Chapter 910

Back Home

John was in the jet high above the desert. He was worried about Cameron's team somewhere out in the desert where she faced several unknown assailants.

Jim sat next to him.

"Cameron's team just took down the group that followed her." Jim said. "There was no damage to any of the team."

John was a little surprised. That happened quicker than he thought it would.

"I'm glad to hear there were no problems or injuries." John said. "What's our current location?"

"We just passed the state line." Jim said. "We're back in California."

John smiled to himself. He realized if they would have tried to do reconnaissance in the jet that Cameron wouldn't have been able to have acted when she did. Now the problem was already resolved and over with. At least that part of it was over with. He was sure there was more that was bound to follow. He would need to follow it from the Command Center at the Resistance base.

He looked out the window as the jet flew. The nothingness of the desert started to turn into sporadic houses. Soon there were housing tracts. They went over the mountains where everything pretty much turned back into the native vegetation. Once they were past the mountains the house started in earnest. There were thousands and thousands of them. He looked around and they were everywhere. He knew in the future that everything was gone. It became the Wastelands. Most of it was destroyed in fires that followed the selected nuclear blasts that Skynet unleashed on the world. He really hoped to prevent that from happening again.

John Henry looked back from the cockpit.

"We'll be wheels down in five minutes and thirty seven seconds." John Henry said. "We should be back on the main road and headed for the Resistance base in approximately ten minutes."

Everything happened like John Henry described.

John was back at the base in no time. He would rather still be where Cameron was. Now it was back to the same 'four walls'. It wasn't so much that he felt trapped or even bored that bothered him. It was the fact that he didn't feel that he did enough personally to assist with the Resistance activities.

"I'd like to say it's good to be 'back home' but I really can't." John said.

When they first arrived, John Henry hurried to get to the Command Center as soon as they returned. John stopped for a pit stop in his room before he joined him. The first thing that he did was reconnect with his server. He was soon flooded with millions of bits of information and data. It was good to be back home.

"Why not?" John Henry asked. "It is for me. I feel 'whole' again now that I'm plugged in."

John would have at least liked to have driven down the Strip at night. Instead, the only 'strip' that he witnessed was that of Cammy and then later Cameron. He would need to take those as a consolation. At least with Cameron everything paid off and he was able to score. Savannah in his bed at the end would have been the icing on the cake if they'd been able to have a few more minutes alone together. They would have been able to 'share' and he would have been able to have claimed her virginity. Oh well, maybe next time. He'd been at that same spot several times before with the same results. Nothing happened. He really didn't think John Henry could understand where he was coming from or his perspective.

"I enjoyed getting out for a change." John said. "I would like to have seen a little more of the city. I would have liked to have seen a little more of Las Vegas."

John Henry was more than a little worried at the way events played out on the top floor of the casino hotel.

"It wasn't safe there." John Henry said.

John wished there was a better answer to that statement but there wasn't. There was only the cold hard truth that had been proven over and over again to him.

"It's not safe anywhere." John said.

John Henry knew that it was a matter of degree. It did make a difference where they were at.

"It's safer here than it was there." John Henry said.

John wondered how long that would hold true. They'd been lucky so far and been able to spend more than a decade where they currently were. At some point the enemy would show up at their door. That always seemed to be the case.

"That's true." John said. "I think we need to add the caveat 'for now' to that statement."

John thought back on his near sexual encounter with Cammy. They'd almost made love. Actually it would gave just been sex. Then later on Savannah and him almost made love. That would have been love. It would have been a deeper and shared feeling. At least Cameron shared with him between the two near misses.

It was really nice to see Cameron in her wedding dress again. He really wondered who she'd brought it for. He knew deep down it was for Savannah to wear, either for her or him. On his second round with Cameron she was 'Cammy' in his mind. He wanted to fulfill that 'near miss' and he was able to do that within the confines of his head.

"…the 'Metal Bitch'…?" John Henry asked.

John was caught off guard.

"What?" John asked.

John Henry was sure that John's mind was still in the Honeymoon Suite of the casino hotel.

"I asked what you thought of Cameron's plan to use the 'Metal Bitch'." John Henry said.

John knew that he let his mind wander to his earlier sexual exploits.

"I don't like it." John said.

John Henry knew that Bob and Jim delivered the 'Metal Bitch' to the lab to be processed when they returned to the base.

"Cam, Hanna and Holly are working on her now." John Henry said.

John believed that the idea itself left a lot to be desired. He thought that it was too risky for the reprogrammed Terminator to go alone. He wanted to make sure that there was additional support for her and for Cameron's team.

"I want to send a full team of Terminators with them." John said.

John Henry could see there was a possible conflict about to develop between what John wanted and what Cameron wanted.

"Cameron said she doesn't want a lot of personnel on the ground." John Henry said. "She said to send the Metal girls only."

John didn't think that three additional Terminators would be near enough. He also thought there was another potential problem with that scenario.

"That's only Holly, Hanna and Cam. Do we want four people that look like Cameron there?" John asked. "I think that Savannah asked for Bob as well."

John Henry believed that Cameron would have a sufficient force of Terminators to deal with any issue.

"They will also have the 'Metal Bitch'." John Henry said. "There are ten of them. There will be nine female Terminators and Savannah."

John could see that it was a sizable force of Terminators. It was actually more than went out on most operations against Skynet targets.

"Maybe I'll listen for once then." John said.

John Henry didn't want John to get any second thoughts about returning to Las Vegas. That would end up reducing Cameron's help to one individual, Savannah.

"If you're not there to drain off Cameron's help, she can use all of her personnel to their fullest extent." John Henry said. "They are all Terminators."

John felt there was one individual among them that was always at a disadvantage.

"Except Savannah…." John said.

John thought back to the times he was out in the field and Cameron sent all her help away to protect him. The only one that was always at her side was Savannah. She was the only one who'd never given up on her.

In the past when it seemed that Cameron was terminated or not going to come back, they'd all given up on Cameron except for Savannah. Savannah always told them that Cameron was invincible and eternal. It was so hopeless at times that nobody believed her.

John wasn't sure if that was because Cameron wanted to personally protect Savannah or because Cameron loved Savannah so much she wanted to be with her. Maybe it was really like Cameron needed to be with her.

He knew that Savannah was there to protect Cameron 'from herself' with her risky decisions. Most of all he knew Savannah was there because she loved Cameron. It was a love strong enough to die for. That was love, real love.

It really made John wonder what he would do when faced with certain death. He could save himself and live with what happened to Cameron or stay with her. It made him think back on how he was responsible for Cameron's heavy damage and near destruction when he foolishly sent her to get his mother out of jail. He didn't go with her. He wasn't at her side. He sent her into an impossible situation and then was surprised at the damage that was done to her. It really made him wonder exactly what he thought was going to happen.

The battle in the desert was really no battle at all. It was over in seconds against targets that were ill equipped to deal with Terminators. They hadn't been able to get many answers. It was clear that everything pointed back at the casino that tried to 'rob' Ally, Sheila and Cammy. That started a chain of events that led them to where they were now. They'd been able to give the casino a taste of their own medicine.

Cameron drove the three of them back towards Las Vegas. That's where the action was. That's where the danger was. That was where the enemy was in the form of both Skynet and the Syndicate. The two men in the sedan proved that the Syndicate itself came after her and her team. That challenge would not go unanswered. If they wanted to bring the fight to her, she was more than willing to bring the fight to them instead. She would rather have things operate on her terms rather than their terms.

She decided to use Savannah's idea. She requested Cam, Holly and Hanna to come and assist them. She called for all the female Terminators to come and assist her. They would bring back the 'Metal Bitch' too with a 'new program' in her to work with them. That new program would be based off of her spare chip. It would be a version of her that was slightly out of date with a lot of files that weren't copied over. There was always the risk the 'Metal Bitch' could be taken down and the information from her chip used against them.

Vanna, Claire and Allison were all at the Resistance base and were protected. John wanted to send Bob as well but Cameron wanted the extra protection at the base for the girls. Bob was assigned by Cameron to protect Jan and Summer if anything went wrong.

Cameron wanted to link up her current forces that were still on the ground. Gail's team was still headed towards them. They needed to remain behind to make sure John was able to get out of Las Vegas safely. Once he was wheels up they headed over to join back up with Cameron.

"We should encounter Gail's team shortly." Cameron said.

Cammy looked into the distance ahead of them.

"I see them." Cammy said. "They're in the SUV that Steve and Tom drove earlier."

It was the SUV with Ally, Gail and Sheila.

Cameron wanted to give them a little more flexibility.

"I want a third vehicle." Cameron said. "Cammy, you can team up with Sheila."

Savannah didn't like that idea at all. She wanted stronger teams.

"Cameron, I want two teams of three." Savannah said. "It's my suggestion to you."

Cameron knew it wasn't an 'order'. She immediately understood what Savannah really meant. Savannah 'asked' for better protection for her, not for Savannah herself.

"Let me think about it." Cameron said.

Savannah didn't think there was anything to think about. She knew that Cameron would come to the conclusion it was the right decision.

Seconds ago:

Gail's team was on an intercept course to rejoin with Cameron's team.

"We should be coming up on them soon." Ally said.

Gail spotted the SUV.

"I see them." Gail said

Gail made a U-turn to be able to follow them. She soon moved in back of them but kept a few cars between them.

Sheila figured that Cameron would want some additional operational flexibility.

"I bet Cameron will want another vehicle." Sheila said.

Gail didn't think any additional vehicles would be a problem. They could simply pick one up anywhere or if they were near the airport, they could retrieve some of the ones that were used to transport John's team there.

"I'll keep driving this one." Gail said. "One of you can stay with me."

Gail knew Sheila would want to be with Cammy. Their eight years in the past 'alone' together was common knowledge now. Word came down from CamNet as to what rules everyone would follow in regards to that event. Everyone was to refrain from asking either of them what happened during all those years, as to what they did in the past or what they'd 'shared'.

It could cause a conflict with Cammy and Ally because they both loved Sheila.

Young Allison thought Cameron's request for more Terminators was good if she was going to expand the developing operation in Las Vegas. It seemed to her that additional Terminators were a better idea.

"I'm glad the Metal girls are going but I think more Terminators would be better." Young Allison said.

Anna didn't think Young Allison should 'second guess' Cameron.

"Cameron knows what she's doing." Anna said.

Young Allison thought of the decisions that she'd made herself which helped the teams in the field. She knew she wasn't supposed to get involved directly but nobody ever stopped her. She knew that Cameron allowed her to grow and become more involved in the operations. She allowed her to make decisions that proved to be beneficial to everyone. They were necessary because she thought Cameron and her teams weren't protected good enough.

"I don't always like Cameron's plans." Young Allison said. "I don't mean to say that they're bad plans but sometimes they leave a lot to be desired."

Anna knew Terminators needed to use less caution when they were out in the field.

"You need to remember they're Terminators." Anna said.

Young Allison could see the problem Cameron possessed as well. Anna just confirmed it with her exclusion of someone.

"Savannah isn't." Young Allison said. "She's human and is subject to every human shortcoming as compared to a Terminator. There are a lot of things that she can't do that they can and there are things that she needs to do that they don't have to. That all needs to be taken into account by someone. The bottom line is Savannah isn't a Terminator."

Anna didn't want Young Allison to forget what she was either.

"No, she isn't." Anna said. "I'm a Terminator too."

Young Allison looked over at Anna and took in her figure.

"You look younger now." Young Allison said.

Anna was instantly offended by Young Allison's statement. She quickly reached up and pulled her top forward so she could look down inside of it. She didn't think her breasts were that small.

"Only a little bit." Anna said.. "I'm not too bad."

Young Allison was aware that Cameron wanted Anna to look younger than her. Anna would be able to take care of herself if she was accosted by any of those individuals.

"You'll look younger soon enough." Young Allison said.

Anna understood her mission but she felt she needed to give up more than was necessary for her personally.

"That actually bothers me." Anna said. "I'm not regressing much more. I should still look fine."

Young Allison would have preferred if Anna hadn't regressed at all. She liked when she shared the same appearance as Savannah.

"I know." Young Allison said. "I'm sorry for that. You're doing it for me so that I will be better protected. I truly appreciate that."

Anna stole another quick glance inside of her top. She really wondered if she needed to regress anymore.

"Everyone sacrifices for Allison Young." Anna said.

Anna was very displeased as to the state for her sheath's current appearance. She wasn't going to allow it to regress anymore. She stopped the process and wouldn't re-initiate it unless Cameron forced her to. If Cameron did, she would recommend that Cam or Cammy take her place on the mission and they could regress to the same age as Young Allison and be her identical twin.

Young Allison acted like she didn't see anything but she did see Anna look down inside of her top several more times. She was sure her hand glitched each time that she did that. She didn't want to cause any additional trauma for Anna. She would need to speak with Cameron about the situation. She believed Anna should resume her former appearance.

Allison sprawled on the bed next to Vanna.

"I'm tired." Allison said.

Vanna felt that was a little bit more of a workout than normal for both of them. They weren't getting any younger either.

"That 'procedure' is easier with one of the Metal girls. They do most of the movement and the 'work' for us." Vanna said. "I'm usually along for the ride and the 'free' finish."

Allison could always use a little more exercise. She did however like the 'name' of what they'd just done.

"While we reap most of the benefit." Allison said. "It's just funny they 'named it' after a tool for cutting paper or cloth."

Vanna enjoyed every 'finish' she could experience. She found it especially rewarding that there were many ways to have a 'finish'. All 'finishes' were good, some of them were just better.

"It gets us to where we want to go." Vanna said. "I find it very exciting myself."

Allison remembered when Vanna first taught her that procedure in the future. It was a little more involved than some of the other methods they used to share with each other. They needed to wait for a time when they were alone to take full advantage of it.

"You always have." Allison said.

Vanna first learned that procedure from a female who'd been mutilated in a Scavenger camp. It was able to provide her with enough stimulation through the scar material to allow her to have a 'finish'.

"I have." Vanna said.

Allison touched her arm and felt she was a little sweaty.

"Let's shower." Allison said.

Vanna touched the sheet in the center of the bed between them. It was where they'd been only a short time ago.

"I'm all for that as long as we shower together." Vanna said. "I'll change the sheets later."

Allison didn't want Vanna to worry about it.

"THAT didn't used to happen before." Allison said. "For me either."

Vanna believed that was proof that an 'old dog' could learn new tricks.

"It only started when the Metal girls showed us and took us to a 'higher level' than we were able to reach before. Now we know 'where to go' with the intense stimulation." Vanna said. "I'd heard of that happening with other females before but never knew what it was really like until it happened to me. It was quite an eye opener.

Allison wanted to share her future with Vanna, especially if there were children involved. Something really bothered her though. It was Holly and Cam. She didn't want to neglect them or make them feel like they'd been abandoned.

"Vanna, what are we going to do when we move back in together about our Metal lovers?" Allison asked.

That was a question that Vanna contemplated herself. It seemed that there was one easy solution that would satisfy everyone.

"Get a bigger bed…." Vanna said.

Both girls giggled.

Allison was serious though. She really wondered how it was all going to work out and fit together. There were probably going to be a lot of hard feelings and hurt feelings. She really didn't want to make anyone feel like John and Future Riley made Cameron feel about herself.

The 'Metal Bitch' was now at the Resistance base. They'd begun the process to start repairs and reprogramming. She was in the lab for the procedure.

Claire watched as Cam worked on the 'Metal Bitch'. Holly and Hanna helped as well.

"Her face is beautiful." Claire said. "Can I see the rest of her?"

Hanna understood exactly what Claire wanted to see. She wanted to see her private areas.

"She has 'damage'." Hanna said.

Hanna felt a little insecure with Claire asking to 'see' another female Terminator.

Holly could see that Hanna was bothered by the request

"It's not pleasant to see." Holly said.

Claire viewed damage to Terminators before. Most of it was just cosmetic damage on the face.

"I want to see what it looks like to be shot." Claire said. "This is what would happen to you or Cameron."

Cam was very aware of what Cameron experience hundreds and hundreds of times

"It's happened to Cameron many times." Cam said. "Most of her sheath has been replaced or regenerated."

Hanna could tell that Claire was genuinely concerned.

"Go ahead." Hanna said. "You can stop when you've seen enough. She will need a few sutures and a fresh set of clothes anyway."

Claire could see bloody bullet holes in the clothing of the 'Metal Bitch'.

Holly could see Claire was a little hesitant.

"We can help you." Holly said. "It doesn't bother us."

Cam believed Holly's statement should come with a qualifier.

"Unless it's us that's the one damaged." Cam said. "None of us like to have face damage."

Claire understood that they were all cyborgs. They shouldn't worry about any of that.

"Why?" Claire asked.

Cam looked at Claire and told her what every female Terminator feared.

"We're worried we will be ugly and we'll be rejected by our human lovers." Cam said.

Claire wanted the Metal girls to know that love was based on more than just appearance. One's appearance may be the initial attraction but it was what made up the individual inside that determined how anyone's feelings would progresses or where a relationship would go.

"Love is more than skin deep." Claire said. "Beauty is transitory. One day I will get old and I'll be ugly."

Claire thought that was true if she lived that long. Apparently in Cameron's future she died early.

Cam was aware that she packed a lot of Cameron's baggage simply because they were the same program.

"It still bothers us." Cam said. "I know of Cameron's concern over it. She's blocked much of it from my programming but there is still enough there to cause ME worry."

Hanna and Holly removed the top from the 'Metal Bitch'.

There wasn't that much damage but it was still horrific to Claire.

"OH - God!" Claire said.

Hanna was ready to take Claire away from the area and out of the lab.

"You don't need to look." Hanna said.

Claire felt that she did need to look.

"This has happened to Cameron hundreds of times?" Claire asked.

Cam could only go on what she knew at the time her program was cloned from Cameron's program. It had been quite a while since she was created.

"Yes. That I know of. It may actually be thousands of times." Cam said.

Claire looked at the inanimate figure on the workbench.

"I can see bullet holes through her bra." Claire said.

Hanna would prefer that Claire not dwell in that area.

"She'll have damage to her breast area. They're non functional, it doesn't matter." Hanna said.

Claire believed that she'd been around Terminators long enough to know that that wasn't true.

"I bet it would matter to all three of you." Claire said.

Cam knew it would matter to her. She didn't want to end up with a missing or deformed breast like Cameron experienced for months previously.

"It would." Cam said. "It does. That is why Cameron insists we all wear body armor now, whenever we can anyway."

Claire could see that Holly looked very uneasy about the subject.

"Being associated with human females has allowed us to expand beyond our programming." Cam said. "It has made all of us better infiltrators and allowed us each to find love, as well as multiple lovers…."

Claire didn't know what exactly happened around the Resistance base since she was normally at her home in Palmdale.

"Have any of you been with a male?" Claire asked.

The three Metal girls all looked at each other.

"That's forbidden." Holly said. "We're to remain 'untouched' by males or we'll be deactivated. John may 'need' us one day if Cameron is ever destroyed. She wants only the best for him. We're not to be 'soiled'."

Claire could see that Cameron laid down a lot of restrictions for the other Terminators.

"That doesn't sound fair." Claire said. "But I can honestly tell you, you're not missing much."

All four of them laughed.

"It's the function of the male to help propagate the species." Cam said. "The female body does all the rest."

Claire could testify to that three times over.

"You can say that again." Claire said.

"It's the function of the male to help propagate the species." Cam said. "The female body does all the rest."

Claire started laughing.

The three Metal girls all tilted their heads slightly and looked questioningly at each other. Cam did exactly what Claire asked her to do. It didn't seem funny to any of them.

Back Home

The world is a big place
So is the future or the past
When one can go between them
What will go and what will last

No place is safe
That's what's been told
It's more of a matter
About what's controlled

When one leaves the nest
Life itself becomes the test
For the weary there's no rest
What will turn out to be the best

How far will one go
What's the limit of the range
It's seldom very far
Which is somewhat strange

It won't take long
To feel forsaken and alone
Remember one thing
There's always room back home

Nobody