameron left Sheila behind to do the 'dirty work'.

Ally and Anna followed her out with the files and hard drives. They would be able to move up the chain with all the information.

Sheila exited a few minutes later. She stopped by the restroom to clean her hands off. She looked at Cameron and smiled.

"A message has been sent." Sheila said. "It will give them something to think about when they realize there's more to lose than just money."

Cameron drove away. She scored several hundred thousand dollars. She was able to get the information on some of the people higher up in the operation. She wasn't done with them yet, just for now.

She still needed to speak with John about a few things. She would be a little calmer now since they helped clean up the future, even if it was in a roundabout way.

Cameron went to see John. She wanted him to want her. She wanted to want him. She tried as best as she could, or as her programming would allow. She always felt at a disadvantage in love related matters. It was all still so confusing. She thought it must be easier for humans to deal with….

John was pleased when he saw Cameron. He smiled at her.

"Hey, Cameron." John said as he gave her a kiss.

Cameron wanted to reciprocate his pleasant demeanor.

"Hello, my sweet love." Cameron responded.

Cameron believed as long as the threat of Skynet, any version of it, hung over them, their lives could never fully mature and expand. They still needed to protect the future and prevent Skynet from ever gaining control.

John was a little surprised to see Cameron return in such a short amount of time from when she left earlier.

"Are you back home already?" John asked.

Cameron wasn't really sure she liked the question. She didn't think it should be an issue. She knew they didn't always like the way she did things. They still needed to be done. She didn't want to get too explicit about what occurred. She didn't need any additional negative feedback from John. It was one of the reasons why her base, and her operations, were outside the scope of the Resistance. She didn't need to answer to anyone, except herself. It made everything much simpler.

"I finished up earlier than I thought I would." Cameron said. "I took the girls out on a little 'training' session and they proved more efficient than I anticipated."

John wanted to see what Cameron would divulge. He could see she wasn't going to be very forthcoming with any information. He would try to work his way into it a little deeper.

"Which girls were those?" John asked.

Cameron frowned slightly. John knew who she referred to.

"It was Ally, Hanna, and Sheila." Cameron said. "My girls."

John wanted to know more. He would like it if Cameron would tell him on her own. It would seem like she trusted him. The way things normally went down, it didn't seem like she did. He thought about the Metal girls.

"I haven't seen them in quite awhile." John said.

Cameron didn't see any need to give any additional details. The Metal girls worked for her, they didn't work for the Resistance.

"They have their own duties to attend to." Cameron said. "They're part of my operation."

John hoped for a little better of an answer. There wasn't one.

"Oh…." John said.

Cameron and John looked at each other. John didn't want to hear Cameron lie to him. Cameron didn't want to lie to John. Any additional 'questions' went unasked and unanswered.

John was very displeased with the conversation, or lack of it.

Cameron silently asked him to PLEASE understand without saying it.

John was unsure if he was ever talking to Cameron, a clone, or Ally masquerading as her. Cameron always said it was really her. He gave up and figured if it was the same 'chip', or an exact copy of it, it was who Cameron really was anyway. He tried not to think of it. Isn't it what he went into the future after? It was her chip, it was for, HER.

Maybe he should have listened to her when she was Isabel-Cameron….

'Damn, she was HOT.' John thought.

John regretted sometimes not taking advantage of such a Hot chassis, and it WAS Cameron. It was her program anyway. He knew he blew it 'twice'. It would have been one Hot piece of chassis.

Cameron tried to reach out but didn't want to make it seem like it was forced. Somehow it felt like it was. She still needed to try anyway. There must be some way to fix everything and make it all good. She really didn't know how. She wasn't really sure she wanted to. She needed to do something.

"We have another excursion planned for later on. I have some free time now…." Cameron said and let it hang.

John looked up. Spending any time alone with Cameron was a treat. It was something he always looked forward to. He did hope she would be a little more engaged than she was sometimes. There seemed to be times when she was unaware of what he was actually doing. It wasn't always a bad thing from his point of view. He got what he wanted and there was no negative feedback. He wanted to let Cameron know he was in, or at least he hoped to be anyway. He still would like to know a little more about what was actually going on.

"It would be great. I'll be right to our room shortly." John said. "Can I meet you there?"

Cameron was somewhat displeased about the delay. It didn't really matter. None of it did in reality. She could make productive use of the time.

"Yes. I have a few things to take care of first also." Cameron said. "I'll see you soon."

John wondered who he would 'get'. He really didn't care. He needed the 'release'.

A piece of chassis was a piece of chassis. It really didn't matter to him anymore. Did it really make a difference? He hoped to get someone who wanted to be there for a change.

Cameron headed off to check on Vanna and Jesse. She was going to check on Allison later on.

She ran into Kyle on the way.

"Hey, Kyle." Cameron said.

Kyle smiled at Cameron.

"Hi, Cameron." Kyle answered.

There were a few things Cameron wanted to deal with after her earlier conversation with Sarah. She didn't see why it couldn't be a group event.

"If Savannah watches Jan later on, can I take you and Sarah out?" Cameron asked.

Cameron's request surprised Kyle some. He wondered what the occasion was.

"Sure I think it would be great." Kyle said. "Sarah was looking forward to us spending time together again."

There were other things Cameron could do. She was well aware of all the Resistance activity Kyle engaged in with Derek. She knew they liked to push things when they went out on a recon.

"I want to take you and Derek out on some missions too if you want in a few days." Cameron said. "I know you both like to stay in the 'game'."

Kyle really wondered what the conversation was about. He also needed to operate within some personal parameters so there wouldn't be any problems for him later on.

"It would be great too. I would appreciate it if you didn't mention it in front of Sarah." Kyle said. "She worries about me a lot. I don't need any additional headaches."

Kyle was afraid Sarah would 'cutback' even more to 'punish' him for going out on operations and being in danger 'needlessly'. He didn't need any more 'dry spells'.

Cameron thought about what he said. She nodded her head in understanding.

"I know the feeling." Cameron said.

She did too….

Cameron continued on her way in search of Vanna or Jesse.

John headed straight for the Command Center. He needed an update from John Henry. He previously asked him to try and see what Cameron was up to. He knew she wouldn't tell him outright, so he needed to resort to more clandestine means.

"Have you been able to have any luck to track her?" John asked.

John Henry knew it was a mission he would be unable to complete when John assigned it to him earlier. Things played out pretty much as he anticipated they would.

"None." John Henry said. "She's too elusive."

John didn't know how far Cameron would go. He was very aware she was capable of extreme behavior.

"It worries me. She still has those four nukes, her secret base, and a private army of Terminators." John said. "It sounds like something right out of her past, the future and Skynet."

John Henry was worried too but he didn't feel John needed to worry personally.

"She may run from you." John Henry said. "She will never betray you."

John wished he knew if it could be true. He didn't. It always seemed to him somehow the things which went wrong were his fault. It was how Cameron made him feel most of the time.

"I don't know how to make her closer to me." John said. "It seems all I ever end up doing is driving her further away."

"I don't think I'm the one to ask." John Henry said. "Even the girls, Derek and Riley, and your parents have 'trouble' sometimes. It seems to be the way all relationships work. Perhaps it is the extent of the difficulties which make the difference."

John felt his honest efforts to reach out caused him a lot of frustration.

"It seems like all the time for me." John said as he left.

Holly called Cameron and they shared a long talk. Cameron would delay her visit to see Allison for a few days. She said they needed to work through a few things.

Cameron said she understood. She did….

Everyone has problems. It was just the way things worked.

If there were no problems, then there was no relationship. They seemed to go hand in hand….

'Crying Waiting Hoping' by 'Buddy Holly', crossed Cameron's mind.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Staying In Touch

Time is the enemy
It has a way to divide
Each new day will come
It may have something to provide

Distance is a problem
It has a way to separate
It weakens the resolve
It may allow others to penetrate

Space creates a gap
It has a way of enlarging a void
In the hole that is left
It may make others hard to avoid

Indifference and uncaring
It has a way to keep two apart
It leads to dead feelings
It may make each seek a new start

Staying in touch
It has a way to bind
When there is nothing
It may make another easier to find

Nobody