Chapter 725

Appeared Back

John really wanted to get in on the action. He knew Cameron hated it when he was off the base. He hoped this time it would be different but doubted it would be. As the leader of the Resistance he always felt he should do more and lead by example. Instead it was always Cameron who controlled everything. Sometimes he wondered if Cameron thought he could even do the job. He'd like to take this opportunity to show her that he could.

John and Bob were headed up the coast on the 101 freeway. They'd just passed by Oxnard a few minutes ago. The longer they drove the more John knew there was going to be some kind of a hassle with Cameron about this. He started to get worried. He figured things would start out with an argument and probably escalate from there. When he didn't comply with her demands there probably would be some type of 'punishment' that followed later on. Cameron usually made a point to bring a box of tissues into the room and set them next to his bed on the nightstand. She would make sure that the trash can was next to the bed as well. She would look at him and then just walk back out without saying anything. He knew that meant he wouldn't see her for a week or more. His 'punishment' was usually a date with 'Rosie Palm'. He looked over nervously at Bob.

"How long do you think it will be until Cameron finds out we're on a mission?" John asked.

Bob doubted John slipped one by Cameron.

"Most likely she already knows." Bob said. "If not, she soon will."

John figured that she already knew. He was a little puzzled why she hadn't called yet to reprimand him and demand that he return back to the base.

"I'm surprised she hasn't called." John said. "I need to do more. I don't like being played by Grays or Skynet."

Bob didn't like finding the booby trap either. It appeared the Skynet forces attempted to play them in more ways than one.

"They did manage to pull a fast one. I would need to say a few at that." Bob said. "We did hit them hard."

John figured if they could get back up, they never got hit with enough decisive force.

"It wasn't hard enough." John said.

It wasn't long after leaving Oxnard that they could see the Pacific Ocean as they neared Ventura.

"There's the Ventura pier." Bob said. "We'll hug the coast soon."

There was a massive railroad bridge for the Coast Line that they passed under on the 101 freeway.

John spotted the ocean a few seconds after Bob notified him. There was always something about the ocean that touched his inner self.

"I like to see the wave's crash on the shore." John said. "When it's quiet you can hear the power of the ocean."

Bob glanced over at John. It appeared that John thought of a different place or a different time currently.

"You sound like you miss it." Bob said.

John did miss it. There are a lot of things that he missed. The nature of their life forced them to forgo many things. Things other people took for granted they could never partake in or enjoy. What he specifically thought about now was the times that Cameron attempted to reach out to him and took him to the beach.

"Cameron used to take me there sometimes, just the two of us." John said. "We even skinny dipped a couple of times at night. It was really special."

Bob was unaware of any such event recently. Those all seem to be in the past.

"You two don't spend much time together anymore." Bob said.

Bob wondered if the relationship was based on anything more than sex at this point. From his observation it appeared that most human relationships were sex based. He was glad that he'd never taken the advanced programming from Cameron and gotten caught up in such 'animal behavior'.

John thought about what Bob just said. He wondered if Bob hit the nail on the head. It seemed that way sometimes. From the first moment that he saw Cameron and interacted with her in Red Valley, he was captivated by her appearance. Cameron often accused him of only loving her appearance. Maybe she was right. At that time he didn't know that she was a scary robot from the future. He learned that soon enough. Now when Cameron did come around she would make herself 'available' to him. He would usually knock off one or two rounds and then she would leave and he would go to sleep. There really wasn't much else to share.

"We have nothing in common." John said. "We're from two different 'worlds'. Love only takes you so far. I'm a burden to her. I restrict her ability to fight the war as she wants to fight it. I feel like I'm in her way and restrict her full abilities."

Bob believed that John's association with Cameron did restrict her full abilities. It also prevented her from using more extreme measures to battle Skynet. John's presence helped put the brakes on Cameron's actions, even if it was done indirectly.

"That's not a bad thing." Bob said. "She wouldn't hesitate to use nuclear weapons as she saw fit."

Bob was well aware he'd procured the one for Cameron - Duplicate Cameron. She'd used it to destroy Skynet and almost herself.

John knew of Cameron's extremeness. There were some things that he would rather have her do than others.

"We've seen that." John said. "I would rather have her do that deep underground as she has, than become Skynet herself."

Bob's observation was Cameron was very focused when she needed to be. It seemed that she was less focused when she was around John.

"She's very determined." Bob said. "She always gets what she wants."

John almost laughed. He always heard the saying, 'be careful what you wish for'. He understood the meaning of that much more clearly now. Sometimes he really wondered if Cameron only married him so she could control him better. As a subordinate in the Resistance she would need to yield to his command as General. As his wife, he had absolutely no control over her whatsoever. He really wondered if he got played.

"Until she doesn't want it anymore…." John said.

Bob was aware that once the game was finished, it was time to move on to the next one. There was no point to continue to play the game that you'd already won. It seemed like common sense to him.

"Once she's 'won', it's time for a new 'game'." Bob said.

John knew he was ready for a 'new game'. Maybe it was time to do what Cameron kept telling him to do. Now he began to think of the 'girls', especially Savannah. Her tight and trim figure, coupled with her beauty was VERY enticing. He really wanted to be her 'first'. He hoped to see the look on her face as he stripped her virginity away from her. That thought alone caused 'Little Willy' to stir. He would need to adjust his pants when Bob looked off to the side again.

John knew if he was alone right now, he would pleasure himself as he thought about it. It wouldn't be the first time. He often thought about all the girls. Some nights were dark and lonely. Cameron always made sure there was a box of tissues on the nightstand by the bed for him. It was always a crude reminder of where he rated.

Cameron and Savannah arrived at the Blackhawk. The crew was there and ready.

Savannah wanted to do everything like she should and not shortcut. She did the preflight inspection and went over everything with Cameron. It was important she learned to do everything right and correctly.

There were three figures they spotted as they hurried to get to the Blackhawk.

There was no smile on Cameron's face as she looked at the Metal girls.

"What brings you three?" Cameron asked.

Cammy looked over and smiled at Savannah before she addressed Cameron.

"You did." Cammy said.

Cameron didn't see the need for help at this time. She didn't have any idea what they were talking about.

"I didn't summon any of you." Cameron said.

Cameron knew CamNet must have enlisted them to help protect Savannah.

The Metal girls didn't like Cameron's greeting. It was cold and indifferent.

"We can leave." Sheila said. "We were busy. Believe me, we can find much more pleasurable things to do."

Ally figured none of them would be going anywhere anyway. They might just as well get started.

"Look, we are already here." Ally said.

Savannah didn't like how the situation developed. She knew the extra help could prove beneficial. She was glad they were there to assist, even if Cameron wasn't. She wanted the additional help and she wanted to be as diplomatic as possible to Cameron about it.

"Sometimes it's nice to have help." Savannah said to Cameron.

Cameron knew Savannah needed protection and she was afraid Savannah was still upset with her. The Metal girls could help protect Savannah. They could also help deflect Savannah from dwelling on her and what she'd done. It appeared they could be useful in more ways than one.

"You three will all help protect Savannah." Cameron said and then as an afterthought added. "And John…."

Cammy gave Savannah a hug. Cameron glared at her.

Cammy could tell that Savannah was upset. She'd given Savannah a quick scan. She knew Cameron did something to 'hurt' Savannah. It angered her. For Savannah to be upset, it must have been something traumatic. She knew Cameron was a Bitch. She was glad she wasn't like her.

She thought about confronting Cameron to find out how she'd hurt Savannah like this. They might end up fighting over it. She knew Savannah didn't want to see that. How it hurt Savannah before when they fought was still fresh in her mind. The sound of Savannah crying from the deepest hurt inside of her, still made her feel 'sick'. That was all Cameron's fault anyway in her view.

Savannah watched Cammy now. She'd been around her enough to know when she was ticked off. She knew there was very little difference between Cammy and Cameron. She actually found it humorous at times because they both didn't want to be like the other one and neither one of them thought that they were. Through her personal experience, she knew that there was little to no difference at all.

She was aware Cammy scanned her and would know she was upset. She could tell Cammy was going to 'lose it'. It was time to step in and 'fix' this before it escalated.

Savannah gave Cammy a reassuring hug.

"I'm fine, Cammy. I'm asking you to leave it alone. I'm asking you personally from me" Savannah whispered.

Cammy looked at Savannah for a second and then nodded.

Savannah turned her attention back to Cameron in the Metal girls.

"Is everyone ready?" Savannah asked.

Savannah did all the checks. She double checked everything with Cameron. She fired the turbines and checked everything again. She lifted off after she made sure it was clear around and above her.

Savannah wanted to do something tranquil on the flight. She wanted Cameron, Cammy and the Metal girls to hopefully feel it also. The water in the ocean always seemed to have that tranquil effect. At least if there wasn't a storm.

"I want to fly over the ocean." Savannah said. "Along the coast would be nice."

Cameron tilted her head slightly.

"We will pass John and Bob, between Ventura and Carpinteria if we take that route." Cameron said. "The '101' runs right along the coast at that point."

Savannah looked at her map. She saw that the 101 freeway, Route 1 and the railroad tracks were all jammed together along that section. Everything hugged the pounding surf.

"Do you want me to cut inland and pass behind the hills before we get there?" Savannah asked. "They won't be able to observe us then."

The 'Allison' in Ally was always up for a little adventure.

"Go around the far side of the Channel Islands." Ally said. "That's an even better view."

Savannah liked that idea too. She also thought of the possibility of something happening to the Blackhawk and needing to set down on the water. The helicopter would sink. There was survival gear on board but she didn't want any of the Terminators to have to walk back to the mainland.

Cameron tilted her head slightly in the other direction when Ally spoke. she realized that Ally spoke about the beauty of the journey. That was something that she hadn't thought about. She understood that's what Savannah wanted them to enjoy.

"I don't care." Cameron said. "Let them see us. They tried to pull a fast one. We pulled a faster one. We'll be there long before they are."

Savannah knew that once they reached the destination they would have to leave the helicopter.

"We still need to acquire ground transportation." Savannah said.

Sheila thought about her normal method for dealing with humans.

"It's never a problem." Sheila said. "I can get close to any male target instantly; all it takes is a 'nip slip'. Once they see that nipple ring, they're hooked. It works on most females too."

Cameron was aware how effective a diversion or a lure the nipple rings were. She'd use that technique several times herself. She smiled to herself as she reflected on that. John always thought that she did that for him to excite him. She actually did it to make infiltration easier on whatever operation she currently worked on.

Vanna, Allison and Jesse all told Savannah separately, that only a female could truly satisfy another female. Only Jesse said men were OK, every now and then.

Savannah wanted to redirect the conversation.

"Help me watch for other aircraft." Savannah said. "I can see pretty well but you can all see better."

Cameron felt she was already doing that even with the distraction of the Metal girls.

"I'm watching everything, Savannah." Cameron said. "You're doing excellent."

Savannah found that someone encouraging. She wondered what Cameron would have done as the pilot.

"What would you have done differently?" Savannah asked.

Cameron looked over at Savannah and flashed her sly smile.

"I would've firewalled it and flew at the maximum speed possible." Cameron said. "I would have pushed it past the redline."

Savannah was glad she was flying. That was an unnecessary risk that Cameron didn't need to take.

"I like to use a little caution." Savannah said. "My 'program' isn't saved on CamNet's server."

Savannah looked over at Cameron and smiled. It was a reminder to Cameron that she wasn't a Terminator.

Cameron realized she needed to think about Savannah safety a little more often than she seemed to. There were certain limitations that Savannah was hampered by. She did appreciate Savannah's subtle reminder.

"Point taken…." Cameron said. "I'm sorry again."

Young Allison retreated to her room. It seemed she'd created a lot of 'trouble'. She looked at her tablet but didn't pick it up. She looked over and expected to see the beautiful brown eyes. The tablet was blank.

She figured Anna was right outside her door listening. She knew Anna didn't have to hear everything.

'Hello.' Young Allison typed.

'Hello.' Appeared back. "How may I assist you?"

Right away Young Allison knew things were 'different'.

'I'm sorry.' Young Allison typed. 'I pushed you too 'far'.'

'You're young and curious.' Appeared back. 'It's best if we remain 'professional'.'

'I've hurt a lot of people.' Young Allison typed. 'Can you 'fix' it?'

'No.' Appeared back. 'This is part of growing up. Every action has consequences. There's a 'price' to pay for everything, in some way. Nothing in life is 'free' even if it seems that it is at the time. The 'cost' of it will catch up to one in the end. Some things are costlier than others.'

Young Allison felt that was a response out of pain and hurt. It seemed to be more evidence of what her actions produced.

'I need to think things through better and not act on feelings or emotions.' Young Allison typed.

'Life has many lessons to teach.' Appeared back.

'I have much to learn.' Young Allison typed. 'I'm sorry I hurt you.'

'So am I….' Appeared back.

The screen went blank.

Young Allison now wondered who she didn't hurt.

It was all very sobering. Savannah reminded her of her future. That was a real future with someone to touch and love her back. It was a future she wanted. She knew she better not mess it up. At least not more than she'd already done.

The Blackhawk thundered along the coast. The flight was beautiful. Savannah didn't think any of the Terminators saw the beauty of it. Ally did indicate a little of the beauty of the flight around the Channel Islands. They didn't see it in the way she saw it. She knew Young Allison and John would.

Savannah checked her map.

"I see the Ventura pier up ahead." Savannah said. "I'm going to cut inland so we're not spotted by Bob."

Cameron liked the idea of keeping their trek clandestine.

"What else do you need to watch for?" Cameron asked.

Savannah just recently looked at the map. She'd refreshed herself on any restricted airspace.

"I have 'Restricted Airspace' around Vandenberg AFB." Savannah said. "That's still a few minutes ahead."

Cameron could offer Savannah several options in that regard through CamNet.

"Do you wish for CamNet to make you 'invisible' to them?" Cameron asked. "She can also provide you with clearance to fly through their airspace."

Savannah didn't see the need to bend the rules this early in the game.

"Let's save that for when we need it or an emergency." Savannah said.

Savannah figured CamNet kept them off all radar anyway so no one could track them. It was the same way John Henry and CamNet did for their drones. The less anyone saw of anything they did, the better. There could always be one or more versions of Skynet out there searching. It was really all one big chess match.

Cameron wanted to reach out to Savannah. She knew she'd hurt her deeply. There were things she could offer Savannah to help her refocus her thoughts.

"Are you ready to give the manned drone a shot?" Cameron asked.

Savannah quickly glanced over at Cameron.

"You won't be able to be there with me." Savannah said.

Cameron could offer to let Savannah sit on her lap but there were other ways she could assist Savannah without being in the cockpit.

"It can operate on its own or I can control it." Cameron said. "It has its own programming or I can prevent you from making a mistake. If you make one, it can be corrected before it proves catastrophic."

Somehow that did not seem very reassuring to Savannah. She was still learning about the Blackhawk.

"I still need to land this thing." Savannah said.

Cameron wanted Savannah to do that.

"Do you want to try to land it?" Cameron asked.

Savannah was a little nervous about it. She didn't want to take any chances.

"Yes." Savannah said. "But you jump in at the first sign I'm about to blow it. Don't ask, just take over."

Cameron was sure of Savannah's ability.

"You can do it." Cameron said. "It's just like the Robinson, Jet Ranger and Iroquois you've practiced on. Everything is basically the same, it's only bigger."

Savannah spotted the airport near San Luis Obispo on her map.

"Do you want me to land at the airport?" Savannah asked.

Cameron reviewed the satellite images she contained in her files.

"No, we'll land in a field. It's a secluded area about five miles away from the airport." Cameron said. "I'd like to remain unobserved by anyone."

That idea sounded a little remote to Savannah.

"Will we be able to secure ground transportation?" Savannah asked. "We have weapons and gear to transport."

Cameron flashed Savannah her sly smile again.

"I think something will work out." Cameron said.

Savannah figured there was more in play here than what she knew.

"Will someone meet us?" Savannah asked.

Cameron liked to cover all the bases.

"Your 'shadow'…." Cameron said.

Savannah quickly looked over at Cameron again.

"My 'shadow'?" Savannah asked.

Cameron only recently learned about some preemptive action taken by CamNet.

"Gail is in the vicinity." Cameron said. "CamNet sent her up earlier today to scout out this location."

Savannah wondered why Cameron only told her now.

"Were you involved?" Savannah asked.

"Not directly." Cameron said.

Cameron wanted to check Savannah's navigation skills.

The hills around them all looked the same, they flew low. She thought that she may have sufficiently distracted Savannah enough so she may have lost track of exactly where they were.

"Where are we?" Cameron asked.

Savannah kept her speed constant once she cut inland. She checked the time and her heading.

"Right here." Savannah said as she pointed at the map.

Cameron was very pleased with Savannah's navigation skills.

"Correct." Cameron said.

Cameron noted Savannah hadn't looked at the GPS to pinpoint their position. She did it the 'old fashion' way. Only after she told her, did Savannah check. It always made her feel good to see what a fine person Savannah was. She was perfect in everything. It was clear flying was natural to her and she could 'fly by the seat of her pants'.

Cameron indicated a spot on the map.

"This is where we need to go." Cameron said.

Savannah adjusted her heading.

"We should be there in twelve minutes." Savannah said.

Eleven and a half minutes later Savannah pointed.

"I see a black van." Savannah said. "Is that our target?"

"It is." Cameron said.

Savannah slowed as they neared. She looked for a good spot to set down.

"I'm going to set it down on the pavement." Savannah said.

Cameron wanted to remind her that the Blackhawk was bigger than anything else she flown so far.

"Remember this thing is heavy." Cameron said.

Savannah was confident in her ability but she wanted Cameron to be ready to assist her if necessary.

"Back me up." Savannah said.

"You're doing fine." Cameron said.

Savannah touched down with only a slight bump.

Gail backed the van closer. The weapons and gear were quickly transferred.

The girls all piled in the van. Gail, Cameron and Savannah were still outside. The Terminator crew took off and headed back with the Blackhawk.

Gail gave Savannah a smile. Savannah returned it as she gently touched Gail's cheek as she did.

"I have additional transportation secured." Gail said.

"Excellent." Cameron said. "Savannah, you ride up front with Gail."

Cameron got in the back with Cammy, Ally and Sheila.

"Does this thing have a radio?" Ally asked.

Savannah turned it on and went through the channels.

Ally heard a song that she liked.

"That one. That's us…." Ally said. "Crank it."

Savannah looked at Cameron and she nodded.

'Bad Bad Leroy Brown' by 'Jim Croce', blasted through the van.

So We'd Always Have A Way

Is there really a tomorrow
If today is yesterday's tomorrow
Tomorrow never comes
Time we can never borrow

Each hour one after another
Will follow in an endless stream
The weight of the world crushes us
Nobody can feel us scream

Is there a way out
Or is there no escape
Whatever we seem to bend
We can never really reshape

If we change one thing
Do others things change as well
Are we better or worse
Is there any way to tell

We seek to find our true love
At the end of each day
To each other we must cling
So we'd always have a way

Nobody