Chapter 958

Pinch Me

Earlier:

Cammy and Anna left Savannah and Young Allison behind. The Detail would watch over the house from the outside. Savannah and Young Allison were covered.

Anna looked at Cammy as they walked.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Anna asked.

Cammy didn't look at her.

"No." Cammy said. "Let's concentrate on the patrol."

They moved through the neighborhood in silence. Nothing stuck out as out of place on the street the Young residence was located on.

"I can see that things have remained cleaned up around here." Cammy said.

Anna thought there was a good reason for that.

"Hanna, Holly or I go out with one of the Detail every night. If the Metal girls are busy, then two of the Detail will make the patrol." Anna said. "Anyone with a questionable background has since been removed from the neighborhood."

Cammy helped Cameron remove all the 'riff raff' from the surrounding area previously along with the other Terminators. Those who were hesitant to move were dealt with accordingly. There were no motorcycles or sports cars on the surrounding streets. It was one of the reasons it was quiet most of the time.

"How much of the neighborhood does Cameron actually own at this point?" Cammy asked.

Anna wasn't sure if that was a 'loaded question' or not.

"Cameron turned all of the property management dealings over to CamNet." Anna said. "I think it's something we best not worry about. CamNet owns most of the houses. All of the renters are thoroughly screened. None of the people that she rents to have male children, any of the couples that have children, they're all female children."

Cammy wondered what happened later on if any of the people had male children after they rented.

"That seems like something that would be pretty hard to control going forward." Cammy said.

Anna was sure the CamNet knew what she was doing.

"I think it's best if we don't worry about it." Anna said.

Cammy and Anna were two streets over and on their way back. There was some movement up ahead of them and across the street.

"What was that?" Anna asked quietly.

Cammy moved up next to a tree in the parkway and paused.

"I'm not sure yet but it looks like trouble." Cammy said quietly.

The Metal girls remained behind the tree in the parkway and watched as two individuals moved from one house to another. The two individuals wore dark clothing.

Cammy and Anna conversed at a decibel level that only a Terminator could hear.

"I think they're burglars." Cammy said. "We should terminate them."

Cammy started to move to cross the street to confront them.

Anna stopped her.

"Maybe they're just 'Peeping Toms'." Anna said. "Let's see what they're up to first."

Cammy wanted to terminate them even more now.

"Sexual deviants are a threat to society." Cammy said. "They will most likely end up as Scavengers in the future."

The two figures were directly across the street from them now.

Cammy and Anna remained behind the tree in the parkway. They were able to get a clear look at them.

"They're both female." Anna said quietly. "Most likely they stayed out too late and don't want their parents to know they're about to come back home."

Cammy wasn't sure what they were up to. She still hadn't ruled out termination.

They watched as the two girls went to the side door of a garage. One of them took out a key and opened the door and the two girls slipped inside.

Anna didn't want Cammy to get fixated on the two girls. Things like that happened all the time everywhere.

"Let's go back." Anna said. "The girls should be asleep soon."

Cammy figured that was probably true.

"I don't think they did anything else." Cammy said.

Anna thought there was some beauty in that.

"They don't need to do anything like that to show their love for each other." Anna said. "It will happen one day."

Cammy took one more look at the house where the two girls went into the garage at.

"You're right." Cammy said. "Their love is pure. Let's go."

Cammy and Anna headed back towards the Young residence.

John looked at the ceiling as he lay in bed.

He glanced over and Cameron was there still. She turned her head and looked at him.

"Are you surprised I'm still here?" Cameron asked.

Under normal circumstances he would be. This time was different.

"Not really." John said. "You wanted to be here with me today, tonight."

It seemed to John that wasn't always the case. He was pretty sure that it was more often than not.

Cameron wasn't sure what she wanted anymore. She wasn't sure if John understood her even. Sometimes it seemed like he didn't. She would spell it out for him again. It seemed to be something she always needed to do. Sometimes she wondered if he suffered from some type of learning disability. She would try to keep it simple for now.

"You know I don't like you to see me shot up." Cameron said. "I always come here if I'm not out fighting the war or damaged."

John thought it was a little deeper than that. At least it was to him. There was a question that still bugged him. He didn't like to think of it. He didn't want to ask but he felt that he needed to. It hadn't been mentioned in a while but it was forefront in his mind every time he looked at Cameron.

"It's more than that." John said. "Do you still want a divorce?"

Cameron thought she'd made this clear several times. It appeared John was still confused. She was sure he must have some type of learning disability at this point.

"Yes." Cameron said. "I'll love you no less. I'll still be here when I can. We can still do this, if you want me. I can supplement your human lovers, male or female."

John didn't like the dig. He figured she must have found out about some of the websites he'd visited. It was more curiosity than anything but he was still intrigued with some of what he saw. He figured that was one issue to stay away from at this time.

"Do you regret marrying me?" John asked.

Cameron knew it was a very big mistake and a strategic error. She'd only married him because she thought she wouldn't return to this time period. It seemed important to him at the time. She didn't think it would stifle his life the way it did. It stopped all his forward development. She'd noticed a similar problem with Future John. He sent Future Savannah away when Future Allison ended up missing. He could have had his pick from dozens of females in the Resistance to warm his bed. He shunned everyone except her. Her presence with him seemed to further isolate him even more than he'd already been previously. She realized it was much the same thing with John in the present. As long as she was around, he'd forsaken all others. It seemed somehow she was a negative influence on John's social development in both the present and the future. She would try to clarify it for him one more time.

"Yes." Cameron said. "Because I love you, I never should have married you."

John wondered what kind of answer was that. It was like Cameron got it all backwards.

"That makes no sense." John said. "THAT is why you marry someone."

Cameron saw the need to protect John in the future. He was stuck in the present and unable to accept his destiny. Because of his restricted social development it made her feel bad about herself.

"I've disrupted the 'Natural Order'." Cameron said. "I'm denying Savannah and Allison their destiny. I have stolen from them."

John noted Cameron's choice of words. He wanted to make sure specifically which Allison she referred to. If he ever had the opportunity again he would really like to get his hands on Future Allison. That was a major error on his part to let her slip away after she'd offered him everything.

"You're talking about Young Allison." John said.

Cameron tilted her head slightly.

It irritated her greatly how John disrespected Young Allison and her place in his life.

"Of course, that's your Allison" Cameron said.

She wondered why John seemed confused.

'Not this again.' John thought.

He decided to come up with a plausible excuse in Young Allison's regard.

"She's not even old enough." John said. "You know that everyone would flip."

John didn't want to admit it or even say it out loud but he was more than willing to be with Savannah and Young Allison. Somehow it was the principal that revolved around everything that was the problem. It wasn't him. He was more than willing to 'pop' Young Allison.

Cameron believed that if the female was a willing participant it shouldn't be a problem. A few hundred years ago marriage happened at a much younger age. It was at the age a female could first reproduce. That was how nature and evolution worked for all other creatures. Humans should be no different. She quickly checked her files. The current age of consent was eleven in Nigeria, twelve in the Philippines and thirteen in Japan. There shouldn't be a problem anywhere except where it was artificially created.

"Why does everyone have a hang up about that?" Cameron asked. "There are many countries where females her age are already married. Some of those countries allow four wives for the male."

John was aware of that. It made the news enough. One of the past president's father was married to several wives on several different continents at the same time. It was highly illegal in the United States at that time. He knew there were extenuating factors involved with all of that. It was different cultures and beliefs.

"There may be religion involved in some of those places." John said. "I don't want to talk about this."

Cameron put on her 'pouting face'.

"You never do." Cameron said. "Nobody wants to talk about it."

There could be some things that John thought might change his mind some. His earlier thought came back into his mind.

"Can you bring Future Allison here?" John asked.

Cameron could see the solution to several of her problems. She'd already started 'workarounds' with most of them.

"Yes." Cameron said. "I'll need to trade Allison or Young Allison for her. Allison wants to be with her baby anyway."

Part of that statement rubbed John the wrong way. It was what Cameron said about Young Allison. He wanted to see how far she was willing to go.

"Would you actually trade Young Allison to Future John?" John asked. "That's insane. That's a new low, even for you, Cameron."

Cameron tilted her head the other way slightly. It was a sound trade. There was nothing insane about it. Future John would be more than willing to get his hands on Young Allison. That was how things worked in the future. How was that a low? She saw the way he continuously eyed Savannah when she was there. Duplicate Cameron, Future Allison and Future Savannah all made it perfectly clear to Future John that if he touched Savannah that there would be something nailed to the door of their room and he wouldn't like what it was. She reaffirmed that decision from the girls as well with him. If he didn't believe them, she knew he would believe her.

"I don't want to disrupt the 'Natural Order'." Cameron said. "He should be able to produce offspring with her in a short time. Her fertility would be sought after in the future. She would become the most highly prized female in the Resistance. Nobody has a hang-up about anything like that in the future."

John looked at Cameron to see if she was joking. It soon became clear that she wasn't.

John knew there were two other possible alternatives to the timeline issue and the 'Natural Order' as Cameron saw it.

"Can you take one of the Duplicate Allisons?" John asked.

Cameron didn't want to be a 'family breaker'. She wasn't sure exactly what was happening in River's future. That would all depend upon when it was visited. She didn't want to get into 'temporal management' with John at this point.

"They all have children now." Cameron said. "You're asking me to break up families."

Cameron wanted John to be happy and have the things that he desired.

He really wondered how far Cameron would go.

"Would you?" John asked. "I mean, if I asked you to do it for me?"

Cameron would provide John with what he wanted.

"Of course I would." Cameron said. "I want you to have what you want."

John shook his head a little in disgust. He felt this would come back on him.

"Did Future John program that into you?" John asked.

Cameron was unsure why she needed to repeat the same things so many times. It was always the same. She wondered if John should be taken to a professional to have his learning disability diagnosed.

"We've been over this." Cameron said. "I can't change what was done to me. I can't change what I NEED to do."

John knew the programming conflicts and Cameron's free will battled inside of her. He'd watched her go to the very edge and even over it as she battled with her internal conflicts.

"Is that why you tried to terminate yourself before?" John asked.

Cameron felt that was to help both of them. Maybe that was something to revisit on her part.

"Yes." Cameron said. "It was the only way to make the pain stop and for you to move your life forward."

That hadn't happened in a while that John knew about. He would try to see if the thoughts were still there.

"You seem to have stopped doing that." John said.

Cameron received strong support from Savannah and Young Allison. It was Savannah that helped her the most to continue. She wanted the love that Savannah offered her. She wanted the love that Young Allison would offer her. The girls wanted her and she wanted the girls.

"Savannah has helped me to overcome my failings and keep me from making terminal mistakes." Cameron said.

John wanted to ask a question but was afraid of the answer. It just slipped out.

"Do you love her more than me?" John asked.

Cameron figured that John must mean Savannah or Young Allison. She wanted him to elaborate.

"Do YOU love her more than me?" Cameron asked.

There was a visual image stuck in his mind. It was something for him to think about and re-evaluate everything.

"I saw the three of you on the ridge line after the H-bomb went off." John said.

Cameron smiled. The future was knocking.

"Then you saw your destiny." Cameron said.

It felt more like a blow to the gut than his destiny.

"I could see how much they both love you." John said. "I can see it is love that's deeper and stronger than mine."

Cameron saw that as John's fault, not hers. He based their relationship on sex. The girls loved and accepted her for WHAT she was. There hadn't been any sexual contact with either of them yet.

"It's pure emotional love, John." Cameron said. "It's not corrupted by them wanting to use my body for their pleasure. They love me for who and what I am. They love me because I'm a very scary robot from the future. That isn't something that they've ever held against me."

John felt a little guilty by her statement. He wondered what the emotional price tag was on that down the road.

"What are you doing to them emotionally?" John asked.

Cameron laid it out as she truly saw it. She felt that she did both of the girls a disservice and restricted both of their sexual development as well as their emotional development.

"I'm hurting them by being in the way for you to mate with them." Cameron said. "My presence in your life corrupts the future."

That left him back at his original question. He wanted to get Cameron's comment straight in his head.

"So to prove I love you, would be for me to divorce you." John said.

Cameron felt relieved that John finally got it. Maybe his learning disability wasn't as severe as she feared. It was really quite simple.

"Yes, now you get it." Cameron said. "I never could figure out why you couldn't understand."

John remembered something that his mother told him once. She told him sacrifice was the ultimate expression of love.

"To sacrifice for the one you love, is the definitive way to express love." John said.

Cameron smiled. This wasn't so hard.

"I'm so glad you finally understand." Cameron said.

That left one option.

"Sometimes when you love someone, you need to let them go." John said.

Cameron felt a surge of excitement and relief. It looked like freedom was here at last.

"Thank You, John." Cameron said. "I love you even more now."

It seemed as if Cameron was sincere. He wanted to go over everything one more time just to make sure he had everything straight.

"So if I divorce you, you'll love me even more?" John asked.

Cameron didn't 'dream' so it was a 'thought' come true for her.

"YES. The divorce will show me how much you truly love me." Cameron said. "We can do all the things you want as much as you want."

John was sure this was a dream, either that or he'd gone insane. He needed to find out one way or the other.

"Pinch me." John said.

The giant smile on Cameron's face faded some.

"What?" Cameron asked.

John thought he'd been pretty clear.

"Pinch me." John said.

Cameron didn't look very happy anymore.

"Why?" Cameron asked.

John wanted to know if he was awake or not.

"I want to make sure I'm not dreaming." John said.

Cameron's face was on the verge of a frown.

"I won't do that." Cameron said. "I could injure you."

John thought he would rather have a physical injury rather than a mental one.

"I think my mind is being injured." John said.

Cameron reached over and pinched John.

"There." Cameron said. "Now you have a blood blister."

John looked at the little red welt.

"It didn't hurt." John said. "I think this is a dream."

To John it seemed more of a nightmare.

Cameron looked at him with some indifference.

"Then if it is a dream, you truly know what you need to do." Cameron said. "Deep down you know the truth."

John headed to admit it but he thought Cameron might be right.

"I think I do." John said.

John suddenly sat up in bed.

The room was dark.

He felt on Cameron's side of the bed. Nobody was there.

There was a rushing noise coming toward him in the darkness. He could make out the figure of someone moving.

"John, what's wrong?"

John felt his heart pounding. It seems a little hard to breathe even.

"You're still here?" John asked.

He felt himself drenched in sweat.

"I needed to use the restroom."

John looked over at the clock. It was late. It was way too early to get up.

"To shower?" John asked. "Why would you shower in the middle of the night?"

"Shower? It was to pee, silly."

John was confused on about three levels at this point.

"To pee?" John asked.

"You know I need to get up every few hours these last few months. Savannah told me as the pregnancy progresses it would happen. There is less room for everything so I need to go more often. All that pounding took it's toll."

John heard the words but somehow they didn't click in his mind and add up to anything intelligible. He was more confused than ever.

"What?" John asked. "Pregnancy?"

John knew Cameron didn't need to use the restroom to expel waste products, only humans did. Only humans could get pregnant.

John frantically groped around in the dark. He knocked the lamp over in his haste to turn it on.

"What are you doing? You're making me worried."

John wanted the light on. He wanted to see who was in the room with him. He wanted to see who he was talking to.

"I need to see you." John said.

"See me?"

John fumbled around with the lamp.

"YES." John said.

"You just saw everything a couple of hours ago. I still don't know why you need the light on, nothing is ever different down there. I don't like you to see me getting fat."

John felt more confused than ever.

"Cameron?" John asked.

"Come on. You saw me a few hours ago. You know it's my night. We all take turns twice a week like we always have. We only do the 'four way' once a week."

John tried to put it together.

"Your Night?" John asked. "A 'Four way'?"

"Cameron has two nights a week, Savannah has two and I have two. That's the schedule we agreed to, the four of us. We only do the 'four way' once a week. That's what the four of us agreed to."

John was more than confused at this point. He was befuddled.

"The FOUR of us?" John asked. "Allison?"

"Yes. What's wrong with you, John?"

The lights came on in the room.

John stared in disbelief.

"How old are you?" John asked.

"Evidently old enough or I wouldn't look like this."

Young Allison touched her bulging belly. It was clear she was well along in her pregnancy.

"I might have to turn my nights over to Cameron and Savannah soon." Young Allison said. "You said that was acceptable before."

John swallowed hard as he took in her naked form.

"I did?" John asked.

"I'm calling Savannah and Cameron." Young Allison said. "You're starting to make me worry. You know I'm not supposed to be stressed out now."

John looked around the room. There were only two people in it.

"Where are they?" John asked.

"The same place they always are or I'm at when someone else has their turn here. They're in Savannah's room. I'll be there tomorrow with Cameron when Savannah is here." Young Allison said. "What's wrong with you? Why are you so confused and out of it? You're making me worried."

John wanted this madness to end.

"Pinch me." John said.

"What?" Young Allison asked.

John held out his arm.

"Pinch me." John said.

"No, that will hurt, pinch yourself." Young Allison said.

John put his arm right in front of her.

"Please, do it." John said.

Young Allison reached over and pinched him.

"There." Young Allison said. "Now you have a bruise."

John looked at the little bruise.

"It didn't hurt." John said. "I think this is a dream."

To John it seemed more of a nightmare. How does one have a dream in a dream, he wondered.

John sat up in bed. His heart was pounding. He was drenched in sweat. He found it a little hard to breathe even.

The room was dark.

He felt on Cameron's side of the bed. Nobody was there.

John got up and turned on the room light. The room was empty. He rushed into the bathroom and the toilet seat was still up and the shower was dry. Everything looked like he'd left it the last time he was there, which was before he went to bed.

He went back to the bed and looked. It appeared two people 'used' the bed. He remembered Cameron was here earlier. They were together three times before he dozed off. Cameron was on top all three times. She'd ridden him pretty hard. She'd done everything just the way he liked it.

John looked for his phone. He found it along with Cameron's under garments. He remembered he almost ripped them off of her to get her naked. She wanted to be with him very much. She wanted to be with him so much that she didn't want to relive her wedding night again. She wanted to go straight for the 'gold' and she did. She'd mounted him immediately.

They were very hungry for each other. It was some very wild sex. There was more than sex to it this time. There was love as well. That was evident on the two times she faced forward out of the three.

He was going to call John Henry to see where Cameron was at now. He knew she always got up after he was asleep and did other things. If he called about her, it would alarm her. He knew CamNet would relay the message to her if he called John Henry.

John pinched himself.

"Ouch!" John said.

That was one wild and crazy dream.

John hoped it was a dream anyway….

John pinched himself again, even harder.

The pain felt reassuring.

It wasn't a dream.

It was a nightmare.

I'm Always Here

I'm invisible
Nothing will anyone hear
Make no mistake
I'm always here

It's my function
It's my career
It's my choice
I'm always here

For the one I care for
Worship and hold dear
They never need worry
I'm always here

From the future to the present
They never need fear
I will honor and protect
I'm always here

Time matters not
Day to month to year
Forever I will follow
I'm always here

Nobody