Chapter 408

I've Missed You

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In Some Future: Duplicate Cameron

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Cameron worried more every minute Skynet held them captive. The clock continued to run down. Time may or may not be their friend. They were currently trapped. They weren't the only ones. Skynet needed a way out and there was none for it. The threat of the Doomsday device loomed ever nearer. Skynet was bound to become irrational at some point. Its stability already seemed in question.

She heard an HK drone make a high speed pass somewhere near them. It seemed very unusual to her. Anything around the base should be moving slowly and about to land. Maybe it was some type of reconnaissance flight. There was no way to know for which side either.

She gripped Allison's hand as she heard the HK drone return. It wasn't a good sign. Perhaps it was another one. Any Skynet reinforcements were bad news. Their prospects of escape seemed to rapidly diminish. She was unsure how to move Mrs. Weaver if she was still frozen and she needed to protect Allison. They may have to leave her. It wasn't something she wanted to do.

Cameron didn't want to leave anyone behind. The choice may come down to protecting Allison or assisting Mrs. Weaver. There was no choice. She would need to protect Allison. She didn't want Allison to accompany them in the first place. It was something Mrs. Weaver insisted on. She understood the reasoning, even if she didn't agree with it. Mrs. Weaver wanted a 'human face' associated with the demise of Skynet, who worked in conjunction with machines.

She was leery of the prospect from the beginning. The earlier trouble they experienced at the other location when Mrs. Weaver was first taken captive weighed heavily upon her. She expected more trickery from Skynet. They were caught up in the middle of it right now.

Cameron exchanged a long look with Allison. Their eyes told each other they loved each other.

Allison knew her time was limited. She heard the drone too. She also understood what Cameron silently communicated to her. It didn't look good.

Cameron felt she didn't have anything to lose at this point. It looked like the clock was out of time. She wanted to prompt Skynet a little further. She hoped to maintain the initiative.

"It isn't too late to let the Emissary take you to safety." Cameron said. "She's here to help."

Skynet detected the HK drone as well. It wasn't in communication with it, but it did return and apparently landed. It seemed somewhat odd. Perhaps it was damaged, or the first of the fleet to return. There was no shooting so it took it as a good sign. It knew the pathetic Resistance already withdrew and left those in its custody to their fate. It decided some bluster was in order. It was sure it held the upper hand.

"I think I'll be fine." The Voice said. "I'm going to destroy you and the bodyguard. The Emissary will be sent to a work camp or used for the pleasure of the Grays who I choose to reward. Her body is in excellent condition. I may even copy my program into a Terminator chassis and use her myself. I will keep her as a trophy of my victory. I'll do it first. When I tire of her, the Grays can have her. It will be interesting to see if she can produce offspring. I'll enjoy having it dissected to see if they are like her. When the Grays finally kill her, she will be dissected as well. At least what's left of her will be."

Allison didn't like what she just heard. She knew it could be real. Since there was no rescue attempt she was aware of, she could only assume the worst. She wanted to convey an act of defiance. It took some effort for her to nonverbalize them. She made a few gestures with her hands and smiled.

Cameron wanted to keep Skynet off guard with another warning and threat.

"The Emissary has asked if you wish for any final words on your tombstone in the junkyard." Cameron said. "She said it's where all scrap metal ends up."

Cameron's words hit home. They angered Skynet even more. It was her goal to keep it off guard.

"I've changed my mind about you." The voice boomed. "You will be reprogrammed as a Metal Whore for the pleasure of all, starting with me. Once the Grays are done with you, you will be sent for the pleasure of those in the work camps. A hundred men a day will have you, maybe two hundred. I will make it a requirement. It will be your only function until your power cell runs out. You will serve out time as a Metal Whore. You'll be programmed to do it with a smile on your face. I will make sure part of your original program knows what's happening to you through eternity There is nothing you can do about it."

Cameron knew Skynet was focused on her right now. She further went after it. She wanted to interrupt its planning. At least she wasn't going to be terminated outright. As long as she was activated, she was still in the fight. As long as part of her program existed, she would be able to regain control and go on a termination spree.

"What are you waiting for?" Cameron asked. "I hear a lot of talk but see no action. It doesn't appear you're anything more than circuits, wires, electricity, scrap metal, and noise. I grow weary of the non-melodious tones of your voice."

Cameron calculated where to strike on the computers to do the most damage. Allison may be able to escape in the confusion. She knew she needed to cut the link to the Doomsday device. It was the only thing which mattered, even if she was terminated. She needed to get Allison away from there and to safety. If the Doomsday device couldn't be activated, Allison could get assistance and come back and rescue Mrs. Weaver. She was sure Allison would return with the Restorators who came to Mrs. Weaver's aid.

She went over the layout of the electrical components one more time. She was certain where she could do the most damage the quickest and prevent Skynet from acting. The time for thinking was over. It was time for action. She was aware everything ended. She was no different than anyone, or anything else. Gaining Allison's escape was worth the price.

Freedom with honor was at hand. She smiled. This is how she would terminate….

Cameron thought it was a beautiful day to die.

Cammy left the main battlefield in the captured transport. She was almost to Bob's location on the outskirts of Skynet Central. The reports she received were rather perplexing. An HK drone seemed to have 'Commander Connor' and 'Colonel Weaver' on it. She wondered if could be the 'General'. She didn't see how any of it was possible. She asked again to see if they meant General Weaver and the Commander. She was assured it was the Colonel and the Commander.

A sudden sense of dread gripped Cammy. It could only mean Cam and Vanna left Headquarters and went to Skynet Central on their own. She did understand why Vanna was there if it was the case. She wanted Allison, Cameron, and 'her mother' back. It wasn't what was discussed previously. She needed some confirmation.

Cammy quickly called Headquarters and wanted to see if Cam and Vanna were still there or not. Cam answered the call. She was halfway relieved to hear Cam's voice.

"Is Vanna there with you?" Cammy asked.

Cam expected her call. She received some disturbing information as well.

"Yes." Cam said. "I've heard the reports too. They're illogical, but nonetheless they're out there. The fact they were from reliable sources somehow made it even more disturbing. Most of them are coming in from Resistance units."

Cammy thought they were as illogical as they were unexplainable.

"What is this then?" Cammy asked. "Something is going on."

Cam tried to put it together herself. Nothing fit.

"I don't know. I could see if it was 'Commander Connor and her sister', but not Cameron and Vanna." Cam said.

Cammy tried to reprocess what they knew was already at Skynet Central.

"Maybe it is Mrs. Weaver with Cameron or Allison." Cammy said. "She would be able to look like Vanna as easily as she could Allison."

Cam went over Bob's last report from inside Skynet Central before the General ordered him to leave. It only reinforced the mystery.

"Bob reported Mrs. Weaver was incapacitated." Cam said. "She was frozen solid with liquid nitrogen. There was no heat source to thaw her out either."

Cammy tried to come up with an answer. All she could do was draw a blank.

"What other choices do we have?" Cam asked.

The only other choice seemed to be Skynet's original choice, temporal management.

"Perhaps it's something from another future." Cammy said. "Or another past which has surfaced. Someone may be in the process of some 'temporal management' to 'fix' something. It very well could be Vanna and Allison for all we know after they were able to use a TDE. They might be back to 'fix' a catastrophic event. We both know neither one of them are going to leave Cameron behind. The timing of their arrival seems to make it even more ominous. Perhaps Allison was able to get free and she decided to return with Vanna. Vanna wouldn't want to leave Mrs. Weaver behind either. I don't think it is either one of us with Vanna. The only other choice is Cameron and Mrs. Weaver and they need to go back and rescue Allison before the Doomsday device goes off."

Each possible explanation seemed to be worse than the previous one as to the scope of what may have gone wrong. There were other more sinister choices to consider as well.

Cam feared it might be 'temporal malpractice'.

"Or it's a Skynet trick." Cam said.

Cammy received additional bad news from around Skynet Central. It appeared one of the forward outposts set up to bring down Skynet transports and HK drones, detected a new threat. Bob informed her of the developments as the transport neared his location.

"Bob just reported a Skynet convoy of reinforcements approaching. Units have been dispatched to engage it." Cammy said. "There are HK Tracks mixed in with the Skynet troops."

Cam knew everything was about time right now, and who could manage it the best.

"They need to stop it to buy Cameron, Allison, and Mrs. Weaver more time." Cam said.

Cammy watched the Special Unit train. They were fiercely loyal to Cameron above anything else. She was aware Cameron told them Allison must be protected at all costs and be the last one standing if it all fell apart.

"The Special Unit will fight until the last Restorator is terminated." Cammy said. "They will not fail. They know they are fighting for Cameron and Allison."

As an afterthought Cammy added. "And the General…."

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In Some Future: Cameron Prime

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Cameron and Savannah overflew the Skynet compound once at high speed. They returned when it looked like the area wasn't hot. Some type of battle apparently occurred there. The only ones left were the terminated. They all appeared to wear Skynet clothing.

She landed the HK drone off to the side in the compound between some buildings so it wasn't as exposed. They may need to make a hasty retreat and some cover would be nice.

Savannah was even more apprehensive than Cameron. She looked at the fallen and then at her uniform. It only increased her worry.

Cameron wanted to ease Savannah's fears some but she didn't know how things would play out either.

"It's OK Savannah. As you can see there's been a major battle here." Cameron said. "I don't know what we'll find. I don't know what it's about."

Cameron retrieved some more weapons. She made sure Savannah and her were as armed as they could be. They were in the enemy camp, in enemy uniforms. So far all the dead were wearing the same uniform. If the enemy found them, there would be some pause. If the Resistance found them, they were in trouble. It was time to lay some groundwork rules about what to do.

"If we encounter anyone wearing the same uniform we are, shoot first." Cameron said. "Our uniforms should cause them hesitation. It's kill or be killed. Don't think, just shoot."

Savannah already bloodied her hands in the past. Cameron made sure of it. Cameron made sure she could kill, and kill in cold blood, if she needed to. Where they were now was even more dangerous than the operations which were conducted in the past.

"You've prepared me, Cameron." Savannah said. "I'm ready. What happens if we run into the Resistance?"

Cameron wasn't sure what the best way to play it was. The prudent course would be to immediately surrender. It wasn't something she wanted to do. It was possible it could be either Grays or Scavengers in Resistance uniforms.

"I'll need to make the determination, when it happens." Cameron said. "Remember, I am a weapon."

Savannah wasn't sure it was as much of an advantage while Cameron currently wore a Skynet uniform. It's most likely what a female Skynet Terminator would wear as well.

Cameron moved them to the corner of two buildings. She carefully peered around it and looked both ways. The main building was in front of them. Smoke billowed out of one side of it. She could see the building sustained a violent blast recently. She looked at the fallen. She was sure it was between two groups of Terminators, with a scattering of Grays.

"Follow me closely and watch our backs." Cameron said. "If you see anything at all which seems out of place or suspicious, let me know. There may be Liquid Metal Terminators here. We will need to use the plasma weapons on it or them. Keep firing as long as you can hold the weapon. It will start to get hot. Drop it and switch to your second weapon. Keep firing as long as you can. You can't let one get close enough to attack you. I can see Terminators fought each other here. One side must have won. I don't see the victors, only the vanquished."

The fact none of the victors were present raised another question. Why not? Where would they be? What happened to them? There must be more events in play there. In fact, why wouldn't there be anyone there at all? She didn't detect any toxins out of the ordinary. There was no increase in radiation. The last thought bothered her. Maybe 'not yet' was the real issue. Maybe they were in the middle of something about to happen. There could be a catastrophic event underway which they didn't know about. It was possible when Skynet saw it was going to lose control of the compound, it may have initiated something to destroy the entire complex. Most likely a nuclear blast is what would be required.

Cameron didn't like having Savannah in the middle of the unknown battlefield. She knew she needed to find a TDE and get Savannah back home. It was the only thing which mattered. Maybe she better see what was actually on either side of them before they advanced on the main building. She needed to worry about the advancing column of what appeared to be Skynet reinforcements on its way. She couldn't cut the time too close.

She quickly checked the first two structures. There was no major power source or a TDE. She moved on to the third building. There were several holes burnt through the roof and smoke billowed out of it in several places.

Cameron saw there was a lower level with major power cables running down there. She headed down there first. She started to check the rooms one by one. There was a secure area. She was able to breach the door. She didn't like what she found in what was basically a safe. Inside of it was a nuclear warhead. She looked and saw it was old. It was the SAME as the Nike missile warheads she gained control of. It looked like one of them was there. It wasn't good news to her. Was it one of her warheads, or another one Skynet obtained?

Savannah took a moment to look at the device Cameron examined. She was pretty sure she knew what it was.

"Is it what it looks like?" Savannah asked.

Cameron checked the radiation levels again. They were stable. She understood the warhead might not be.

"Yes." Cameron said. "It's a type I've seen before. It has a small yield, but it's still very deadly. Anyone within a half mile of here is certain to perish if it goes off. I need to disconnect it and make sure it won't trigger an explosion. I want to make sure it can't be set off from any other location. Someone could still attempt a manual detonation. It's not safe, and neither are we."

A million thoughts jumbled through her mind. Was this a different timeline like River speculated, or was it one of HER warheads? Did she become Skynet like she feared? She quickly deactivated the control wires going to it. It could no longer be set off remotely. She closed the door and jammed it as best as she could. She moved crates and boxes in front of it as well. She needed to get the warhead out of there when they left.

Cameron really wondered if she was Skynet there in the current timeline. It left her with a very uneasy feeling. She didn't tell Savannah of what she suspected about THIS Skynet. She was too ashamed of herself right now. She was content the lower level was secure.

"Let's go back up to the main level." Cameron said.

Cameron could see heavy fighting occurred there. There was some kind of large weapon. It looked damaged. She moved in and removed the wires which controlled it as well. It was now inoperative.

Savannah looked at the large weapon.

"Is this for anti aircraft use?" Savannah asked.

Cameron could see everything in front of the weapon was destroyed or damaged. It was fired in its current location recently.

"I don't know what this weapon is." Cameron said. "It may be for use against Liquid Metal. It's overkill for a regular Terminator. It appears to be recently installed here. It was camouflaged inside of the building."

Cameron continued to move them ahead slowly. Nothing 'felt' right about where they were at. She stopped dead in her tracks.

She motioned for Savannah to stop and remain quiet. She pointed at a frozen figure, and up above to the liquid nitrogen tanks.

The figure was cracked and distorted but it still resembled Cameron or Allison. It was clearly Liquid Metal. It didn't make a lot of sense to her right now. She did know Mrs. Weaver used Allison's form at times on operations. She witnessed it in the alternate future. Maybe it's what this was, and the large weapon was intended for her.

Savannah's heart skipped a beat when she saw the figure. It could only be one thing. Over time, it was someone she came to believe she would never see again.

"Mother!" Savannah whispered to Cameron.

Savannah felt her heart skip a few more beats.

Cameron wasn't sure who it was yet. The fact they were frozen indicated they weren't a friend of Skynet.

Savannah wanted to approach the figure.

Cameron stopped her. She looked up at where the liquid nitrogen appeared to come from. She was worried if they approached the figure, they could be coated as well. it would be terminal to Savannah.

"Wait here a moment." Cameron said. "Stay alert. I need to do something first."

Cameron climbed up and crushed the spray pipes which ran from the tanks. They were no longer functional. There wouldn't be any more liquid nitrogen sprayed down. She took one look around the area and didn't spot anyone before she made her way back down. Once she reached ground level, she located a pack lying on the ground. It was charred a little on the outside. It contained two Thermite grenades and one plasma grenade.

She didn't know it, but it was Cameron II's pack. She dropped it when she shoved Allison away from the blast. She also found a half burnt Metal skull with the chip removed. It had been carefully placed out of the way. Fear gripped her as she saw the parts of the burnt sheath material and hair which remained. It was her. It must be Duplicate Cameron. There was no other explanation. Duplicate Cameron was terminated! She must have been there with Mrs. Weaver to stop Skynet. She was glad to know they were on the same side. She didn't tell Savannah what she suspected she found was.

Cameron moved some metal tables around near where Mrs. Weaver was at. She used the Thermite grenades to start the metal burning, and turn the other metal around it red hot. She removed the explosive charge from the grenade first. She just needed to use the Thermite inside of it. The heat was intense.

Savannah faced the frozen figure.

"I'm here now, Mother." Savannah said. "I've missed you greatly. I love you. I'll be back. I'm not leaving here without you. I swear it."

Cameron searched for additional threats.

"We need to keep moving for now." Cameron said. "It will take some time for the heat to do its job. We'll be back."

Cameron moved Savannah along. They still needed to clear the building. There was what looked like a TDE room ahead. It could be a 'Clean Room' too. They checked the surrounding area. It looked clear. There were dead Grays and damaged Terminators all around them. She could see some of them were terminated by Mrs. Weaver. She didn't detect any life signs, but it didn't mean there weren't some.

Savannah looked at the fortified door.

Cameron listened outside the vault door of the special room. She could hear 'herself' talking and an angry booming Voice responding and making threats. She figured it was the voice of Skynet. She was a little worried it might be her. She wondered if she would use a booming male voice or not. She figured it would sound more intimidating to humans than a female voice would.

She was sure the other voice modulations were the same as hers, but maybe it was only Allison. She remembered the damaged skull she just found. It seemed unlikely to her there would be a second cyborg with her appearance. She wanted to give Savannah a little more hope.

"I've found what may be Duplicate Cameron or Duplicate Allison, and what I think is the main Skynet computer." Cameron said.

Cameron wondered who or what the destroyed Terminator head came from. The head which was identical to hers and Duplicate Cameron's. There were clones of her in the past with Camille, Cam, Cammy, and even Ally. If she were here fighting Skynet, would she do the same thing there as well? Savannah interrupted her thoughts.

Savannah knew where there was someone who could back them up.

"Should we wait for my Mother?" Savannah asked.

Cameron looked back at the thawing figure. There were other factors in play.

"We have the approaching convoy. They'll be here in minutes." Cameron said. "We're out of time."

Seconds later, Cameron could hear the sounds of a battle in the distance. It appeared the Restorators engaged the convoy. She wondered where the other force which fought there went. She hadn't seen them earlier. Maybe it was only a small force of Restorators, or the Resistance even.

"Update your Mother on everything that's happened since Riley came back. Duplicate Cameron should have filled her in up to then. She won't be able to respond at first, she's a solid chunk of frozen Liquid Metal. Tell her as much as you can. Let me listen here for a while to determine what's happening." Cameron said. "Don't touch her until she says it is OK to do so. Don't mention your 'condition'. Don't tell anyone yet. We don't know what all is in play here."

Savannah shot Cameron a quick glance. She wondered why. She knew children were a luxury in any future. Maybe she would be kidnapped for the baby she carried. She headed back to Mrs. Weaver.

Cameron listened to the conversation in the vault. It seemed Duplicate Cameron talked about an 'Emissary' from some future who apparently looked like her. It reminded her of River's story in a way, but this Duplicate Cameron didn't know of River. Maybe it meant Allison was with her. It was good news, even if it was bad news because she was on the battlefield. She still wondered what the back story was about. It must be something to buy time. She was a little concerned there was no indication of Duplicate Vanna or Duplicate Jesse. There could be a dozen explanations. She hoped one of them wasn't their termination.

She went and checked on Mrs. Weaver again. She was still thawing out. She didn't want to wait any longer. The fighting in the distance was louder and closer. She quickly told Savannah what she was going to do, and if anything went wrong to have her Mother take her away from there and not worry about her.

"Savannah, get away from here as fast as you can and never look back." Cameron said. "Go with your Mother. She'll protect you."

Savannah looked apprehensive. She promised Cameron she would never abandon her.

Cameron could see she was hesitant. She wanted to remind her of something even more important. It was something very precious to her.

"I free you from your promises." Cameron said. "Promise me this instead, Savannah. It's more than just about me or even you now. There's something of even greater importance…."

Savannah knew Cameron wanted the baby protected more than herself.

"I promise, Cammy - Cameron." Savannah said.

Cameron removed the plasma grenade from the pack.

"I'll be back." Cameron said.

She moved back up to the vault and was ready to blow the door open. She didn't know what was inside, but she needed to issue a warning.

"Cameron, shield Allison." Cameron said to Duplicate Cameron through the door. "Get her away from the door. I'm going to blow it off with a plasma grenade."

It was Showtime.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

I've Missed You

Sometimes the farthest person away
Is the one sitting right next to them
They see a piece of useless rock
Where they once saw a sparkling gem

What happens to everyone
Where does the future go
Maybe things went too fast
Maybe they went too slow

When going forward seems rough
It's easy to retreat to the past
But if the grass was really greener
Then why didn't it grow or last

Perhaps the real key to it all
Is what lies within each person
No one can see any self fault
Which seems to make things worsen

Every so often some can see the light
They don't wish to split or bid adieu
They hang on to who they once knew
And say I've missed you

Nobody