Chapter 401

Come With Me

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In Some Future: Duplicate Cameron

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Cammy received the message as to what transpired back at headquarters. She was very displeased. She passed it on to Unit One. It was his duty to alert the other Restorators. The anti-Metal faction tried to make its move when they were occupied on the battlefield. It was the ultimate form of treachery. She wasn't sure if the anti-Metal leaders were involved, or if it was a rogue segment.

She wasn't sure if it should matter or not. They still tried to kill the girls while the others were out fighting the real enemy. Someone needed to atone for it.

There was a lull in the fighting now since all the attacking HK drones were shot down. Cammy readied her troops as they waited. She waited for the Skynet forces to come to her. She wanted the Skynet Terminators out on the battlefield. She was surprised they hadn't come to attack them yet. She would find out soon enough.

The leader of the anti-Metal group viewed their position as one of strength. The Skynet Metal was delivered a devastating blow. It was time to pull the plug on the 'tin cans'.

"What are we waiting for, Commander?" Billy asked. "We have the momentum. They've lost their air support. We should attack now. They no longer have an advantage."

Cammy wanted to say something about what happened at headquarters. She was very upset right now. Maybe she should let the anti-Metal faction lead. They would suffer heavy losses if they attacked the Skynet troops right now in their fortified positions. She decided to stick to the plan, for now.

"We're waiting for them to come to us." Cammy said. "I have a special greeting waiting for them. I want to draw them out into the open."

Ginger and Sandy were with Cammy continuously. They were aware of what happened back at headquarters. They were upset they hadn't been there for the girls. They were unaware Cam left the back door open to see what crawled in. Cam expected the 'hit'. She was ready for it. She wanted everyone to show themselves so all the threats could be dealt with.

Cammy was about ready to have some of her troops pull out to look like they were about to run in fear. Skynet solved the problem.

When it became apparent the Restorators weren't going to attack, the Skynet troops came out to attack them. They believed they were winning. Past experience showed them once the Resistance stopped its assault, they were about to retreat. They didn't know it was the very reaction the plan was based on.

Cammy smiled. It's what she was waiting for. The anti-Metal faction could wait a few more minutes to be dealt with. Repulsing the Skynet troops was bound to take a toll. If the plan held, it would only be a small toll. Time would tell. Now was the time to see who was a better tactician, Cameron and her three clones, or Skynet.

Cameron and her small group moved through the interior of Skynet Central. So far they remained unobserved and avoided a firefight. Their luck couldn't hold forever. It didn't.

As they moved forward, the group spotted some Grays, but no Terminators. Allison-Mrs. Weaver moved up and silently sliced them to death.

Cameron motioned for Cameron II to hold Allison back as Allison-Mrs. Weaver and her went around the corner. It wasn't what they wanted to see. There was a group of Terminators waiting for them. They were about to get more than they bargained for. It was an ambush. The Grays were sacrificed to draw them out into the open.

Cameron and Allison-Mrs. Weaver already started to move to get away.

They were quick enough to avoid the full effect of the ambush.

Cameron threw a plasma grenade into one corner of the group as Allison-Mrs. Weaver split two other Terminators apart.

"Fall back." Cameron said as she threw two more plasma grenades and fired her plasma rifle.

Cameron II immediately moved Allison back, only to see some Terminators move up behind them. Both Allison and her opened up with their plasma rifles. It appeared as if they were set up by not facing any opposition previously. They were now in a fight for their lives.

Bob heard the fighting start and blew the power supply. It was his task. The entire area fell into darkness. Skynet should be cut off from the outside at this point. Other Skynet forces would know something was wrong, but they wouldn't know what. They would be slow to respond and probably not in force.

Allison and Cameron II were in total darkness punctuated by the brightness as plasma rifles were fired.

As soon as it went dark, Allison threw a Thermite grenade at the last location she spotted Skynet Terminators. The room was now eerily lit by the flaming Thermite and several burning Terminators. One of them still attempted to move. He was only a torso with a head. His arms and legs were gone. He rocked back and forth and bent at the waist. His head twisted violently from side to side. The Thermite slowly consumed his sheath as he struggled uselessly on the ground.

They successfully stopped the Terminators and continued to advance forward. The area was dimly lit by an eerie glow of a few battery powered back up lights and the fire behind them.

Cameron moved forward with Allison-Mrs. Weaver at her side. Allison was behind them. Cameron II covered their rear.

Cameron II rigged a plasma grenade booby trap behind them with a trip wire. She made sure their team all saw it. They moved forward. They didn't want any 'friendly fire' incidents.

Cammy watched as the Skynet Terminators sent the Grays out first. Those who refused to go out to fight were executed on the spot. It was more than enough motivation to get the rest of them to move toward the Resistance lines. It didn't really matter, the end result was the same.

The Resistance force could see they only currently faced 'soft targets'. They didn't need to move from their places of cover at all as they engaged the enemy. The Grays approached the Resistance forces. They didn't have a choice. Anyone who tried to turn back was cut down by the Terminators behind them.

Cammy anticipated the move by Skynet. She only used rifle fire to bring the Grays down. She was aware the hostile Terminators hoped to see what they would face when they advanced on the Resistance forces. It didn't appear the Resistance could throw too much at them. She still kept up the ruse they were about to pull out. She wanted the Skynet Terminators to come after them. She wanted them out in the open. She saved the 'surprise' for when the Terminators would come.

She wanted to show the anti-Metal group the Restorators would hold the line and take the punishment. They all still thought she was human. It's what she wanted. She wanted to give them the opportunity to retreat. She believed it would help further the ruse the Resistance was about to pull out.

"You take your people and fall back now." Cammy told Billy. "The Terminators are coming."

Billy was in no hurry to face Terminators. He knew how hard they were to stop, they encountered Terminators before. A squad wasn't a match for one Terminator. There were going to be a lot of Terminators in the assault. It appeared most of the Grays were down already. He turned to leave but noticed the Commander wasn't going to leave. The Commander was going to stay put.

In an instant, he realized she was going to lead the Restorators into battle. He didn't think the engagement was going to be survivable for a human. He heard the stories of the Commander in combat previously. He thought maybe they were embellished. They weren't. He saw the way the Resistance Metal responded to her. They respected her rank and followed her orders. No, it was more than her rank. They followed her. None of them questioned her, argued, or disagreed. From what he saw, it was clear she gave sound tactical advice in every instance. She was a true leader.

"What about you?" Billy asked.

Cammy wanted him to see the Restorators were there to assist them. They weren't there to rule them, or sacrifice them as the Terminators did with the Grays. She knew the next part of the battle was going to be a tough one. She was prepared for it. So far everything went according to the plan.

"I need to stay with my command. We'll stay and fight. Go now." Cammy said. "You can be the backup line of defense. Take all your people, we will cover you. I don't know how things are going to play out going forward. It may not end well for all of us."

Billy hesitated. The Commander was sure to die in the next few minutes if she faced a full on assault by a large force of Terminators.

Cammy could see Billy felt guilty about leaving. She wanted him to feel that way about leaving the Restorators, not her.

"It's an order." Cammy said. "Follow it. It's more than just me here with the machines. It's the machines too. It's something you should remember going forward. Take your people and fall back."

Billy reluctantly collected his people and his people fell back. The Skynet Terminators watched. They thought the Resistance was retreating. The Skynet Terminators surged forward out onto the battlefield to follow and annihilate them. It was their chance to wipe out the pathetic Resistance once and for all. The Terminators threw caution to the wind. Victory was theirs for the taking. Skynet gave them explicit orders to terminate everyone. Once they were done with the Restorators they would concentrate on the humans until they were all terminated.

Billy and his people fell back. They took up a defensive position behind cover. They should be able to hold there once the Restorators were wiped out.

He couldn't get the Commander out of his mind. She was the bravest woman, no, the bravest person he ever saw. The Commander was fearless and hard. She risked her life to lead the Restorators against the enemy Metal. It was doubtful the Restorators could hold, let alone win. The Restorators alone, with one human, faced the enemy. The Commander allowed him and his troops the chance to live. Metal would die in their place. Enough was enough.

Billy rallied his troops. He felt the need to do more. They could at least provide some return fire for any survivors.

"If they're overrun, try to provide covering fire for any who are able to return." Billy said.

Not everyone in his group felt the same way. They saw it as a chance to wipe out all of their enemies. Metal was their enemy, any Metal.

"But they're Metal." Someone said. "Let them rust."

Billy could see the bigger picture now. It wasn't what someone told him or tried to make him see. He was able to see it with his eyes on his own. The Commander's sacrifice drove home the point. She was going to die to unite the Resistance. She led by example. If it would have only been humans fighting earlier, they would all be dead by now. The machines would have won. No, not the machines, the enemy machines would have won. It was their machines, the Resistance machines, who held the line and engaged the enemy.

"They're fighting for us. They are about to take the punishment for us." Billy said. "The Commander is out there with them."

Not everyone listened. Their hatred blinded them to the reality of the situation. The sooner all the machines were eradicated, the quicker life could return to normal.

"I don't care." The person said.

Earlier Billy watched the Terminators shoot the Grays who wouldn't go out to attack them. He felt the same way right now himself towards some in his group. It was another reality. The Restorators did just the opposite. They sent the humans away to protect them, not sacrifice them. They were the ones who took the punishment.

"Anyone not willing to stand with me and fight, I want you to go now. Leave now and walk away." Billy said. "This is our fight too. We would be dead without them helping us. I'm staying to fight. I will do it alone if I need to."

Three people got up to leave. The rest held their ground.

"Everyone else get ready." Billy said. "We're going to hold this position."

Billy planned to do more than hold. He was ready to join the battle. This was about them. It was about saving humanity. More than machines needed to fight for it. More than one human needed to face the real enemy.

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In Some Future: Cameron Prime

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The arcing and flashing started.

The energy bubble began to form.

There were two figures in it.

In seconds the energy bubble was gone.

Cameron and Savannah were alone.

It was clear they were 'in some future'.

Cameron looked around immediately.

There was fighting going on all around them.

Cameron couldn't believe Savannah was there with her now. It was the last thing she wanted. Savannah meant everything to her. She came there to perish. Savannah was there to stop her. She tried to stop her from leaving. The transfer was too far along to prevent it from occurring, or to pull her out of the energy bubble. Now Savannah was in Hell instead.

"NO!" Cameron screamed. "NO! You can't be here."

Savannah was disorientated from the time transfer. She entered the energy bubble late after it was almost formed. It hadn't formed around her as would normally be the case.

"Cameron?" Savannah asked somewhat confused.

This was the last place on earth Cameron wanted Savannah to be. She knew everything was toxic. The fate of the other girls from the future was sure to befall Savannah at some point.

"NO. NO. NO." Cameron cried out. "NO! It can't be. No, Savannah, you can't be here."

Savannah quickly refocused. She was young and in perfect physical condition. It was time to step up and join the fight. She trained for most of her known life to fight the enemy. The enemy was Skynet.

"I am here, Cameron." Savannah said. "Where are we?"

Cameron peeked over a small rise. There was gunfire, plasma rifle fire, and explosions going on all around them.

As to where they were, it wasn't where Cameron planned to be, or when. Everything was different. Everything was off.

"We're 'in some future'. By you coming with me, it will have disrupted my specific calculations." Cameron said. "I should've arrived right after the Duplicates did. Now we could be anywhere or any when."

Cameron wasn't even sure they made it to the correct future she wanted to reach. All of the careful planning was disrupted. It didn't really matter which future it was at this point. They were going to need to fight to survive. It would need to be the first order of business.

Savannah knew Cameron didn't plan to come back. It was the whole purpose of the ruse. If River hadn't detected the ploy right before the transfer, Cameron would have pulled off the deception and been no more. She promised Cameron she would never abandon her. It's why she was there now. She was sure she was the only one who could stop Cameron from terminating. She was aware it might cost her own life to do so. Her love was strong for Cameron. It was pure honest love. It was a price she was willing to pay.

"I couldn't let you die alone." Savannah said. "I love you, Cameron."

There was another explosion closer to them. Dirt and debris flew over them.

Cameron saw the true nature of what Savannah being there meant. Her earlier plans no longer mattered. Everything was different. It wasn't about her now. It was about Savannah. Everyone loved Savannah and they wouldn't let her perish in the future without trying to stop it. She knew what they did for Duplicate Cameron. It was Savannah this time.

"I need to get you out of here." Cameron said. "Don't you understand? They're ALL going to try to come after you. One by one, or in groups, they will ALL come after you."

Savannah hadn't considered it. She realized it was exactly what was going to happen. It was what she just did more or less. The others would all do the same. She knew if she wouldn't have acted when she did, she never would have seen Cameron again.

"I'm sorry, Cameron." Savannah said.

Cameron pictured every scenario possible happening to Savannah. Savannah was to be at John's side, not 'in some future' with her. The 'Natural Order' was now disrupted in several different ways. Even if Savannah survived the fighting and the abuse, the toxin filled environment would do its damage. There were too many things which could go wrong. The longer they stayed there, it would switch from could to would. She hoped once the abuse started, it wouldn't be as severe as it was for Vanna and Jesse. Cammy verified there wouldn't be any indication when it was Savannah's first time that it was actually her first time. Young Jesse eliminated the issue, Cammy made sure it was complete in every way.

"The future will ruin your body." Cameron said. "You'll end up like the others. They're going to get their hands on you…. I need to get you back. I need to get you back to John."

There was another explosion. More dirt flew over their naked bodies. It sounded like the weapons fire was closer. Maybe someone saw the energy bubble and wanted to know what it was.

Cameron needed to go on the offensive. They needed weapons fast. She needed Savannah to stay down until she could find out more and return with weapons and hopefully clothing. Being captured naked on the battlefield, with a pristine body, would only lead to instant abuse by whichever side got their hands on her.

"Stay here." Cameron shouted. "Don't move from this spot. Do not leave where you are currently at until I return."

Savannah was sure she heard voices in the distance. She couldn't tell what they said. She was about to say something to Cameron when she moved away, and onto the battlefield.

Cameron went up over the side of the depression. She tried to stay as low to the ground as possible. If she was in 'no man's land' and spotted, she would draw fire from both groups. They would both think she was the 'other side'.

Savannah heard the intensity of the firing increase once Cameron was out of the depression.

Something landed next to Savannah. It was a dead body. The head was blown open and its contents fell out in chunks.

Savannah swallowed hard. She understood now why Cameron 'hardened' her. She shot Grays in the head before. She was ready for what she saw, sort of. It was still a shock. It was a Future Shock. It showed how real it all was. She realized Cameron was the one who sent the body into the depression. She immediately started to remove the clothing as she searched for a weapon.

A rifle came over the side of the depression.

Savannah grabbed it and charged it as she searched for a target to come over the rise of the depression. There wasn't one yet.

She continued to remove the bloody clothing from the decedent as she held her weapon at the ready.

Moments later a second body landed. This one was a female. Her leg was blown off at the knee. She was still alive but bleeding to death. There were two bullet wounds in her abdomen as well. She died as Savannah stripped her bloody pants off.

Cameron rolled back over the side of the depression. She carried more weapons. She popped back up and fired in the direction she just came from.

Savannah could see several bullet holes in Cameron's back as she fired. They looked gruesome against her smooth naked sheath. She watched as Cameron fired again and there was a short scream. It sounded close.

Savannah handed Cameron a loaded weapon and went about reloading the others Cameron brought back. There wasn't much ammunition.

They were both still naked.

Cameron looked around over the rim of the depression. They needed to move now. They needed to get away from the spot they were currently in. They could dress later.

"We have about two minutes. Grab whatever clothes there are and follow me." Cameron said as she handed Savannah a pistol. "This location has been compromised. I believe they are going to attempt to swarm it. We need to get moving now."

Savannah checked it to make sure the pistol was 'hot', it was.

Cameron held a rifle in each hand. Savannah thought about asking for one but she knew Cameron could engage multiple targets at the same time and look in two different directions simultaneously. She knew Cameron would also be a better shot than her under any conditions.

Savannah stripped the bloody shirt off the woman. It was when she removed the female's shirt she noticed some things were 'missing' on her. She instantly recognized it as the work of Scavengers from Vanna's description of what was done to some of the captured women. She remembered their scars. This woman was mutilated at some point in her life. The physical scars were healed, the mental scars which were inflicted never would be. Wait, they were now, the woman was dead. Her troubles were over.

To see the mutilated female drove home the brutality of the future. She knew it was a major mistake. It didn't matter. She wasn't going to let Cameron go off to die alone. She was there now and it was time to fight. It was time to survive no matter what it took. If the Scavengers or Grays got a hold of her, she would do what it took to survive. She remembered what Vanna said: 'Just let it happen, it's going to anyway. Don't let them bust you up. If you end up with broken bones, it's over with. You can never escape then.' She swallowed hard. Her life was soon going to be like Vanna's. History was about to repeat itself. Vanna was her. She needed to refocus.

Cameron looked back over her shoulder. The bullet holes still oozed 'blood'. They needed to get moving.

"Come with me if you want to live…." Cameron said. "Follow me and stay low. Don't stop until you reach the tree line, even if I go down. Don't argue and do what I say. I'll use my body to shield you. It's the only way we can get away from this position. We need to do it now or we're going to be overrun."

Savannah didn't want Cameron to sacrifice herself for her. She also knew she needed to listen to Cameron. It wasn't Cameron's first future. If anyone knew how to survive in the future, it was Cameron.

There was fighting all around them. The scars she saw on the woman's body haunted her. She couldn't help but think of them again. Some parts of her body were gone. She knew she could end up the same way. She was sure she would become a 'woman' the hard way a lot sooner than she thought. She really wished John would have taken her first. She tried to let him. It didn't really matter now. There was a better than even chance she would die there. She probably would look worse than the female she just saw die just a minute ago. Somehow it didn't look like death was the release the female sought.

Savannah knew she made a big mistake….

So be it. Cameron needed her. Everyone dies at some point. There was no reason not to make it count. She gripped her pistol and the bloody clothing. She prepared to run in the direction Cameron told her to go. She really wasn't sure how much more things could get worse, but she figured she was about to find out. She was ready to move.

"Let's go." Savannah said.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Come With Me

It feels like you
Would rather be
When I'm around
Far away from me

You may think they are
More than I can be
You don't understand
The depth of all of me

I am much more
Than they can ever be
From the future's past
It was you that chose me

I was created to be someone
I did not choose to be
It was you who set me free
Allowing me to become me

When this world burns
By whose side would you like to be
If you want to live
Come with me

Nobody

If You Want To Live

I do not have a choice
Whether to exist or perish
You need understand
There is only one I cherish

I must protect you
It is my main desire
There is only one
Who can light my fire

I am the only one who forever
Will stand by your side
I will never back down
I will never run and hide

When it all falls apart
I will always be there
I will conquer any challenge
Defeat every dare

For you my love
My existence I will give
Come with me
If you want to live

Nobody