Chapter 424

Always Looking Out For Me

Savannah lay on her bed naked. Cammy was next to her. There were a lot of thoughts pounding around inside of her head. She needed to talk to someone. She needed to talk to a human female. Her first instinct was to seek out Young Allison. Somehow it seemed all wrong if she were to do so. It wasn't their time yet, even if it was. Sarah and Riley both seemed like a bad choice. She didn't want Kyle and Derek drug into it. Jesse and Gail were out. Young Jesse was on the other side of the world, quite literally. It only left her with one choice. Somehow it seemed like the right choice since it was actually 'herself'.

"I need to talk to Vanna." Savannah said. "I need for her to know what happened. I think she'll understand me better than anyone else can."

Cammy was sure it was a bad idea. She thought the fewer people who knew what occurred, the better. She could also see how troubled Savannah was with everything. Maybe she did need to talk with 'herself'.

"I don't know if it's the right choice or not." Cammy said. "If it's something you think will make you feel better about everything, and yourself, then maybe it's the thing to do. I'm not sure she'll receive the information in a good context for several reasons."

Savannah frowned. She was sure Cammy meant Vanna would want to know why she wasn't allowed to have the infant instead of Duplicate Vanna. Duplicate Vanna was technically Vanna in every regard. She understood there might be some personal issues develop over the situation.

"I understand." Savannah said. "I just want her to know what's occurred and why. I feel I owe her an explanation ahead of time for the very reason you just indicated might occur. I also want her to know Cameron was not responsible in any way, well, not directly anyway."

Cammy checked her phone and found out where Vanna was at. She was pleased to see Cam was with her. She hoped it would make things go a little smoother. Cam and Vanna already knew part of the details about what occurred since they were at Cameron's base soon after the initial event went down. They weren't privy to exactly how events played out.

Savannah got dressed. She took a moment to look at herself in the mirror. She didn't have the opportunity to see much of herself in the future. There weren't a lot of mirrors. She didn't like the way her body looked now.

Cammy watched as Savannah pushed on both of her breasts in an attempt to make them smaller. It wasn't going to work. She already reduced the pressure earlier, but still needed to leave some so Savannah's body could reacclimate itself to a non-nursing condition.

Once they were dressed, they left Savannah's room and headed for the lab.

John Henry was worried about the readings he observed from both Cameron and Savannah. There was a chance they were infiltrated. It seemed unlikely, but it still remained a possibility. It needed to be checked out. He didn't alert anyone of his findings or what he was about to do. He was sure there was some explanation.

He watched as Savannah and Cammy left their room and entered the lab. They were going to see Vanna and Cam. He waited until they were there for a few minutes. He went to the lab and remained outside for a little longer. He needed to use as much tact as possible. He was unsure what kind of problem it was going to cause. He knew there would be one.

John Henry entered the lab and started to investigate as diplomatically as possible.

Vanna seemed to have a very concerned look on her face as Savannah spoke to her. Vanna looked stressed out and her color faded some from its normal glow. She actually looked paler than Savannah did at this point. Maybe he put too much credence in Savannah's 'look'. Vanna gave Savannah a tight close hug. Both of the girls wiped away tears. It appeared they shared some very deep and troubling emotions. Whatever it was, it looked serious.

He thought about leaving at this point. He didn't want to disrupt some personal exchange. Maybe there was an explanation for everything and he was reading between the lines. There was clearly some deep emotional event both Vanna and Savannah experienced. They were the same person after all. It was clear they still were, even if things didn't seem to add up. He was there to do his job. He moved away from the door and further into the lab.

John Henry visually scanned both of the girls as they faced each other. It was a perfect way to 'compare' Vanna and Savannah face to face. Savannah was now different in every physical dimension as compared to Vanna. Every one of them was 'larger'. Some were significantly different than others. It was very disturbing.

Cammy realized exactly what John Henry was up to. He already obtained an image he could compare in detail. She was afraid the cat was out of the bag. Savannah needed to be 'protected' right now. She sprang into action. The first move was to deflect attention away from Savannah and concentrate it on her. The goal was to make herself the target. It was her function.

She walked over in front of John Henry and blocked his view of Savannah. She opened her top up and undid her front hook bra. Her firm breasts popped out in front of him. She spread her shirt wide open. Her upper torso was completely exposed now. She became confrontational.

"Do you want to look at some breasts? Well here, you can see mine instead." Cammy said. "You may touch them as well."

Cammy glared at John Henry.

Everyone else looked very uncomfortable. They knew what Cammy was doing. It was clear she was protecting Savannah.

John Henry liked what Cammy did in front of him, but it wasn't why he was there. He was there to do his job. There were questions which needed answers. He thought maybe he should try to explain himself before things deteriorated further. He didn't doubt for a moment Cammy would become physical with him if she felt she needed to be. The fact Cam was there as well would only add to it. She would back up Cammy in an instant. They were both there to protect their girls, Vanna and Savannah. The fact wasn't lost on him they both ran Cameron's program, even if it was out of date and modified somewhat.

"I have to follow up on all security leads, you know this." John Henry said. "Something is off. Savannah, I need to touch you. I need to scan you."

Cammy blocked John Henry's path.

Cam moved up beside her. It was clear they would act as a team. It was understandable. They were both 'Cameron' in reality.

Cammy took John Henry's hand and placed it on her left breast.

"You can touch me instead." Cammy said. "I'd like it."

The look on her face indicated otherwise.

Savannah could see things were falling apart fast. Cammy and Cam were going to 'fight' for her if necessary. It wasn't what she wanted. She didn't want things to get out of control. It was the direction things were headed rapidly. It was time to spill the truth with a few 'bends' in it. She knew the conversation was headed towards Cameron sooner or later. She knew it was her turn to protect someone as well. She needed to protect Cameron. The goal was to make herself the target. She wanted to deflect attention away from ending up on Cameron and concentrate it on her. It was exactly what Cammy just did for her and Cam backed her play.

Vanna was still speechless about everything. She found what started to happen now even more perplexing. Everyone wanted to protect someone else. She would back Savannah's play. She felt Savannah 'suffered' enough already. She still couldn't believe Savannah actually had a baby in another future.

Savannah rolled the dice. She let 'her story' spin itself. She wanted to seem flustered. She wasn't. She made calculated moves and statements. It was what Cameron trained her to do. Sometimes an infiltration mission could take a wrong turn. They would need to think fast on their feet and come up with plausible answers for any questions. In an actual mission, if the situation was about to go out of control, it would be time for the termination of the mark. There weren't going to be any terminations at the Resistance base.

"Everyone is going to know." Savannah said. "I need to go back to Australia. I don't want to cause any more problems here. I thought you would all support me and what I did. It just happened."

Cammy picked up on Savannah misdirection instantly. She knew it was for Cameron's benefit. Savannah would now 'humiliate' herself in front of John Henry. It bothered her some but she understood it. She held John Henry's hand to her left breast still. Love was about sacrifice.

"John Henry already knows, or he thinks he does anyway." Cammy said. "He needs to understand this is a very private matter, especially for a young teenage girl."

Savannah looked desperate. Her deepest secret was out. She compromised her body in the most personal way.

"Please, John Henry, don't tell anyone." Savannah said.

John Henry wished he would've sent Bob to do the investigation instead. He felt very disturbed about it all.

Savannah moved around Cam and Cammy. She looked at John Henry and removed his hand Cammy held on her left breast. She placed his hand on her neck. She figured he was busy processing everything which just happened with Cammy.

John Henry began to scan Savannah. His eyes widened some but his expression remained the same. He needed to triple check everything since he refused to believe the first two scans. He was sure he didn't read everything correctly. He quickly realized it was because he didn't want to accept what the readings indicated. It wasn't what he wanted to verify, even if it was necessary.

Savannah could see he had a little trouble believing what the facts just indicated. She decided to 'humiliate' herself a little more. The worse she made it look for herself, the less he would probably ask about the details.

"Now you know." Savannah said. "I was a 'bad' girl. Now I've been 'caught' and everyone will soon know my shame as well, I feel really embarrassed."

John Henry processed everything Savannah said. He knew not all sexual encounters were advertised by females in this regard. There was a certain stigma applied to 'loose' females. Some of the slang names were very derogatory. He began to run through them. He didn't want them attached to Savannah. He needed to refocus.

"Does Cameron know of this?" John Henry asked.

John Henry went to remove his hand but Savannah reached up and held it to her neck before she answered. She wanted him to know her answer was truthful. It was because it was.

"It was done without Cameron's knowledge." Savannah said. "I did it on my own. She didn't know until later. It upset her greatly."

Savannah made sure John Henry still scanned her to show him she was truthful. At least in this regard. It was the one which mattered. She needed to 'protect' Cameron. What she did on her own with the Young Jesse wasn't Cameron's doing. The fact she actually did it was because Cameron wasn't in Australia when she did. She didn't want to think of it as going behind Cameron's back to do it, but it was what it amounted to. If Cameron would have been in Australia, it probably wouldn't have happened.

John Henry now had a dozen questions. They all seemed sensitive and problematic. He felt somewhat distressed to ask them. They still needed to be asked. He didn't know any other way to do it other than to just ask.

"Who's the father, and where's the baby?" John Henry asked.

Vanna knew it was her cue to get into the mix and help sell the story. She wanted to protect Savannah too. She was already extremely emotional about what she learned so far from Savannah.

"John Henry, this is Savannah. She's OUR Savannah, please stop this. What's done is done." Vanna said. "She was able to have a choice, I didn't. You need to respect it. I would have done the same thing if I would have been able to have a choice when I was younger than her. You don't know what it's like not to have a choice, even if you think you do. You don't."

Savannah already felt bad about the deception to John Henry. She just wanted the whole thing dropped.

"Please, John Henry, don't make a big deal about this for me." Savannah said. "I'm no longer a girl in any way anymore. I'm an adult."

John Henry didn't like to press Savannah, but there were too many things which didn't add up. There were certain things he detected which needed to be addressed in some way. There was no logical explanation for them. There needed to be some better answers. Something very important was missing as well.

"Your radiation levels are elevated. The pollutants in your body are up. Your hormones are off balance." John Henry said. "WHERE is the baby?"

Savannah knew it was coming out now anyway. She didn't want to lie to John Henry. The truth was stranger than fiction. Her main goal was to protect Cameron, not herself. What was done, was done. Cameron didn't have anything to do with it.

"The second Duplicate Vanna has the baby along with our 'mother'." Savannah said.

John Henry tilted his head slightly. He needed to process the new information. There were some things of great importance contained in her short statement. They could affect many things going forward. It probably wouldn't be in a positive manner either.

"You were in the future with Mrs. Wea…, our 'mother'?" John Henry asked. "How long were you away?"

Savannah wanted the truth known.

"I was there for ten months." Savannah said. "I was with Cameron. Cameron wasn't responsible for any of it. I want to make it clear because I know there's going to be trouble going forward. The trouble starts and stops with me. Cameron tried to help me cover it up because I asked for her help. I didn't think anyone else would be able to help me like she could."

A lot of things started to make more sense to him now.

"Is it where Cameron was 'repaired'?" John Henry asked.

Savannah didn't want to bring up the new battle damage Cameron suffered. It was horrendous enough when it happened. There was no need to relive it. She knew it was her fault too when it happened. It changed the calculations Cameron made about where and when her arrival would be. With her and the time bubble, they ended up on the battlefield. Cameron took bullets intended for her. She was pretty sure if she was a Terminator she would experience a glitch impulse just thinking about what happened and why.

"Yes." Savannah said. "It bothered her. Everything she needed to do it was there. Can we keep all this between us?"

The four females all looked at John Henry. Cammy still exposed her breasts. He hadn't decided what to do yet. He was very conflicted.

The lab door opened and Cameron boldly entered the room. She would need to go over things with him in detail before he made his report to John.

"There are certain personal things the General doesn't need to know the details of." Cameron said.

John Henry looked at Cameron. He didn't want to go against her, especially over the current matter. It was very sensitive on multiple levels, especially since Savannah was involved. It was his job to protect Savannah as well.

"Yes." John Henry said. "I will for Savannah's sake and honor."

Savannah wanted to keep the focus on her.

"John Henry, I have no honor." Savannah said. "I was a pregnant teenager. It happens. Cameron helped me. We should all thank her for hiding my 'shame'."

It sounded like a bigger can of worms to John Henry. He was sure Cameron would fill him in better later on. He figured he would need to leave a few details out of his report to John once Cameron told him what he could or couldn't say.

Savannah didn't need to be part of the discussion.

"I'm sorry to intrude." John Henry said. "This is a 'personal matter' not a 'security matter'. I'm sorry, Savannah. I know nothing about it."

Savannah stepped forward and gently touched John Henry's cheek.

"Thank you, John Henry." Savannah said. "I really appreciate your understanding."

John Henry nodded and turned to leave. He took one more look at Cammy's exposed breasts first.

Cameron touched John Henry's arm as he turned to go.

"Thank You." Cameron said.

John Henry nodded and left. He was sure there was a lot more to the story. The bottom line was they hadn't been infiltrated.

Earlier, Cameron was alerted to what transpired in the lab by CamNet. She was informed what the girls all did for her and each other. She hurried there as soon as possible. She personally appreciated how Savannah tried to 'protect' her. She would rather take the heat than have any of it fall on Savannah.

"You didn't have to do what you did, for me." Cameron said.

Savannah knew Cameron was in pretty deep on everything she put into play without John's knowledge. It was bound to create some friction going forward. There was no way they would be able to keep a lid on everything indefinitely. She wasn't sure they would need to either.

"Maybe it will buy you a few more months before it all blows up." Savannah said. "Cammy, get your 'holster' back on, those two belong to me."

Everyone watched as Cammy hooked her bra and buttoned her top.

Cameron turned her attention back to Savannah.

"Thank you, Savannah." Cameron said. "You're always looking out for me."

Savannah didn't want any more problems for Cameron. It seemed she suffered enough.

"It's what people do when they love someone." Savannah said. "You'll need to keep Sarah away from me for a while."

Cameron figured there was only one way it was going to happen. They needed time away from the base. Savannah would need to return to where things started.

"Who's ready to go 'Down Under'?" Cameron asked.

Vanna lightly moistened her lips. She knew what she liked.

"I always am." Vanna said.

Everyone laughed.

John Henry returned to the Command Center. John was there. He figured now was the time to set things straight and leave out as much personal detail as possible.

"John." John Henry said.

John looked up as John Henry entered the room.

"Yes?" John asked.

John Henry wanted to stick to the facts.

"I've determined it actually was Cameron. She repaired herself with parts off another female Terminator chassis." John Henry said. "She planned it for a while. It's why everything is healed already."

John nodded. He would have preferred if she would have switched several 'other parts' which weren't quite as visible just to give him something a little less seasoned to try out. He was unable to detect any type of difference when he was with Cameron earlier. He was as much relieved as he was disappointed to know it was actually Cameron and not someone 'new'. Even if it would have been Cameron in a different chassis, it would have been like someone 'new' anyway.

"She told me the same thing, more or less." John said. "Everything seemed the same to me as it always has."

John Henry was aware Cameron always wanted to look nice for John.

"Vanity is important to Cameron." John Henry said. "You know she likes to look Tight for you. I think it's something which should be appreciated. Not all married females tend to keep up their pre-marriage appearance as time goes on."

What John Henry didn't reiterate was Cameron's belief John's attraction to her was based solely on her appearance. When she first met him, she presented herself as Future Allison to him, not as a very scary robot from the future.

John briefly contemplated John Henry's statement about housewives letting themselves go. Somehow he couldn't picture Cameron with her hair and curlers, wearing a bathrobe, and trying to hide her expanding waistline. He knew those were changes usually accompanied by less time in the bedroom of a personal nature.

The issue seemed closed to John. It was time to move on. There were other more important matters which needed to be followed up on.

"I do. I appreciate it too." John said. "Are they still testing at Cameron's base?"

John Henry didn't want to get into the real issue.

"No, they stopped." John Henry said. "River returned to her future, and the testing stopped."

John still wondered about it and what they were really up to. The implications could be far reaching and profound depending upon what was actually attempted. It still seemed like a lot of needless danger for everyone involved. There was always something which could go wrong, especially a temporal error.

"Were they just making sure it worked?" John asked. "I guess River was just here to assist them. It was nice to see her."

John didn't know Cameron tracked down John Henry and made sure he told the version of events she wanted told.

John Henry didn't look forward to being deactivated for 'noncompliance'. Nobody could say 'No' to Cameron. Cameron was the one in control, everyone knew it.

If she exerted this much control in her future, it must have been a living Hell for Future John. No wonder Future John NEEDED to send her away….

Ally was headed for Palmdale. She wanted to see who else wanted to go. Summer was the closest one.

"Hey, Summer." Ally said. "I'm going to check on Allison and Holly. I want to see Claire and Hanna too. Do you want to tag along?"

Summer tilted her head slightly.

"I don't know." Summer said.

Ally wondered what there was to know or not know about a simple trip. Maybe it was a deeper issue.

"Are you worried about going because you're the teenage Terminator version of Claire's youngest daughter?" Ally asked.

Summer was aware of her appearance. She felt she was her program.

"Yes." Summer said. "I'm a copy of Cameron's program."

Ally wanted to mess with Summer a little. She was also up to a 'little more'.

"We all know it. Nobody's perfect." Ally said. "Do you want to do 'something' Cameron hasn't done yet?"

Ally moved up close to Summer. The invitation was unspoken but clear.

Summer knew she was just 'hit on'.

"I'm your sister." Summer said. "Stop. I'd expect this behavior from Sheila and Hanna, not you."

Ally wanted a little more. It looked like it wasn't going to happen.

"You're a killjoy, like Cameron." Ally said. "It's why we're all better infiltrators than she can ever be."

Summer didn't like her program being run down indirectly.

"It's ME you're talking about." Summer said. "I'm 'Cameron' too."

Ally knew where things would end up sooner or later. It would probably be sooner..

"It's going to have to change, you know." Ally said.

Summer liked who she was.

"I'm fine." Summer said.

Ally doubted she would be for long.

"Without someone other than John as your primary directive, you're going to fight Cameron for John at some point." Ally said. "You will lose."

Summer frowned a little.

"I know." Summer said. "Cameron said she planned something for me."

Ally wanted to do something different. She wondered if it was something exciting. Other than terminating Grays and future Scavengers, not much else seemed to happen.

"What is it?" Ally asked "Can two do it?"

Summer wasn't sure what the task was, but it seemed important to Cameron.

"No, she said if I accept her proposal, it will fulfill my existence." Summer said. "She wouldn't tell me any more yet."

"Where is Cameron?" Ally said. "I hear she's been busy lately."

Summer didn't want any trouble. She certainly didn't want to go over the events which occurred at Cameron's base for the last couple of days.

"It's best not to worry about what Cameron does." Summer said.

Ally could see the apple didn't fall far from the tree

"Spoken like a true killjoy herself and Cameron program copy." Ally said. "Are you going to download the files Cameron has of the girls and her clones? It's the information she's too afraid to view."

Summer wanted to 'expand' her existence. She was ready to explore.

"I've thought about it." Summer said. "I want the information. I already have the files on John. I want more."

Ally thought viewing the files would be better after Summer created some of her own first.

"My advice is to wait and make your own files." Ally said. "You'll really learn more if you do, especially with your programming off."

Summer looked unsure.

"I don't know." Summer said.

Ally thought she did know.

"Without Cameron around, maybe you can find Jesse or Vanna." Ally said. "When you want more, you know where to find me 'sister'."

Ally smiled at her and left. She laughed as she walked down the hall.

Sheila was in the other room, listening. She walked out and faced Summer.

"When you're done with them and her, love, I'll show you a 'real female' and what I can do for you." Sheila said. "You'll be back for more."

It didn't seem like the appropriate time to point out Sheila was a machine, not a 'real female'.

Summer and Sheila shared a long glance. A lot was communicated without a word being spoken.

"I'm sure you will." Summer said. "I'll remember it."

Sheila smiled. She moved just right. A firm perky breast with a nipple ring popped out for Summer to look at.

"I won't let you forget, love." Sheila said. "It IS going to happen…."

Sheila looked over Summer with hungry eyes.

Summer let her….

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Always Looking Out For Me

When one is found
It's easy to get lost
It's not about worth
It's more about cost

Each person must ascertain
What is really for sale
It doesn't take too long
For life's train to derail

Everyone is left with the pieces
From the jigsaw puzzle of life
One thing is for certain
It's bound to cause strife

When it all hits the fan
Who is the one that will remain
It taxes the heart and soul
As it warps and erodes the brain

From the rubble of the fog of life
There's one that you can clearly see
They are the one to appreciate for
Always looking out for me

Nobody