Chapter 441

Temporal Tribulations

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Cameron's Base Current Timeline:

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It was time to retrieve Cameron, Savannah and Ginger–Cammy from Cameron's future. Claire and Holly-Hanna were just successfully returned.

Sheila started the TDE.

The arcing and flashing started.

The energy bubble formed and vanished in a flash.

The arcing and flashing ended.

A few moments passed. Sheila worked the controls again.

The arcing and flashing started.

The time bubble appeared.

It was empty.

The arcing and flashing ended.

Cameron, Savannah and Ginger–Cammy weren't in it.

Something was wrong….

This was bad news - REAL bad.

Ally gripped her M60 tightly.

"Where are they?" Ally asked.

Sheila looked at the controls. Everything was set correctly.

"I don't know." Sheila said.

Ginger's chip was in Cammy's chassis. She sensed this as danger to Cameron. She wanted to act. Her loyalty was to Cameron.

"Send it again. I'll go." Cammy-Ginger said. "Let me go look for them. Cameron needs my help."

Claire was asked to wait outside for safety reason in case 'trouble' returned with the energy bubble. She heard the concern of the Metal girls. She entered into the TDE room. She was aware that something was wrong. She didn't see how. Everything worked perfectly for her.

"We were just there." Claire said. "Let me go back. Cameron was there with us."

Allison followed her mother back into the TDE room. She was glad her mother was back but still upset her baby was given to Future Allison. All that didn't matter right now. Things could be worse.

"Mom, you need to understand it could be YOU that was missing right now." Allison said. "All this is very dangerous and many things can go wrong."

Claire remembered that Cameron warned her of the dangers. Maybe she didn't take them seriously enough. She did now.

Hanna entered the TDE room behind Allison. A copy of her program was just there. It returned in Holly's chassis with Claire. It was copied back onto her chip. Since she possessed those files it was the same now as if she was there in Cameron's future herself. She knew what Cameron wanted and didn't want. Cameron didn't want the 'Day Of Loss' repeated.

"Everyone – STOP!" Hanna said. "This isn't what Cameron wants us to do again. My program was just there. There's a Resistance controlled TDE and the one that Duplicate Cameron and Future John captured at Skynet Central."

Claire didn't see what difference that made. They were missing right now. What about Cameron and Savannah?

"We have to go back for them." Claire said again. "We can't abandon them."

Ally knew something was wrong. There was only one sure way to track this back to the point of the problem.

"We won't abandon anyone." Ally said. "I'll go back myself to the time right after you came back and then find out what happened."

Ginger wasn't worried about her chassis that was there with Cammy's chip in it, she was worried about Cameron.

"I'm going with her." Cammy–Ginger said.

Sheila could see there was a problem with Ally and Cammy–Ginger both going.

"Do we want two more 'Cameron look a likes' in that timeline?" Sheila asked. "That is sure to breed more trouble itself."

Holly knew this was her call. She'd pulled a 'fast one' in the hope to be with Future Allison. It was time to 'pay the piper'.

"I'll go." Holly said. "I was just there. I'm different from everyone. Cameron and Savannah need our help. I know exactly where everything is and what's happening there. People there know me now."

Allison didn't know of the deception that Holly pulled off on her to 'get' to Future Allison. She thought it was Hanna's chip in Holly's chassis.

"That was Hanna that was in your chassis, not your chip." Allison said.

Holly didn't want to get into it with Allison right now. She thought fast. It wasn't a lie either.

"I have those files." Holly said.

Allison still believed Holly and Hanna actually switched chips. Holly's statement didn't do anything to change her belief. There was a much bigger worry on her mind right now. She wanted to get involved.

"What about the baby?" Allison asked. "How do we know if MY baby is all right? I want to go and look for MY baby."

Claire cringed at Allison's words. It really was HER baby.

Sheila called Cammy–Ginger over and showed her how to operate the TDE. There was no 'Cameron' on Ginger's chip. There was still the fear of encrypting Cameron's TDE with River's encoding that would limit its ability.

"I'm going to go." Sheila said. "If it's the anti-Metal blokes I might be able to blend in. They will think I'm the 'other Jesse'."

Ally saw that as a bad idea from the start. Sheila hadn't ever even been to Cameron's future.

"And when they make you as Metal, they'll have you." Ally said. "You don't know any of them. This is a different future from any you have knowledge of. If they don't terminate you, they will reprogram you as a 'Metal Whore'."

Claire wanted some answers or action.

"We have to do something." Claire said.

Sheila wondered if maybe there was a temporal error. The other energy bubble could have gone to the wrong time period or even the wrong location. Maybe the simplest thing to do was just reset everything and try it again. That was what she set out to do.

"Everyone stand ready." Sheila said. "I'm sending the energy bubble again. If there was a problem we may get 'unfriendly visitors' this time. I almost have it reset."

Holly wanted Claire and Allison moved to a safer location. She wanted their best male Terminator to go with her if she went.

"Hanna, will you please take Allison and Claire out of here." Holly said. "Get more of Cameron's Metal in here. Allison, I need you to stay cool and call Bob. Tell him we need him and that Cameron and Savannah need help. Tell him John can't know, he'll understand."

Sheila started the TDE process again.

The arcing and flashing started.

The energy bubble formed and vanished in a flash.

The arcing and flashing ended.

A minute passed.

Sheila worked the controls again. She increased the power output. The lights dimmed slightly.

The Terminators gripped their weapons.

The arcing and flashing started.

The energy bubble appeared.

It was empty.

The arcing and flashing ended.

It looked like the problem was real. There was no other explanation. Something catastrophic must have happened.

"No." Ally said. "NO!"

Sheila knew Holly was the logical choice to go. She wanted to hedge their bet and stack the deck in their favor. She knew just how to do that. She looked at Ally.

"You have Cameron spare chip right?" Sheila asked.

Ally not only possessed the spare chip, she also had Cameron's rings. If Cameron was terminated her chip was to be pulled and Cameron's spare chip placed in her chassis. It would then become 'Cameron Prime' and no one was to know. She would cease to exist until she was rebodied with a different chassis. She didn't want a male chassis either, even as a joke.

"Yes, she updated it right before she left." Ally said. "You know what it is for…."

Sheila looked at Holly. This was their 'ace'.

"We need it." Sheila said. "We can copy it onto Holly's chip if she agrees."

Holly owed Cameron a lot. Cameron gave her Allison and allowed her to visit Future Allison. She loved Cameron.

"Of course I'll do it. I've been with Cameron several times." Holly said. She was awkwardly aware everyone looked at her. "On my chip…."

Duplicate Cameron was on Holly's chip for fifteen months. They'd shared close contact with each other for all that time on her chip.

Allison returned. She'd contacted Bob. He said he understood everything.

"Bob is on his way." Allison said.

Sheila wanted to get started. Bob was headed here. He would arrive soon.

"When Bob gets here Holly should be ready with Cameron's program copied onto her chip." Sheila said. "That will still leave Cameron's spare chip for Ally's chassis, if it's needed…."

Allison thought everyone missed something important. It was like Holly didn't matter to them right now. She was being offered up as a sacrificial lamb.

"What about Holly?" Allison asked. "What about her?"

Holly saw the big picture. Cameron mattered to the future, she didn't. They'd done 'other things' earlier and the copy of her program wasn't erased from Cameron's server. That was a plus right now.

"Allison, we're Terminators. Cameron needs my help. You know she would come for you, for me or for any of us." Holly said. "My program is on Cameron's server. I'll still exist as what I truly am, Allison. Don't forget what I am. I'm a machine. Now I must do what I was constructed for. CAMERON needs MY help. I'm going."

Allison didn't like any of what was happening and a whole bunch of questions were now raised in her mind. These circumstances were not the time to ask them. Holly might not comeback. None of them might return. She didn't want them to part on an angry note. What if that was how it ended? She would never forgive herself.

"Let's get you plugged in." Ally said to Holly. "I'll get Cameron's spare chip."

Cammy–Ginger approached Ally. She thought her presence here may be for a deeper purpose. She knew love was about sacrifice at times. This was one of those times.

"Ally, if Cameron and the others don't return I'll choose deactivation and you may use this chassis in place of yours for Cameron's spare chip…." Cammy–Ginger said.

The Terminators there were all aware of Ginger's earlier sacrifice to Cameron. Love was a true motivator.

"You really love Cameron too, don't you?" Ally said.

Ginger felt she was blessed to not only know Cameron but her clones 'in some future'. She'd previously offered her chassis to Duplicate Allison for Cameron II's chip to be placed in.

"Yes I do. I know several 'Camerons' and they're all special." Cammy–Ginger said. "Cameron has a husband. I've always wanted her to have a happy life with him."

Ally felt Ginger sacrificed enough. She didn't know about the offer for Cameron II 'in some future'.

"You've already sacrificed once for Cameron and John." Ally said.

Ginger spent a lot of time with Savannah when she was 'in some future'. Savannah taught her many things there. She stated what the most important one was.

"Everyone sacrifices for John Connor." Cammy–Ginger said. "It's my choice."

Ally was deeply touched.

"Oh, Ginger, I love you too." Ally said. "We'll see."

Earlier:

Bob was in the Command Center with John and John Henry. He received a message in his com directly from CamNet. He knew right way there was a problem. She gave him specific instructions. He was not to let John or anyone there know what was about to happen. He was about to receive a call from Allison and make his own decision. Either way John was not to know.

He excused himself and hurried out to the carpool area. Allison called him. She was very upset. She made a personal appeal to him. It touched him deeply.

Bob headed out to Cameron's base from the carpool. It didn't look like anyone paid his departure much attention. That was a good start. He doubted it would stay that way. He'd received word he was needed at Cameron's base. He was aware there was a problem involving Cameron, Savannah and Cammy. He was told they went on a temporal mission and failed to return. He knew there was at least one TDE in Cameron's future. They should have used that if nothing else to return. It looked like Cameron really must have a big problem. She would have sent Savannah back if it was possible. He hurried to Cameron's base.

He soon arrived and hurried to the TDE room. He quickly exchanged pleasantries with everyone and then got down to business.

"What do we know?" Bob asked.

Bob hoped they'd learned more as he drove over. He knew it must be some very bad trouble.

Sheila didn't think there was a whole lot to work with.

"What we know is Cameron is in her future with two TDEs and she failed to enter the energy bubble we sent, twice." Sheila said. "Nor has she returned on her own."

Hanna wanted Bob to know there'd been recent activity with what they attempted now.

"Claire and I as Holly returned from there just a short while ago." Hanna said. "It was three months before the time that was tried right now in that timeline we're trying to retrieve Cameron and Savannah from."

Sheila overrode the power output limit of the TDE by twenty percent. If there was anything there it should come back.

"I'm going to send it one more time." Sheila said. "The energy bubble I mean."

Holly wanted Allison and Claire moved to a more secure location again.

"Hanna, make sure Allison and Claire are safe." Holly said. "Please stay there this time for now."

The Terminators armed themselves in case something other than the three girls returned. They figured they would attract a lot of attention to that location at this point with all the energy being blasted around.

Sheila started the TDE process again.

The arcing and flashing started. The lights dimmed some.

The energy bubble formed and vanished in a flash.

The arcing and flashing ended.

A minute passed. Sheila worked the controls again.

The Terminators gripped their weapons.

The arcing and flashing started. The lights dimmed again.

The energy bubble appeared.

It was empty.

The arcing and flashing ended.

Cameron, Savannah and Ginger-Cameron weren't there.

The girls were missing. Something catastrophic must have occurred….

Hanna went over what they knew. She now possessed those files from Holly.

"Everything was fine and Skynet was defeated when we left." Hanna said.

Holly knew what the score was. Everything should have been fine. It was when she left with Claire.

"I think we should go back to a short time after we left the future. We can wait to see what happened or goes wrong." Holly said. "Hanna's given me her files so I know how everything was when we they left."

Holly actually contained the information all along. Hanna's program only was copied onto her chip.

Allison returned after the last failed attempt. She came over and took Holly's arm. If disaster befell Cameron and the others, it was sure to happen to Holly too. She was worried about Future Allison and her baby.

"I don't want you to go." Allison said. "If you do, I want to go with you. I want to see MY baby."

Bob didn't want Allison to go. Holly with him should be sufficient.

"It's too dangerous, Allison. We don't know what went wrong." Bob said. "You know Holly and I will bring them back and come back ourselves."

Allison believed if anyone would come back it would be Cameron. Cameron didn't make it back. Maybe they wouldn't either.

"What if you don't?" Allison asked.

Holly saw it all as part of the larger picture. There was a battle for survival in the future.

"Allison, there's a war going on. People and machines fall in combat. That's how it is." Holly said. "I have to do this for Cameron and Savannah."

Allison didn't feel good about any of this. Everything spelled additional disaster. There was one person who would help her.

"If you don't return, I'll go visit River's future and see what she thinks." Allison said. "She'll help me."

Hanna wanted Allison to see they were all trying to do something. They needed to worry about what happened as well as not create additional timelines.

"We're all trying to help, Allison." Hanna said. "There needs to be some control to everything."

Claire didn't like to see Allison like this. She went over and took Allison away. Hanna went with them.

Ginger wanted some decisive action. They needed to bring in their 'pinch hitter'.

"Ally, I want you to remove my chip and put it in the deactivated female Terminator you have, the one with the beautiful dark skin." Cammy-Ginger said. "Put Cameron's spare chip in this chassis now. Let's get her online."

Cameron's spare chip was already copied onto Holly's chip. She was 'Cameron' currently.

"I'm 'Cameron' in Holly - right now." Holly–Cameron said. "Holly has let me take control. 'Ginger' has a good plan. Get another 'Cameron' up and running."

That sounded like bad news to everyone. They would most certainly seal Cammy's fate. Her chassis would become 'Cameron Prime' at that point.

"If we don't return you need to contact River before you send anyone else." Holly-Cameron said. "I'm turning Holly back over to control of her chassis. Sheila is sending us back to the future. It will be fifteen minutes after the time Claire and Holly–Hanna returned."

Holly gave Sheila instructions when to send the time bubble and be ready for any time bubbles to appear. The 'Cameron' in Holly provided alternate locations and times to try different time bubble transfers. Hanna was to update John Henry on everything. John was not to know what was happening or may have already happened.

Sheila started the TDE process again.

The arcing and flashing started.

The energy bubble formed around Holly-Cameron and Bob. It vanished in a flash.

The arcing and flashing ended.

They were gone.

There were plenty of glum looks to go around.

Tribulations

Is anything ever absolute
Except for one's last breath
Maybe there's is real peace
In the silent solitude of death

One must often wonder
What is the point of life
It's a never ending jumble
Filled with turmoil and strife

It's all about circumstance
Over which there is little control
It all happens in one's little world
Where 'whole' actually creates a hole

Look who is at one's side
THAT was the best they could do
Now take your own side gander
Who is the one standing next to you

Everyone needs to roll with the punches
As they give out false salutations
That's who they're forever stuck with
Through life's many trials and tribulations

Nobody