Chapter 688

Be There Soon

John was bothered by his conversation with Derek. The conversation indicated that not all was well with Riley. He decided he was going to check it out first hand. He didn't think Derek would have said anything unless there was some type of problem.

He left the Command Center and passed by the commissary. He passed by his room but didn't stop. There was one thing on his mind right now and it was Riley. Even as he walked there he began to question past events and mull everything over in his mind.

John thought of his transgressions in the past with Riley - Future Riley. He'd been very careful to make sure he never repeated them again with Riley - THIS Riley. He knew Cameron wanted Riley 'spoken for' and did what she could to split Jesse and Derek up. Cameron 'provided' Vanna and Allison to Jesse, as well as making Jesse love her. Jesse was also the first one 'assigned' a Metal girlfriend. That left Derek and Riley with - each other. He really wondered how much of what Cameron did regarding those events was calculated and planned.

He was aware that Cameron could have simply terminated this Riley when she returned from her TDE adventure. She didn't. Maybe River being there prevented that. Cameron instead reached out to Riley and helped mentor her and train her as she watched over her. What if it was all a 'test' to see if he would choose Riley again? That thought did occur to him more than once. Maybe it was to rub Riley in his face as Derek 'claimed her' and he needed to watch it all. Maybe Cameron was really just trying to help and do what was right. Maybe it was both.

John didn't want to think about the past. He did that enough some nights when he was alone. He would think of what Future Riley and he 'shared'. He arrived at Derek's room and knocked. There was no answer. He thought maybe Riley was out. He was about ready to leave. At this point he thought that might be a better idea anyway.

The door opened.

"Hi." Riley said.

John was a little worried by Riley's appearance.

"Hi. You don't look so hot." John said. "Are you OK?"

Riley was actually surprised to see John at her door. He didn't usually come around often, especially by himself. His greeting to her was also unexpected even if it was accurate.

"What a way to greet a girl." Riley said. "Actually, I don't feel so hot either."

John thought perhaps he should've chosen his words better. Maybe it was because he was caught up in the worry that something was wrong. Maybe he was worried about Future Riley. It was a little late for that, she was dead. He needed to refocus and concentrate on the current situation. Still he could never look at Riley and not see Future Riley. There was one intriguing prospect that he'd never explored. It was Young Riley. He knew she was out there. He was as intrigued by her as he was by Young Jesse and Young Allison. He'd never actually seen what Young Riley looked like. He knew that he wanted to claim Savannah's and Young Allison's virginity. He'd like to get Young Jesse's too. But if he had a choice of any of them and it could only be one, he'd want to have Young Riley's virginity. Things could come full circle and that way they could be each other's 'first'. With all these thoughts in his mind, he wondered if he'd made a mistake coming here in the first place. He couldn't believe some of the things he was thinking about right now.

"Derek's on his way back." John said. "He was worried about you."

Riley looked tired.

"I could use some company." Riley said.

John's first instinct was to enter her room. Something told him not to do that. Things could rapidly spiral out of control.

"I'll be back in a minute." John said. "Wait here."

John ran around the corner to Jesse's room and knocked.

A very naked Jesse opened the door. She looked around it. When she saw it was John, she moved out into the open, the door no longer blocked her. It was clear she wanted to stand naked before him. She reached up and made sure her nipple rings were centered. He watched her do it. Once they were straight she smiled at him.

John was a little speechless right now. He took in her perfect figure and Vanna's in the background. Vanna now sat up naked on the bed. Vanna made no effort to cover herself either. None of the girls, including Savannah, ever made a move to cover anything if it showed when he was around. He did notice them and they all noticed him notice them. It was always an open invitation. It was what Cameron drilled into all their heads.

Jesse could see that John was spellbound by their naked forms. There was no doubt as to what they were doing before he arrived. She was ready to start in on Vanna again and see if John wanted to join in. In fact she decided to ask him.

"Come to join us, love?" Jesse asked. "I can tell you for a fact that we're both 'ready'. I can absolutely guarantee that it will slide right in, real smooth like. I'm ready to go right now if you want it. It will feel nice, warm and tight."

John knew she wasn't really joking. They were both 'ready' for him. If the situation was different he'd take it. Jesse's description sounded a lot nicer than 'Rosie'. Right now in ten seconds he could have two smoking Hot girls all over him. That was in all of their minds too. None of them really knew why. It was more of Cameron's handiwork and the Metal girls following her commands to 'condition' all the human females.

He was there for a different reason right now. He went straight to the point.

"I need some help. I don't think Riley is doing too well. I need you or Vanna to stay with her until Derek gets back." John said. "He'll be back in a short while. I'm in the middle of an operation right now. I needed to come and see first hand what was wrong."

Jesse left the door open and picked up a pair of shorts and slipped them on, she grabbed a halter top which she held in her hand as she left the room topless. She was very concerned about Riley. They'd been partners for a while after she separated from Derek and before Riley hooked up with him. She still cared deeply about her even though they were no longer sexually active. She'd promised Cameron that she would do nothing to interfere with Derek and Riley and she never had. She'd kept her distance.

"I'm on my way." Jesse said as she hurried away.

John saw Vanna reach for her clothes.

"I'll be there in a minute." Vanna said but John was already gone.

Jesse slipped her top on as they came around the corner. She made sure that John got another good look at her topless figure before that happened.

John thought it would be better for Jesse and Vanna to comfort Riley. They may have 'female issues' to discuss. They hurried back to Riley's room.

"Riley, Jesse and Vanna are going to stay with you." John said. "I'm in the middle of an operation but if you get worse I want to know immediately. Thanks, Jesse."

John felt the desire stay anyway but he knew he couldn't.

Jesse gave Riley a hug and started asking her questions.

John turned to leave as Vanna hurried around the corner. She wore her pants but nothing else. Her shirt was in her hands as she tried to untwist it.

"Thanks, Vanna." John said.

Vanna was worried as to what exactly was wrong. She figured once they found out more she could let John know.

"We'll keep you updated." Vanna said as she slipped her shirt on.

'Damn, they're both so HOT.' John thought. 'Look how pink her nipples are!'

John turned and headed back to the Command Center. It took all the strength he could muster not to turn around and look at them as he walked away. He was pretty sure that if he wasn't in the middle of an operation right now he'd be back in Jesse's room and 'plowing' both Jesse and Vanna right now. He figured if he had a choice that he would start with Jesse, he really liked that trim figure. He also didn't know how receptive Vanna would be to a male based upon her past history. He was sure that Jesse would be good to go.

He didn't want this to get away from him or turn into a disaster on the home front. They may need further medical assistance or help. Maybe John Henry could provide some answers. He hoped so anyway. He knew Cameron liked to cover all the bases and would have contingency plans with backups as necessary.

John hurried back into the Command Center.

John Henry looked at him.

"Is everything all right?" John Henry asked.

John wasn't really sure where to begin. He figured he'd just start.

"Who do we have with medical training for childbirth?" John asked. "Is there someone programmed to assist with this?"

John Henry was very surprised to hear the question. He would however be able to help John out.

"I am." John Henry said. "I can turn this over to independent control of JH my server, like CamNet is, if I am needed elsewhere. We have a complete infirmary next to the lab if needed. I have access to every surgical procedure. I can plug into my mainframe with a connection there. I'll have access to all medical knowledge in the world. CamNet will assist me."

Somehow that was way more than John expected to hear. It was a relief to hear. He also knew there was a difference between knowledge and experience. Maybe a Terminator could bridge that gap. They did possess remarkable abilities. He didn't want to get ahead of himself too far.

"It may be nothing." John said. "I just wanted to know what we could do if we needed to."

John Henry wondered if the situation was worse than John was willing to admit to.

"You look very worried." John Henry said.

John was very worried. He was worried about the baby. That baby was very special to everyone, especially its parents.

"That baby means everything to Riley and Derek, even if Riley doesn't know it." John said.

John Henry believed that Riley did know it. He also understood that was why she tried to offer it to Cameron because she knew how special it would be.

"She knows it." John Henry said.

John knew he needed to concentrate on the current operation. He didn't want things to get away from him. It was very unusual for him to have to step away in the middle of something that was about to start.

"Where are we on the mission?" John asked. "I'm sorry for the interruption."

John Henry believed the interruption was justified.

"Some things are more important." John Henry said. "This is where we are, not much has changed…."

John Henry got John back up to speed. He hadn't been gone very long at all so not much changed.

He knew John was worried about all the Resistance members, whether they were about to be in combat or battling personal or medical issues. Medical complications could lead to death, the same as combat could.

John Henry started to review medical procedures and find which files he thought might be necessary. In a few seconds, there were thousands he was able to review. He was ready to act with the new information and everything else while he was plugged into the database. He felt very confident.

Cameron received a message from CamNet.

Savannah felt Cameron's hand start to glitch again.

"What's wrong?" Savannah asked. "Is it Allison?"

There was a distressed look on Cameron's face.

"It's Riley." Cameron said.

Savannah tried to calm Cameron. She was a little flustered herself right now.

"Cameron, relax." Savannah said. "You're going to make me start worrying next."

The glitch stopped.

Cameron tried to pull everything together.

"I'm sorry." Cameron said.

Savannah wanted to know all the details and offer Cameron some various options as to their current situation.

"What's wrong and what do you want to do?" Savannah asked. "We can turn this operation over the Bob's team and Sheila's team."

Cameron saw that is part of the problem. Nobody knew what was wrong or how serious anything was. All she knew is that there was an issue of some type.

"I don't know." Cameron said. "Vanna and Jesse are with her, Derek and Kyle will be back soon. I think we'll know more then."

Savannah wanted to do whatever would make Cameron feel the most comfortable.

"Do you want to be there?" Savannah asked. "Is Sarah there?"

Cameron knew that Sarah wouldn't be able to help. She was on her way to Palmdale.

"Sarah is with Cammy and Jan. They went to see Summer." Cameron said.

Savannah knew that there were options available to them.

"Do you want me to notify Cammy?" Savannah asked. "Or has CamNet already done that?"

Cameron was worried they might cause a panic. She felt they needed to know more before they raised any additional alarms.

"I haven't notified anyone else." Cameron said. "CamNet hasn't either. It may be nothing."

Savannah was very aware of what it was like to be pregnant and feel all alone. Towards the end of the pregnancy it was easy to become very moody and feel depressed for no reason at all. She thought part of that problem was that after the almost full term of the pregnancy, she would wonder what if something happened to the baby or if something's not right. It could be very overwhelming at times. She knew that in the future there wasn't a whole lot of medical help that was available if there was a problem. She was pretty sure Riley experienced those same thoughts even if she wasn't in the future any longer. The future was still in her.

"I'll stay with Riley, when Derek and Sarah are out from now on." Savannah said. "I know what she's feeling."

Savannah felt Cameron's hand glitch again. She knew Cameron felt responsible and blamed herself about all of the trauma that she went through and what she needed to do.

"Cameron, we've been over this many times." Savannah said. "Stop stressing out on it. Everything was my own choice. I would do nothing different if I could do any of it over again - except I would start earlier."

Savannah felt Cameron's hand glitch even more.

All of these events weighed heavily on Cameron, she needed action. She knew that she would feel in her element once the shooting started and she could take control of the situation as she dealt out retribution to the Skynet forces.

"I can't help it." Cameron said. "I need combat. Gail, overtake the truck. I'm boarding it."

Cameron started to check her gear.

Savannah took one look at Cameron and immediately overrode her plan. She wasn't about to allow that to happen under the current circumstances.

"No, you're not." Savannah said. "Not in this condition. Gail, stick to the original plan."

Cameron felt very overwhelmed.

"There are so many things that can go wrong." Cameron said.

Savannah knew she needed to keep control.

"Then focus on what can go right." Savannah said. "Do it now."

Cameron's hand stopped glitching. She was able to quickly pull everything together.

"I have, I've run thousands of scenarios." Cameron said. "Thank you, I'm fine now."

Savannah wasn't so sure about that. They did have contingencies plans setup.

"We have people everywhere for everything." Savannah said. "You've seen to it."

Cameron did try to plan for every eventuality. She realized it was impossible but she did what she could.

"Yes, I've tried to cover all the bases." Cameron said. "There are others to help me, to help US."

Savannah wanted to remind Cameron that they were stronger together. No one needed to stand alone.

"We're a team." Savannah said. "We all work together."

Cameron sometimes felt she was a 'team of one'.

"Yes, a team." Cameron said.

What Savannah said about 'starting earlier' was still in Cameron's mind. That meant Young Allison would think the same thing. She would keep that in mind as soon as Young Allison was 'ready'. Young Allison could act directly or her genetic material could be harvested and used through Claire as a surrogate. She knew Savannah would never allow Young Allison to do what she'd done but there was still a way with Claire's help. With that new thought and idea she was able to pull everything together and refocus. There were still many ways for her plans to come together.

The reports she'd received from CamNet were troubling to Young Allison. She felt a lot of concern. She also felt powerless.

"What's going on?" Young Allison asked. "Is Cameron melting down?"

Anna was just as disturbed by the reports as Young Allison was.

"I don't know." Anna said. "WE don't usually see this from CamNet."

Young Allison thought that she had a legitimate concern.

"If Savannah wasn't there with Cameron right now, what would've happened?" Young Allison asked.

Anna didn't even want to think about it.

"I can assure you that it would be nothing good." Anna said.

Young Allison felt concern for Anna. She knew that she ran Cameron's program.

"Can that happen to you?" Young Allison asked.

Anna often worried about that. She knew it was theoretically possible. She was grateful that it never happened yet and hoped that it never did.

"Yes, Cameron is my base program." Anna said. "My 'Savannah files' are my calming force."

Young Allison thought that there was a way that she could help Cameron.

"I want to use the 'Neural Interface' with Cameron." Young Allison said.

Anna tilted her head slightly.

"You already have, in the future." Anna said.

Young Allison believed that she was superior to Future Allison and didn't carry the same baggage as her. Instead she carried the training and education that Cameron provided her with. If she were to help Cameron, it would be as if Cameron actually helped herself.

"I'm different from Future Allison." Young Allison said. "My body may be younger than Future Allison's was but my training and education is much further advanced. I think I can help Cameron directly this way."

Anna knew that would severely alter Cameron's programming.

"That would change who Cameron is." Anna said.

Young Allison believed that they could test her proposal. They could do it under controlled conditions.

"We can try it on you. You can isolate Savannah's files and be 'Cameron' right?" Young Allison asked.

Anna was intrigued by the prospect having some 'Neural Interface' files from Young Allison.

"Yes." Anna said. "I would be able to isolate your files as well and remove them after the test."

Young Allison cared very much for Anna.

"What if you didn't?" Young Allison asked.

Anna knew that if she incorporated the files, it would alter her program.

"It would change who I am now." Anna said.

Young Allison didn't think that would be such a bad thing. She believed it would make them closer.

"Do you want to know me?" Young Allison asked. "All of me?"

Anna was aware of her mission parameters. Young Allison's proposal would exceed them and most likely cause a problem with Cameron.

"You are my purpose." Anna said. "I'm to be 'Savannah' for you when she's 'unavailable', not 'Cameron'."

Young Allison wanted to point out Savannah was 'unavailable' to her most of the time.

"We'll discuss this more, later." Young Allison said.

Anna didn't want to alter herself. If that was what Young Allison wanted, she knew she must comply.

"I'll do what you want." Anna said. "It's my function."

A single tear slid down Anna's cheek.

Young Allison saw the pain she'd caused Anna but if there was any way to help Cameron, it needed to be explored. She would remind Anna that 'her files' could be removed or isolated as 'Future Allison's files' were in Ally. That way she could be restored back to 'normal'.

Derek called Riley again. She'd failed to answer her phone twice which caused him further worry. This time he got an answer and was surprised.

"Hello, love, long time, no speak." Jesse said.

Derek was surprised at the voice that answered. It wasn't what he'd expected. He was still worried that Riley hadn't answered herself.

"Jesse?" Derek asked. "Where's Riley?"

Jesse didn't want Derek to worry needlessly. She felt they had the situation under control for now.

"Relax, love, she's resting." Jesse said. "Vanna is with her now."

Derek reflected on the fact both Riley and himself were 'with' Jesse in the past.

"Is anything wrong?" Derek asked. "We're still twenty minutes out."

Jesse wanted Derek to take it easy. She thought Vanna would be a more stabilizing voice for him to listen to than hers.

"Follow the speed limit." Jesse said. "Everything's under control. Here comes Vanna now. I'll let you talk to her. Bye, love."

Vanna took the phone and Jesse went to check on Riley.

"Hey, Derek." Vanna said.

Derek believed he could trust Vanna to tell it to him how it was.

"Hi, Vanna." Derek said. "Tell it to me straight."

Vanna didn't think it was serious at all. She tried to put it in terms that he could relate to.

"As far as I can tell, she's just not feeling well." Vanna said. "You know we've all been around our share of 'sick people'. She's not like that. You know what I mean."

Derek hadn't expected that type of explanation. He did know it meant that Riley wasn't about to die though nor did it sound too serious for the baby either.

"Thanks." Derek said. "Tell her I'll be there soon."

Vanna figured she could notify Derek if there was any change. She doubted there would be.

"I will." Vanna said. "Don't hurry. I'll personally call you if anything changes for the worse."

Derek felt there was a heavy weight lifted off of his shoulders.

"Thanks, Vanna." Derek said.

Kyle waited until Derek put his phone away.

"Well?" Kyle asked.

"Things seem OK for now but Riley isn't feeling well." Derek said.

Kyle wanted to reassure his brother they'd be back in no time.

"We'll be there soon." Kyle said.

Derek knew they'd all seen a lot of people die from sickness and poor health as much as they'd seen with combat deaths. None of them were pretty.

Maybe I'll See You Later

I've been looking at you
I see you see me
Is it me you really see
Or someone else you want it to be

When we look at one
What do we really see
Is it the outside shell
You can't see inside of me

Our eyes look for one's appearance
They can't see what is inside
Does it make who we really are
Easier to conceal and hide

So through life we go looking
Never knowing what we really see
Only the dull or shiny exterior
Never knowing who they could be

You don't know what you see
If they're a friend or traitor
Here we are playing the game
Maybe I'll see you later

Nobody