Chapter 323

Down The Rabbit Hole

Cameron headed out. She wanted to get to where the unknown Terminator was spotted. She wasn't happy about having to argue with John and even more disturbed by what Vanna did. She was very upset when she learned Vanna was out. Cam and Sheila should never have allowed it. She did know how hard it was to control the girls.

She knew what Vanna was doing and why. Like her, Vanna felt worthless because she thought she was barren. It was only her second attempt. It was really the first attempt for her. The other attempt was by her Duplicate. Duplicate Vanna was now in River's future. Well, she would be in half of a millennium anyway.

Cameron caught up with Dan and Frank. Bob and Jim were there with Derek as well. Vanna and the girls went elsewhere after they let Derek off. She would've preferred if they remained together. They would have been easier to keep track of and control.

She wanted to make sure the younger Reese brothers were protected. She knew Derek would want to be a part of it. She could understand his concern.

"Dan and Frank, I want you two to go back to the Reese residence." Cameron said. "Take Derek and Jim with you and increase your perimeter."

Bob was now teamed up with Cameron. He figured she would want to act soon. He knew she wouldn't want to endanger anyone else. If they were after a singular Terminator, it wouldn't be like the situation they were in earlier where six Terminators were shot up. They attacked a fixed location which the Skynet forces wanted to protect. There were also multiple enemy Terminators there.

"Do you want to move in now?" Bob asked.

Cameron looked around. She didn't 'feel' comfortable. She knew it wasn't anything specific. It was her association with humans which allowed her to 'see' things which might not be quite as they seemed.

"No. I don't like this set up at all." Cameron said. "Something doesn't seem right."

Bob filled Cameron in on what he knew so far. It wasn't much.

"Vanna, Sheila, and Cam have moved in front of where we think he's headed." Bob said.

With the mention of Vanna, Cameron felt a glitch impulse shoot through her hand. She attempted to suppress it. It stopped. She understood Vanna's frame of mind. Vanna's Terminator girlfriends never should have let it go this far. There might be some type of punishment necessary for them. It was a serious infraction to her. It specifically went against her directives. She could never understand why people wouldn't listen to her. It didn't seem to matter if they were humans or Terminators.

"They shouldn't even be out here." Cameron said. "I may have to reprogram Cam and Sheila."

They all knew it was a veiled threat for Terminators who defied Cameron. She deactivated more than one female Terminator. Those were all based on her program. Many of them thought she did it just because they were based on her program. It was a way for her to punish or deactivate 'herself'.

Bob didn't think it sounded fair to the Metal girls. The girls weren't the only ones to act rash. He felt they were protecting Vanna. He didn't think Cameron had much more control over John than the Metal girls would have over Vanna. He was pretty sure the main control she actually held over John was the fact she was married to him. She could withhold her sexual favors from him as 'punishment' when he didn't listen. The Metal girls wouldn't have the same power over Vanna. There were always others Vanna could turn to easily. It was something John hadn't ventured into yet, even if Cameron told him there were 'others available'.

"How's it any different than what you've done? Did you want them to physically restrain Vanna?" Bob asked. "It's what they would've needed to do. Vanna is very headstrong. She would've tried to have gone off on her own at that point. It would be even worse. You can't reprogram Vanna."

Cameron thought of her earlier encounter with Savannah. She was going to be the same as Vanna soon enough, and probably even more headstrong. She was aware Ally needed to gently restrain Savannah when she left.

"Yes, I would have restrained her myself." Cameron said. "Vanna is needed for the future at John's side. If Vanna isn't there, John won't be properly protected. John MUST be protected."

Bob wanted to point out Savannah was 'old enough' now to assume those 'duties'. He decided not to push Cameron, she was already angry. She might put Savannah in John's bed when they returned, if he suggested it.

Cameron figured what Bob was thinking. He didn't agree with her. None of them did except Savannah. She was the only one who mattered anyway for her future duties.

"Bob, Allison and Vanna belong to John." Cameron said. "It's the future, EVERY FUTURE."

Bob decided to let it go. He wanted Cameron to be as close to one hundred percent as possible for any upcoming action. There was no need to have her mind wander where it shouldn't. It seemed to be a big enough struggle as it was for her to remain focused. The best thing to do was agree.

"Affirmative…." Bob said.

Bob realized if he pushed further, Cameron might consider reprogramming him as well. When Cameron got an idea in her head, she never seemed to be able to let it go. In fact, she seemed to never be able to let anything go.

It was a problem for all Terminators, but it seemed to be especially so for Cameron.

Cameron knew Bob wanted to say a little bit more. She could see he was hesitant to do so. It bothered her a little bit because he didn't. Maybe she made it seem like she couldn't be talked to by others. Maybe it was because she didn't listen to them. She didn't really know. She was sure he wanted to say something about her ability to control John. She felt she did as good of a job as she could to keep him out of trouble. Maybe she was a little too harsh on everyone. Humans were very difficult to direct in the proper direction all of the time.

Earlier:

Derek, Cam, Sheila, and Vanna arrived near where the Reese brothers were at. They let Derek off to be with Dan and Frank. They would remain there as part of the 'shadow' on the Reese brothers. They would be able to deliver an appropriate response if it was needed. So far there was no indication it would be. They were still in a position to respond rapidly if it became necessary.

Vanna urged Cam and Sheila to continue in pursuit of the Terminator who was detected.

Cam didn't think they should be out in the first place. They were out, and Vanna kept pushing it.

"Vanna, we should wait for Cameron." Cam said. "She's already going to be angry."

Vanna was full of fire. She was angry at herself, and angry at Skynet. She wanted some retribution. She couldn't help but think where she was at, and where she came from. She was out of her time. She wanted to make her position clear.

"Look, I'm not letting anything happen to the Reese brothers." Vanna said. "I'm no longer essential. Savannah is ready to take my place if I fall. It's HER place anyway. It's rightfully HER place. I'm the aberration. We all KNOW she's the one at John's side in the future, not me."

Sheila could see any argument was pointless. The 'Jesse' in her understood much of what Vanna described, for the same reasons. They still should've used more caution. She wanted to remind Vanna of the danger in a more graphic way.

"I think we should've stayed with Bob, Jim, and Derek." Sheila said. "We're split up and don't know what we're facing. Cam and I can take some 'punishment', but you can't. You saw first hand how six Terminators were recently shot up."

Vanna needed to check her temper. She didn't want to be angry or mean to Cam and Sheila. They were all on the same team. They were there to help protect her. She wanted them to understand how she felt. She did know what it looked like to see the six Terminators with damage. It actually wasn't something she saw in some time. Not six all at once.

"I don't want to argue with you two. You know I love you both. I'm going to have a big enough fight with Cameron over this." Vanna said. "Let's be careful and try not to engage the threat unless we need to. I'll gladly trade my life to protect the Reese boys in any timeline. I owe it to them. I owe my life to them and Allison. They SAVED my life before, more than once. I'll do whatever I need to do to save them."

Vanna thought back on the time period in the future. The first time was when she was left for dead and thrown in the burn pile. Allison found her and drug her out. Allison and the Reese brothers nursed her back to health. They literally gave her life back to her.

She absentmindedly touched her scar. It was because of the scar Allison was freed. It was because of the scar Allison recognized her and nursed her back to health, back to life. Allison was the one who kept her alive. The Reese brothers kept Allison alive as she gave up all of her food. The higher-ups thought she would die and wouldn't allocate any food ration for her. They all would have let her die, except Allison, and the Reese brothers.

The thoughts of Allison further deepened her depression. She loved Allison with all her heart. She wanted to be with her still. It didn't look like it was ever going to happen again. Not full time anyway. She would take whatever she could get to remain with Allison in whatever way she could. She didn't care if it was just for a booty call. She knew it never would be a booty call only. Even if it was what both of them wanted, the love would seep through and touch both of them, as it always did, as it always would.

Now it was all on the line again. She hoped she didn't end up with any more scars or worse, dead. Maybe she was better off dead than having to deal with Cameron later on over what she currently was up to. She understood her contribution would be minimal. It wasn't the point. The point was she needed to do something to make sure the younger Reese brothers were protected. She was no stranger to danger. In combat, people fell. It was just the way it worked. The job still needed to be done regardless of the consequences.

If she was dead, all of her troubles and problems would be gone. Everything would be. It was something she often thought of in the past, the future. She watched others go off to die in combat because they were 'done'. They wanted to die with some honor, even if they were really committing suicide by their actions. Maybe she was about to attempt to do the same thing. Did it matter? No, really, did it matter?

She didn't think so. Why would it?

Cameron wanted some resolution. She didn't want Vanna in danger. Vanna's team, with Cam and Sheila, was out in front of where they thought the Terminator would go. She wanted to have a team in front of them and in back of them for better control.

"Cam, we're coming up on your position." Cameron said. "Is Sheila ready to move out?"

Cam, Vanna, and Sheila were all set.

"We're ready to roll." Cam said.

Cameron was still uneasy about the whole affair.

"Pull out and stay in front of him." Cameron said. "Bob and I will follow him. I don't like it. I can't tell you why. I can only tell you I don't like it."

Cam was concerned the Terminator was spotted in the first place. She wasn't sure how the determination was made. This is where they were now so it didn't really matter.

"I agree, Cameron." Cam said. "It's too out in the open. I hope someone doesn't want us right where we're at."

John Henry provided them with additional aerial support. He wanted to give the teams some breathing room. It would also allow the girls to put a little more distance between them and the possible threat, especially if everyone felt uneasy about the situation.

"I have all four drones up. There are two for your operation, and one each at the Young and Reese residences." John Henry said over the com. "Everyone can back off. Let's see what the surveillance shows us."

Cameron saw this as her opportunity to personally protect Vanna. It would really be two of 'her' since Cam would be there too.

"I want everyone to fall back and regroup." Cameron said. "I want Sheila to go with Bob. I'm going to ride with Cam and Vanna."

Vanna and Cam exchanged looks. Cameron was going to be upset big time, they could see it coming. There was sure to be a confrontation.

Cam figured her short existence was very rewarding. She expected Cameron to deactivate her. Her time with Vanna was well worth it. It was always Cameron's desire to share with Vanna. She was able to fulfill the desire as Cameron's clone. She would make sure Cameron downloaded her files of Vanna with her. Her existence wouldn't be a total waste.

John Henry was able to get a better overall view of events as they unfolded with the drone support. They weren't what he expected. He wasn't even sure of what he uncovered. There appeared to be more in play than anticipated. It was a little confusing at first. He felt he understood better what it actually was. Someone else was following him.

"I detect other vehicles moving around the Terminator you're following." John Henry said. "I don't know if they're tracking him or reinforcing him. He's changed direction. He must have made one of the tails. We may have stumbled into the middle of someone else's operation."

Cameron ordered her team to hold once there was drone coverage. They would advance as necessary and hold as necessary to maintain a safe zone. The drones could strike at any time at this point. She hoped to get a better idea of where things were headed.

"It's not us. We aren't even moving right now. We're switching people around." Cameron said. "Where does it look like he's headed?"

John Henry made out more of the 'players' in the operation. There was a definite number of targets now.

"He's headed towards the north right now." John Henry said. "There are three other vehicles in play."

Cameron wondered since there were four vehicles identified so far, if there were more they hadn't identified yet. She wanted to use more caution. If this was someone else's fight, she wanted it to go a little further on its own. It was what she did with the drug and sex traffickers. She let them deal with each other first, then she moved in and mopped up the survivors. It always made her job much easier when the enemy killed each other first. It didn't appear the Reese brothers were the intended target. She wanted to use a couple more Terminators.

"I say we hang back and see how it plays out." Cameron said. "Jim and Dan can head back out and Derek can stay on the Reese detail with Frank."

John Henry was worried about the additional 'players'. There would be three Resistance teams. There were still four vehicles to contend with.

"It still leaves us short on coverage of one vehicle." John Henry said.

Cameron used another phone. She could see they were short handed. She was also concerned with what the base might face. She didn't want to pull anyone else away from it. She would rely on her own Terminators from her base. There were a couple of new options in play as well.

"I have it covered. Additional help is on the way for us." Cameron said. "Have all the Terminators at the base been activated?"

John Henry redirected all ongoing operations to this unfolding operation.

"Yes." John Henry said. "I've also recalled the other operations gathering intel or doing recon. Everyone is mobilized."

Cameron was worried about John and the others at the base. This could be an elaborate trap to lure them away from the base to attack it. She wanted to redirect some of her current support. She also needed to see what John's input was now since they learned more.

"Make sure the base is covered. Recall one of the drones operating with us and have it return to orbit the base." Cameron said. "Does John have any additional ideas?"

John watched everything develop. He was glad Cameron sought his input since they learned a little more. He refrained from getting directly involved until now. He wanted to let Cameron get things arranged the way which best suited her for the current situation. He wished he could give her some more information. He couldn't. He could give her a little more perspective though.

"No, Cameron. We're on top of everything here at the base. Everything is secure." John said. "We appear to be dealing with two separate forces. I think the unknown Terminator we encountered may call for back up as well. Since it seems he knows he's being followed, it's a logical assumption."

Cameron was aware they dealt with several different groups of Grays before. It was never clear which future they were from. Each version of Skynet didn't have the same goals. Each of them wanted to be the only Skynet. They may share some common goals, but the hoped for end result was always different. There was another worry on her part. The anti-Metal faction was out there too. They would want to hunt her, and terminate John, just as much as they would want to hurt Skynet.

"We've dealt with some 'shadow forces' before. I think these are connected." Cameron said. "They're either 'Friendlies', or some really bad people."

No one really thought any of them would be 'Friendlies'. There hadn't been any 'Friendlies' in a long time.

Cameron left word with Future Allison not to send anyone else unless it was absolutely necessary. She specifically told Future Allison instead of Future John. She checked her phone. It was good news for once. It was nice for a change. Additional Terminator reinforcements were near.

"I have two vehicles with four of my Terminators nearing the area." Cameron said. "We will be in better shape now for any ground action."

John was aware Cameron's Terminators directly supported the last big operation the team was on when six Terminators were damaged. The reports were Cameron's Terminators were the most heavily damaged in the affair. It was probably because they were the most 'Terminator like' of the group which was there. They were very mission focused. He figured Cameron wouldn't hold back on sending them into danger either.

"Are they the 'green vest' Terminators?" John asked.

Cameron decided to physically remove Vanna from the operation at this point. There were simply too many unknowns. There were too many players on the field.

"Yes." Cameron said. "Two of them are. The other two are going to take Vanna away."

Vanna didn't want to be sidelined. She was there to assist, not to draw off resources.

"Cameron, I can stay and fight." Vanna said. "Please let me share the burden. I want to help."

Cameron was very concerned for Vanna's well being, both mentally and physically. She was sure one was in a much worse place than the other.

"No, Vanna. I need you to help protect John." Cameron said. "Two of my Terminators are taking you back to the base."

Cameron was alone with Vanna and Cam at this point. Bob and Sheila were now together elsewhere. She cut her links and asked Cam to cut her audio. She wanted a private conversation with Vanna. Vanna was important to her on many different levels.

Vanna figured Cameron was about to chew her out. She was at least glad it wasn't done in front of everyone.

"Vanna, listen to me." Cameron said. "I can't let anything happen to you. I'm not going to lecture you. I better than anyone understand what you're feeling. Don't make the same mistakes I have, and continue to do, PLEASE. You're very important to the future and John, but most of all you're important to me. Do you realize what it would do to me if anything happened to you? I honestly don't know if I could deal with it successfully."

It wasn't the lecture Vanna expected to hear. It was a lecture of love. It touched her deeper than any lecture of anger could have. She was sure it would tear Cameron apart, as much as it would her. She was a little unsure what to say.

Cameron looked at Vanna. She wanted to reach deep within her mind.

"I know you understand, Vanna." Cameron said. "Please do this for me."

Vanna was overcome with emotion. It all stacked up inside of her and was about to burst out. She wanted to stay strong for Cameron. She wanted Cameron to know why she did it. She wanted to take the burden away from Cameron, before it actually became one.

"OK, Cameron, I'm sorry about this whole thing." Vanna said. "You know why I did this."

There was a very uneasy feeling inside of Cameron. She thought of it as a 'sick' feeling in relation to what a human would feel. She wasn't there to berate Vanna for the very things she did herself.

"I do, it's why I'm not going to say anything negative to you." Cameron said. "I know how you feel. It's not over yet for you in that regard. We can keep trying. I would appreciate it if you try again. You know how I want it done too…."

Vanna swallowed hard. Cameron wanted her and John to try for a 'traditional conception'. She wanted it too, but she didn't want to 'hurt' Cameron by doing it. She was about to say something but didn't think right now was the proper time. She couldn't help but think about what Cameron indicated. She did want to try it one time on her own with a male. She believed she could do it with John. She tried several times previously, but John wouldn't have her. She really wondered what it would be like to be touched lovingly by a male for once.

Cameron motioned for Cam to turn her audio back on.

"You will return to the base with Vanna." Cameron said. "Please take care of her for me."

Cam knew it would leave Cameron alone. It wasn't a good prospect any time, especially under the unknown circumstances they currently faced. Cameron attended to operate very reckless when she was alone. The programming was inside of her to prove it.

"It will leave you by yourself." Cam said.

Cameron smiled faintly. She'd been in the same position many times. It was nothing new.

"I'm always alone." Cameron said. "There's Nobody to watch over me."

Nobody knew where the current affair was going to go, or what would develop. The battlefield was always fluid and anything could happen.

Cameron's main goal was to remove Vanna from the immediate danger zone. She would be alone and she could operate freely at that point. It would probably cause more concern to everyone else. It didn't matter to her. There was a job to do. She would really like to know what the extent of the job actually would be.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Down The Rabbit Hole

Every journey through life
Can take its grisly toll
It can turn into a hard climb
When it should've been an easy stroll

Things become more problematic
What looked like a small knoll
Turns into a steep mountain
Further distancing the goal

One's being is taxed
From the head to the sole
It seems the real cost
Comes out of one's soul

Everything is complex
One questions their role
Chaotic and difficulty increase
With the punches one must roll

Strange as it seems
There's little control
One desires a parole
Nobody is there to console

The more it happens
The less one remains whole
Is it the start or the finish
As one heads down the rabbit hole

Nobody