Chapter 1020
Several Variations
John looked at some cruise ship information. It was really an interesting proposition to him. He would like to spend a week with Cameron. It would be a long overdue honeymoon for them. They never really were able to have one before. They'd been able to spend a few days together here and there. It seemed Skynet always got in the way. Things just didn't work out. It would be really nice to get away from it all for a few days. A full week would be great.
It seemed like the ship would be a good place for both of them. They would be away from everything. It would be really hard for Skynet to get in the way of anything on the ship. It was still possible but it was highly unlikely. He didn't think he'd ever been with Cameron for seven days straight without some type of interruption.
He really wondered what it would be like. With his recent performances with Cameron, he knew that he needed to build up some more stamina. She promised him a 'thousand times'. He planned to collect on that. He really wondered how many times he would be able to perform a day for seven days in a row. He figured he was good for three to four times a day at a performance level that should be able to satisfy Cameron. If he was just there to knock one off, he might be able to do it five or six times. It excited him to know that he would be with Cameron thirty to forty times on the ship over the seven day cruise.
There would be a lot of people on the ship. It looked like it was fun and there were a lot of things to do onboard. He still wanted his mother to have a good time with Kyle. Even if they were on at the same time, they didn't need to hang out together. Vanna or Allison could watch Jan for them for a week.
John Henry could see that John seemed very interested in the cruise.
"Are you going to try it?" John Henry asked.
John touched the stubble on his chin. It was something he wanted to try.
"It would be nice to get away from it all, even if it's only for a week." John said. "I see there are longer cruises as well."
John Henry thought being on a ship would pose less of a security risk to John. There would be other people but they were also isolated.
"It would give you and Cameron some time alone together." John Henry said. "You wouldn't be on the road. You don't even need to leave the ship."
John thought he would like to see some of the ports. He wondered about all the other guests.
"There are a lot of people." John said. "We don't know who any of them are."
John Henry knew that they needed to provide some type of identification before they could get on the ship. He would be able to run the names through all of the databases to make sure there weren't any problems.
He could see there were ways for them to remain more isolated. He looked into a few things and liked what he found out.
"If you book a suite, there's a lot that can happen in your room." John Henry said. "I can arrange special services for you and Cameron. You would be given priority treatment with everything related to the ship."
That sounded enticing to John. He'd like to feel like a VIP, even if he couldn't act like one.
"You can do that?" John asked.
John Henry was contacted by CamNet. He received a wealth of information. He was actually surprised at what she'd just done. He double checked it with her to make sure. It was a very bold move the way he saw it.
"John, I was just in communication with CamNet. I have some interesting news. CamNet used some of the confiscated Syndicate money and bought a controlling interest in the cruise ship line." John Henry said. "For all practical purposes, CamNet now owns the cruise line."
That news was a surprise to John. He wondered why he didn't know about this sooner. He didn't like Cameron to keep secrets from him like this. It made him wonder how long she'd been planning something like this. The more he thought about it, the more it sounded like something she would do and then make it seem like the whole thing was a new adventure. He was a little upset because he thought it was all some last minute planning on Cameron's part. That didn't seem to be the case. She'd probably been behind it for months.
"When was this?" John asked. "How long has this been planned?"
John Henry checked with CamNet again. He wanted to verify everything that he'd just learned. When he was shown the data by CamNet he was more than a little surprised.
"It seems to be only three minutes ago." John Henry said. "It occurred when we started to talk about this and it was clear you wanted to go. Wait, I was just updated again. CamNet just bought the rest of the available stock. She now owns ninety three percent of the company. She has complete control now."
John wasn't sure if this was a joke. It was a major deal if it was for real. He wasn't sure how strongly he should question what all happened. He was well aware that when he questioned something about Cameron that it produced negative results. Those negative results were usually carried over into the bedroom with similar negative results. The worst of those were when Cameron would strip, pleasure herself in front of him and then leave. He shook his head to clear his mind.
"Are you kidding?" John asked.
John Henry tilted his head slightly. He wondered why anyone would jest about such a thing.
"I don't kid." John Henry said. "I inquired about the reasoning with CamNet."
John waited for John Henry to continue. He didn't. He decided to prompt him.
"What was the response?" John asked.
John Henry thought the response spoke for itself.
"She said it was 'easy money'." John Henry said.
John got a strange look on his face.
John Henry noticed.
"CamNet said you would know what that meant." John Henry said.
John did know what it meant. It wasn't the first time that he'd heard that exact statement.
"I do." John said. "Those were my words from a few years ago. It's actually been quite a few years ago at this point."
John Henry could see how CamNet in control of the cruise line would give their team better control of what happened on the ship. He saw it as a positive endeavor. He also thought it was good use of the dirty money from the Syndicate.
"I think it will all work out." John Henry said. "I don't see any reason why you can't be on the next sailing at this point. It will depart the Port of Los Angeles in just under a week. You might have to mask your appearance somewhat, at least for the boarding procedure."
John touched the stubble on his chin again. He was glad he'd been lazy and hadn't shaved for a few days. He figured he could turn it into a beard or goatee before the next cruise set sail.
"I could always wear a disguise like a beard and sunglasses." John said. "I don't want to end up on someone's camera or phone and then all over the internet."
John Henry knew everything electronic was searched and scrubbed of anything related to them or Skynet. He knew that CamNet already worked to scrub much of the news about what currently happened between the Syndicate and the Cartel. She figured the more that everyone was in the dark about what was actually going on, the better it was for their team and the more damage she could do.
"CamNet and I search for such things all the time. Even people that look similar to you or any of our team members, we remove any images." John Henry said. "I'm actually a little surprised at how many females have a look similar to Cameron's look. None of those images are erased. It only adds more confusion to her general description if anybody tries to look for it."
John wondered who looked like any of them other than the people from alternate timelines or Duplicates.
"How many people is that?" John asked. "I mean that look like the rest of us."
John Henry didn't think it was many. He did however come across millions of big busted females like Gail and Holly. He decided that would require some further research on his part. He concentrated mainly on the nude photographs he could find. He decided it would be interesting to look for any types of unique body markings like tattoos or piercings. He found the experience very rewarding. He needed to refocus. He would let his server continue to review the images. When John wasn't looking, he adjusted his pants.
"There's not that many people that look like the rest of you." John Henry said.
John was sure he wanted to do this and he wanted Sarah and Kyle to go as well. There was no reason others couldn't go. He thought it would do his sister a world of good. He always used to think that his mother kept a tight rein on him. It was nothing compared to the way that she held Jan close and shielded her from everything.
"I'll think about it." John said. "I would really like for my mom to get out a little with Jan more often. I'm a little worried about the security. I don't think it would be a problem on the ship itself."
John Henry thought maybe they could conduct a test first.
"We could have Sheila and Ally try a dry run." John Henry said.
John didn't know about that idea. Sheila was known for being crude, offensive and wild. She always teased him a lot. He would really like to give her chassis a try. He'd even thought about asking Cameron to put her chip in Sheila's chassis. Cameron was her program and the chassis or sheath was interchangeable. Cameron's chip or program was in both male and other female chassis before. He really regretted not giving her a 'try' as Isabel or Metal Summer. He could have been the 'first' for both of those chassis. He'd never pass up that opportunity again if it was offered to him. Right now he needed to think about Sheila and her antics.
"They would probably get kicked off the ship or arrested, even if CamNet owns the company." John said. "Remember they don't sleep. I think if Loki is the God Of Mischief that Sheila is probably the Goddess Of Mischief."
John Henry tilted his head slightly at the reference John made. He thought that Sheila could be controlled. He figured if Cameron threatened her before they left that she would think twice about some of her antics. As far as sleep went, that was another issue. He wondered what she would do during the after hours on the ship. Maybe Ally and her could share with each other during the time when everyone else was asleep.
"Cameron doesn't sleep either, she'll be active all of the time." John Henry said. "She doesn't want to go into standby. That might cause a few issues."
That thought crossed John's mind. He needed to think about Cameron and what she was supposed to do when he was asleep. There was nowhere for her to go either and she feared going into standby. She never talked about the issues or the events that occurred when she'd been in standby before. They always caused her hand to glitch when she attempted to talk about them.
"I thought about that too." John said. "Maybe it would be boring for her. I'm not looking to cause anyone any problems. I seem to have done enough of that already."
John Henry tried to think of what other alternatives were available to Cameron. She didn't think it would be that hard to create some things for her to do when John was asleep.
"She can have computer access in your room. We can hook up a satellite link and bypass the ship's services." John Henry said. "The reports I read said the ship's internet service is slow."
John didn't want to make Cameron feel uncomfortable. He didn't want to get ahead of himself. He didn't want to make it seem like he was going to pressure anyone to do anything either.
"I need to find out if Cameron really wants to do this." John said.
John Henry wanted a more diplomatic approach. He was sure however John approached it that it would actually create a problem rather than resolve or alleviate one.
"It might go smoother if I do that for you. I'll try and find out." John Henry said. "The whole point is for you two to be alone together and not need to worry about anything."
John wondered if Savannah was behind this whole thing.
"Is this Savannah's suggestion?" John asked. "Is she the driving force behind this?"
John Henry was often provided information by CamNet as to Savannah's attempts to keep John and Cameron close. There were things she did often to propagate that. Perhaps the biggest one of all was her avoiding Cameron's overtures to get her into John's bed. There were times when Cameron pushed hard on Savannah. Afterwards Savannah would spend time on the internet. She didn't look at male and female interaction. She concentrated solely on female interaction with other females. He wasn't really sure why. He wasn't sure if it was because that was her natural preference or if she wanted to push any ideas of her being with John out of her head.
"Savannah thinks Cameron and you need to stay connected." John Henry said. "She's looking out for both of you, even if neither of you can recognize it. She does everything she can to keep you two close."
It made John wonder what Cameron really wanted. He wasn't really sure that it was him.
"Cameron would probably rather go with Savannah." John said.
They both knew Cameron would try to 'pair up' Savannah with John if she was along with them.
John had been close several times to making love with Savannah. The funny part about that was they'd never even kissed each other yet. They almost went 'all the way' but actually hadn't even 'started' yet. When the moment came, they both wanted to rush right into it and go for the gold. He remembered how he bounced around on the soft flesh outside of where 'Little Willy' wanted to go. 'Little Willie' never made it inside. Not yet anyway.
"Savannah knows that. She wants both Cameron and you to be together." John Henry said. "Savannah will not go. I'm aware that she's told Cameron that nearly a dozen times already. I don't think she'll change her mind either."
Now John felt unsure about the whole thing. He didn't want to seem like he was selfish. He didn't want to feel he would abuse his position of power.
"Maybe Claire and her daughters should go first." John said. "They've all been drug into this nightmare."
Neither one of them wanted to mention that Cameron wanted to take Young Allison away from her parents when she was younger and then her sister Summer too. She wanted to take Summer as her own. That was a long time ago but it still happened.
John Henry felt something should be done. He didn't really think it mattered who went. If it were two Terminators they wouldn't need to worry about security. If any of the humans went, they would have to consider what type of protection and how much would be necessary.
"Someone needs to try it first." John Henry said.
John really wanted to go but he needed to think about his troops first.
"I want it to be some of the girls or Claire and her family." John said.
John Henry could think of a few possibilities.
"Maybe Vanna and Allison can go." John Henry said.
John Henry already considered that idea. He was only concerned about one prospect.
"They'll need to take their Metal girlfriends." John said. "That puts Cam and Allison together at the same time."
They both knew that Allison looked like Cam's 'older' sister and not her twin.
John Henry thought about suggesting a chassis swap for some of the Metal girls. They'd done that when Cameron took Claire and Savannah into her future. He knew that could cause problems too. He wondered if it wasn't just best to let John and Cameron go and get it over with. If the others went, they could always go again as well.
"You and Cameron should spend some time alone." John Henry said. "She needs a break too every now and then, even if she doesn't know it."
John wondered if that was the reason why Savannah wanted Cameron and him to try it. Maybe Savannah was trying to look out for both of them. He knew Savannah loved and cared about both of them. He was aware of the new valuable resource that CamNet acquired.
"If CamNet owns the company, we need to do something." John said.
John Henry received new information from CamNet. He was intrigued by the idea.
"CamNet said the ship can always use a few new crew members." John Henry said.
With all the recent activity, John didn't want to draw away too many of their resources. He wanted things to remain 'normal'.
"I don't want to restrict our operations." John said.
John Henry didn't know exactly how many Terminators that Cameron actually possessed. He thought she could cover any operations or gaps in the Resistance matters.
"I'm sure we can work something out." John Henry said.
John Henry considered the possibility of going himself on one of the trips. He would need to do a chassis swap to prevent anyone from recognizing him. Technically George Laszlo was dead. Maybe this would be his opportunity to switch chassis with Sheila. He was pretty sure that Sheila would attempt to be with as many females as possible with his chassis. He would want two things from her. The first one was a copy of her files of her in his chassis with all of the females. The second thing he would want was that when his chassis was returned that he wasn't a eunuch or emasculated. He didn't want his private parts added to Sheila's collection.
Savannah decided she was going to spend the night at the Young residence. She didn't want to be a bother for anyone or crowd anyone's bed.
"I can sleep in Allison's room." Savannah said. "I'll try and stay out of the way."
Young Allison was dissatisfied with that response. She wanted Savannah to sleep next to her. It wasn't like they were going to do anything other than sleep.
"There's room in my bed." Young Allison said. "We only need to make one bed that way."
Savannah looked at Young Allison for a long moment. She didn't want things to get carried away.
"I don't know." Savannah said. "I didn't bring any extra clothes."
Young Allison didn't think that would be a problem.
"A lot of Anna's clothes are in my room." Young Allison said. "Anna and Hanna used to share a lot of clothes before. Anna can share most of my things now."
"I don't know…." Savannah said.
Young Allison knew Savannah was concerned about Cameron.
"You're worried about Cameron." Young Allison said.
Savannah always worried about Cameron. Sometimes she worried more than others.
"I am." Savannah said.
Young Allison could see the love radiate off of Savannah for Cameron.
"I know you love her." Young Allison said.
Savannah felt everyone did. Maybe she had it a little worse than the rest of them.
"I do." Savannah said. "We all do."
Young Allison wanted Savannah to stay with her. If Savannah wanted to choose to be with Cameron, then she would accept that. Sometimes love was about sacrifice. She wanted Savannah to feel comfortable and be happy.
"You can go back with her." Young Allison said. "It's OK."
Savannah quickly looked at Young Allison.
"I don't want to make you feel bad." Savannah said. "I already said I would stay."
Young Allison knew she needed to suck it up. She'd made her choice. She shouldn't expect others to bend and change their ways for her.
"It was my choice to stay here alone." Young Allison said. "I need to see how I'll do."
Savannah believed that was totally unnecessary to begin with.
"You don't need to do that." Savannah said.
Young Allison didn't think that anyone understood her. She felt that she was very advanced for her physical age. Her physical age was a hindrance to her advancement and development for everything else.
"I want that for myself." Young Allison said. "I know my age and maybe my appearance is troublesome to everyone. I'm much more than I 'look'."
Savannah understood exactly what Young Allison meant. There were no shortcuts for her. She didn't think Young Allison needed to change anything about herself or do anything different.
"I don't know what to tell you." Savannah said. "I needed to struggle with these same things and feelings. Everything that you're experiencing is normal. Every person growing up feels the same way. I know that you're more advanced in a lot of areas than any others your age."
Young Allison was fairly certain that Summer was much more advanced than her in every category. Summer told her once that her physical age and appearance was an advantage for her. She said that everyone underestimated her. Summer thought that was a good thing. She'd watched Savannah grow into the teenager that she was. She knew that Savannah spoke from personal experience.
"You know better than anyone." Young Allison said.
Savannah did know. There was an obsolete moral principle involved.
"I do." Savannah said. "You need to be as old as I was. It can't be any other way. It just can't. You need to deal with modern tradition and what others consider to be the social norm."
They heard someone coming. Someone made it so they were heard coming would be more accurate.
It was Cameron.
"I'm going to head back soon." Cameron said.
Young Allison looked at Savannah and then looked at Cameron.
"Savannah will be going with you." Young Allison said.
Cameron quickly looked at the two girls.
"I thought she was going to stay here." Cameron said.
Young Allison thought that Cameron could use the company on the return journey.
"Then you'd need to go back alone if she stays." Young Allison said.
Cameron tilted her head slightly.
"I'm alone a lot." Cameron said.
Savannah didn't like the situation. She felt she was being made to choose between Cameron and Young Allison. She didn't want this to become a contest over who she loved more. It made her feel very uncomfortable.
Young Allison's phone rang.
She looked at it.
"It's my mom." Young Allison said.
Cameron wanted to make sure there weren't any problems.
"Take it." Cameron said.
Cameron and Savannah stepped out of the room.
"Hi, Mom." Young Allison said.
Pause.
"She misses me?" Young Allison asked.
Pause.
"I miss her too." Young Allison said.
Pause.
"No, I'm doing fine." Young Allison said.
Pause.
"I'm a big girl now, Mom." Young Allison said.
Pause.
"No, I'm fine here." Young Allison said.
Pause.
"Yes, I'm eating healthy." Young Allison said.
Pause.
"Nothing." Young Allison said.
Pause.
"No. Nothing special. I just took it easy and studied today." Young Allison said.
Pause.
"You know I always monitor the operations." Young Allison said. "I like to be prepared in case I ever need to help out John or John Henry."
Pause.
"Look, we all know what the future is." Young Allison said.
Pause.
"It's going to happen." Young Allison said. "EVERYONE knows it."
Pause.
"I'll think about it. I love you too, Mom." Young Allison said. "Bye."
Young Allison looked at her phone for a few seconds after the conversation ended.
Savannah returned to the room.
"Are you done already?" Savannah asked.
"I'm sure you heard everything." Young Allison said. "At least one of you did."
Savannah hadn't intended to eavesdrop. They did try to give Young Allison some privacy.
"On your end I heard some." Savannah said. "We did move to another room."
Young Alison didn't lie to her mother but she hadn't been forthcoming with all of the information that her mother wanted to know.
"I didn't tell her everything." Young Allison said.
Savannah thought it was more a matter of perception rather than deception.
"Did you tell her what she asked?" Savannah asked.
Young Allison still felt a little guilty.
"I didn't lie. I left a few things out." Young Allison said. "Do you think she knew?"
Savannah didn't think it was a big deal one way or the other. Everyone was less than truthful at some point. It was just that some people were more so than others. She didn't want to view it as a lie by omission.
"I don't know." Savannah said. "We all leave things out sometimes."
Young Allison looked around. Cameron hadn't re-entered the room.
"Where's Cameron?" Young Allison asked.
Savannah conducted a brief conversation with Cameron before she departed. She understood why Cameron left that way. Cameron didn't want to make her choose which one to go with or stay with.
"She left." Savannah said. "I said I was going to spend the night with you. So I'm going to do that."
Young Allison rushed up and gave Savannah a hug.
Savannah could feel the way that Young Allison clung to her. it was clear she was desperate for more. That just wasn't a bridge that she wanted to cross right now. She knew it would only complicate Young Allison's life even more than it already was. If they did too much, it was going to affect Young Allison's decision about going into the past and not seeing her for a year or more.
Earlier:
Cameron was very worried about the situation Savannah was now in with Young Allison and her.
"What are you going to do?" Cameron asked.
Savannah was torn over what to do.
"I don't know." Savannah said.
Cameron thought the decision should be easy.
"You know the 'Natural Order'." Cameron said.
Savannah thought that was a matter of interpretation.
"I know there are several variations." Savannah said.
Cameron wanted Savannah to think about all of the futures.
"What's the constant in ALL of them?" Cameron asked.
Savannah wasn't sure she liked where this conversation was going.
"Allison Young and Savannah Weaver." Savannah said.
Cameron felt the issue was settled. It was settled by time.
"Then there's no decision necessary." Cameron said.
Savannah saw things differently. She'd made a commitment. She liked to keep all of her commitments, especially if they were a promise. She wanted Cameron to know all of her promises were good.
"No. There's no decision because I already told her I would stay." Savannah said. "THAT is why. NOT anything else. You know I like to keep my word. I mean to do everything that I promised to do."
Savannah and Cameron exchanged a long look. That statement said a lot.
Cameron decided to make a bold move.
"I'll send Cammy and Anna back tomorrow to pick you up." Cameron said.
Savannah thought that was highly irregular.
"Why is Anna going with you?" Savannah asked.
Cameron paused for a moment before she answered. It was obvious she said something different than what she was going to say originally.
"In case I glitch out." Cameron said.
It was clear to Savannah what Cameron wanted to happen with Young Allison and her.
Savannah let out a long breath. She'd been through this about going on the cruise with Cameron and John earlier.
"Cameron, it's not going to happen." Savannah said. "None of those things are going to happen. They will at some point but it's not going to be anytime soon."
Cameron frowned. She didn't see the point in waiting for the inevitable.
"I want you to strengthen your bond." Cameron said. "I know you're honorable. I didn't mean to imply otherwise. There's no one I would trust more."
Savannah looked towards Young Allison's room.
"We should ask her first." Savannah said.
Cameron didn't think any of it was a problem. It was all a learning experience.
"She needs to know things can change." Cameron said. "She needs to feel them. It will make her stronger."
Savannah wondered what exactly it was that Cameron was doing.
"Are you testing her or me?" Savannah asked.
There was a look of resolve on Cameron's face.
"Myself…." Cameron said and left.
Several Variations
Is what one sees
What they get
Or someone who
They'd rather forget
People like to play
Different types of games
Those are the ones
Who don't care about names
Every third word
Is probably a lie
That's why they don't
Look one in the eye
It's not just the person
It's who they are
Whoever they touch
Will end up with a scar
What one sees is real
They're not hallucinations
It only proves that people
Come in several variations
Nobody