Chapter 1178
Yesterday or Tomorrow
John was a little worried about the last song that played. Cameron didn't say what she'd said with all the other ones. He figured it was all on him. It was about to end and the next one was about to start. He figured it was best if he didn't say anything.
Cameron felt a little sad. It was clear by the songs other people felt the same way she did at times. It helped her to see she felt the same things as humans did. She felt things that were both happy and sad. She felt things about love and desire.
She was glad when the next Beatles song started. It was more upbeat.
'I Saw Her Standing There', made her think back to her first day in school with John.
"I like this one." Cameron said.
John liked it too. It made him think of two things. The first one was his first day in school in Red Valley, New Mexico. It's when he first laid eyes on Cameron. The second one was when he saw Savannah wearing Cameron's wedding dress in her room. It was right before they'd almost made love. They were one second away from doing it. He really would have liked to have claimed Savannah's virginity. He hoped it would happen sooner or later. He took some comfort in the fact there was another.
He wished he could relive both of those events again. It didn't matter if they played out the same way. What was really strange about it was Cameron believed she'd actually done it multiple times. She thought she'd lived her life with him until he died and she went back in time and replaced herself in Red Valley. She then reset her files and lived it all over again without knowing any details or what she'd actually done. She didn't think anything ever played out the same twice. It was really some heavy thought. Savannah always said Cameron was invincible and eternal. Throw in two sets of Duplicates in different futures, which were actually Cameron, and her various clones which are copies of her along with CamNet, she really was eternal. It was all a little mind blowing.
As the song played, John and Cameron both looked at each other and smiled.
"I like the song too." John said.
They both thought about happy times in their past. They both thought about each other right now.
There'd been a lot of things happen since they'd met each other. Maybe none of it mattered. They were where they were right now. They were alone together. They were on their honeymoon cruise. Maybe everything was right where it was supposed to be. Maybe everything that happened was supposed to have happened.
Savannah was worried about the motorcycle rider. The more she thought about it, the more it bothered her. It was a 'set up' somehow. It worried her they may have already tripped it.
John Henry and CamNet tracked the motorcycle rider to a third location where they'd encountered the Fanatics previously.
To witness it was enough for Cammy. The 'Cameron' in her wanted action.
"This person needs to be dealt with." Cammy said. "We need to take control of the narrative."
Savannah felt Cammy and Cam were both hooked and wanted to act. She was sure it was what the motorcycle rider wanted. It was like dangling a string in front of a cat, especially a kitten. It was going to reach out and grab it. The 'instinct' response of the Terminators seemed to be triggered in much the same way. They would act on certain things. She prevented them from doing it now.
"They're trying real hard to get us to do exactly what you want to do." Savannah said. "Remember, this group is from a further future or alternate future than the rest of the Grays have been. We don't know what other surprises from the future they could have in store for us. We don't know what's happened in their future. We really don't know anything about them at all."
Cammy never saw any advanced technology from the Fanatics. They seemed more insane than advanced and they liked to die for SkyMaster so they could attain 'ascension'. She was more than willing to help as many of them as possible reach their goal.
"So far they haven't shown any surprises technology wise." Cammy said. "It's all speculation."
Savannah hadn't witnessed any either. She also knew they hadn't learned or seen very much about them or their future.
"I guess they haven't." Savannah said. "We don't know much of anything about them."
Cammy looked over at Savannah. She did know one thing about the Fanatics. She knew what they feared. She was aware they feared something more than death. It wasn't just to reach 'ascension' either.
"We know they fear the 'Redheaded Witch'." Cammy said.
It gave Savannah an idea. Maybe she could provoke a reaction. She'd witnessed with her own eyes the fear the Fanatics they'd encounter alive expressed towards someone who looked like her. Since they were from a further future she didn't think it was actually her. She did need to consider there may have been a temporal error at some point during one of her time transfers. There were a couple of those scheduled for her into the past. It was something to think about anyway. There was also something else to think about.
"I can use myself as bait." Savannah said.
CamNet controlled who heard what was discussed in Cammy's SUV. It was critical information. She allowed Young Allison to hear it.
Young Allison didn't like Savannah's idea at all. She looked over at Anna with wide eyes.
"We must prevent Savannah using herself as bait." Young Allison said. "I don't want Savannah to become a target."
Anna really thought Young Allison's eyes could look big at times. She agreed with Young Allison one hundred percent. To use Savannah as bait didn't sit well with her. It should be her function. Hanna was on the ship and she could act in Savannah's place. She was created to be able to replace Savannah if it was necessary. It appeared it was necessary. It's what should happen.
"I agree." Anna said. "It should be my job. I volunteer."
Young Allison saw it differently. She wanted Savannah protected. They never did learn the nature of why Savannah was targeted as a child. Maybe there was more than one future after her.
"We don't want the Fanatics to know Savannah is even here in this time period." Young Allison said. "We don't know why Skynet wanted her dead in the first place."
Anna thought they may be past that point. The Fanatics who either saw Savannah's picture or Savannah herself seemed to know who she was.
"They may already know." Anna said. "They certainly know something about someone who looks like her anyway."
Savannah and Cameron previously told Young Allison the story of the earlier encounter and what happened. Cameron wanted to cover it up but Savannah insisted Cammy and her know the truth. It might require her to act at some point. That 'point' might be Savannah going 'bad'. She might need to stop Savannah by termination. She didn't believe she could ever do it. She didn't believe she would ever even need to consider it. She refused to believe Savannah would ever go bad. It wasn't how she interpreted it either. It was the Fanatics that feared her. Fanatics were the enemy. SkyMaster was their false god. She thought it was good the enemy feared Savannah.
"They said 'Cameron' was the 'Good Skynet' like it was a bad thing." Young Allison said.
Anna watched Young Allison go over the reports that were restricted to others many times.
"I know you've reviewed those reports." Anna said.
Young Allison wanted to learn every detail. She'd made her own conclusions.
"I think it's CamNet they were talking about." Young Allison said. "I don't think it was Cameron."
Young Allison discussed everything with Anna before. There was no way to draw any type of accurate conclusion based upon the current information they possessed.
"It would seem logical." Anna said. "We've been over this many times."
The thing they couldn't explain was how the Fanatics seemed to know about Savannah. They clarified it wasn't Mrs. Weaver by photo identification. They were also aware Mrs. Weaver could easily take Savannah's form at any point in time. It raised a question as to why she would do it over her preferred form. One of the things they'd discussed was Savannah may have been terminated. Mrs. Weaver may have sought vengeance in Savannah's image. Mrs. Weaver may have specifically gone after the Fanatics and SkyMaster in the further future.
"I still don't see how they could know it's Savannah." Young Allison said.
Anna was aware it was something Cameron tried to track down and determine herself. Cameron said she was afraid Savannah was affected by a temporal error and ended up in a further future instead of the past with Young Allison and her. Cammy should be at Savannah's side for every time transfer. It would place both of them in the further future. She didn't want to bring it up again.
"It's unknown." Anna said. "It could be a number of things or something we're unaware of yet."
Anna could see Young Allison was deeply troubled. She didn't want to bring up Cameron's theory. It would only upset Young Allison more.
The whole thing with the 'Redheaded Witch' upset Young Allison. It made her want vengeance against the Fanatics. She wanted to hit them hard. She wanted to make them hurt. Every opportunity where they believed they faced the Fanatics, she made sure they were all terminated. She wasn't going to sit around and wait for the Fanatics to make a move.
Young Allison wanted action.
"Based on where the motorcycle rider has been and any other locations they might go to, is there any way we can get someone ahead of them in a populated area?" Young Allison asked. "I want someone in front of them they can't see coming because they're already there."
The proposed move surprised Anna. It appeared Young Allison was willing to risk collateral damage they normally tried to avoid. It sounded as if Young Allison was willing to put other Terminators into danger.
"Do you mean you want other Terminators around?" Anna asked.
Young Allison was willing to risk it. She would ask for volunteers but she knew it was pointless. There wasn't a Terminator who wouldn't volunteer.
"Yes." Young Allison said. "The motorcycle rider wouldn't suspect any action in a place like that."
Anna wanted to see where this was going to go. She was sure CamNet would set it up as Young Allison talked about it. She hoped there was more behind the idea.
"It may be true." Anna said. "Do you have a specific plan?"
Young Allison looked at the security monitor and then at Anna. There were a few scenarios she'd played out in her mind. It only took her a few seconds. Some of them seemed like they would be less dangerous than others.
"A few ideas have crossed my mind." Young Allison said.
Young Allison spelled out what they were. CamNet would set things into motion for her when she wanted it.
Derek looked over at Riley. The song 'I Saw Her Standing There', made him think of the time he went back to her apartment after he'd first help save her. He expected her to be gone. She was still there and apparently waiting for him. It was the first time they'd made love.
It was the way they both seemed to feel about each other as described in the song. There was an age difference between them but Kyle and Sarah never seemed to have an issue with their age difference. Love was deeper and stronger than a 'number'.
Derek thought they'd been a good match at the time and ever since. Now they'd created a beautiful baby. The thought made him think about Precious. He never wanted her to see the future he'd seen and lived in. He wanted her to be able to live to the age of seventeen and much longer beyond it.
He felt Riley readjust next to him. It brought him back to now.
They kissed and continued to enjoy the performance. He was a little hungry now. Maybe they could hit the buffet between performances if they watched the show again. If not, he was ready to give Riley a 'performance' in their suite.
Maybe they could look around the ship some too. There was still a lot he needed to see. Right now he wanted to see Riley on the bed in their suite. The more he thought about her right now, the more he wanted her. The song asked the question. 'Do you know what I mean?' He knew exactly what it meant. He reached down and nonchalantly readjusted 'himself' in his pants.
Earlier:
Claire watched Jesse dress and go to check on Jan and Summer. She smiled at her before she disappeared into Summer's room.
She was a little worried why she hadn't been able to do better with Jesse. She thought the main reason was because Jesse was disappointed in her earlier encounter with Allison. She didn't get into details but it was indirectly mentioned.
It was subtly made clear to her by everyone she was 'better in bed' than Allison. She wasn't sure why. She thought they would be the same or at least more like each other. She was pretty sure Young Allison was going to be like her. Young Allison spied on her and Allison enough times. They all knew she did it but nobody said anything about it. They didn't know it was in their nightly 'conditioning' by their Metal lovers to accept it as 'normal' and not worry about it. They didn't worry about it.
She wondered where Jesse was at. She should have returned by now. Because she hadn't, it made her worry. Maybe Jesse stayed to help the girls with something. She liked to give her girls freedom to make their own decisions and choices. The future could dictate they needed to be able to do that to survive.
She decided not to worry too much about it for a little while longer. She decided to think about all of the good times she'd been able to spend with Jesse. Her parents forced her away from her original preferred lifestyle. She was back to it now. It was where she felt the most comfortable. It was where she felt loved. It was where she felt appreciated. It was where she felt alive. It was where she felt happy.
Summer looked at Jan.
"Someone is coming." Summer said.
Jan looked around.
"I don't hear anything." Jan said.
Summer didn't want to try to explain it. It didn't matter.
"They're here." Summer said.
Jan figured it was her fault. She didn't want it to be a problem for Summer. Summer tried to warn her.
"They must be looking for us because I took too long." Jan said. "I'm sorry if you get in trouble. I should've listened better to you earlier. I'll take the blame for this. It's all on me."
Summer smiled at Jan and touched her cheek. She appreciated Jan stepping up. She didn't think it was going to be a problem for anyone.
"It's Jesse." Summer said. "Nobody is in trouble."
There was a knock at the door.
Jan looked at the closed door and wondered how Summer knew who it was. It didn't really matter at this point. It was who it was. She was ready to step up and take the blame for whoever it was.
"Come in." Jan said.
Moments ago:
Jesse was at Sarah's room. She listened outside the door. She didn't have a clue as to what the girls were doing but she was sure it was nothing sexual. There'd been plenty of that in the future for her at the same age. This wasn't the future. It certainly wasn't her future. So far it wasn't any Skynet future. Both Vanna and her became 'women' years before their bodies did. It was in the past now, even if it was in the future, a future. They'd all worked to change any ugly future and prevent it. Whatever future they faced was one that was shaped by them.
She decided to knock before she entered. There was a lot in her future that was different. Even for someone to have a door to knock on first was a big change. There was no privacy in the future.
She knocked on the door.
"Come in." Jan said.
They all greeted each other.
Jesse looked around.
"What are you 'mischief makers' up to?" Jesse asked.
Jan laid it out.
"I needed to get my things for tomorrow and my toothbrush." Jan said. "I think I took a little too long to get everything done and ready. I'm sorry about that."
Jesse didn't want anyone to worry about anything.
"There's nothing to worry about. Make sure you use your toothbrush." Jesse said. "I always do."
Summer knew dental hygiene was very important.
"I do too." Summer said.
Jesse wanted to get the girls back to Summer's room before Claire found out they weren't there. She wanted to make sure Jan wouldn't need to return before they left tomorrow.
"Let's go back to where you're supposed to be." Jesse said. "Double check to make sure you have everything."
Summer checked herself and made Jan double check.
"I already made her do it twice." Summer said.
Jan knew Summer was perfect at everything.
"That's because you never forget anything." Jan said.
Jan took one last look around and the group headed out.
They were almost back to the hall where Summer's room was.
"Samantha is out here." Summer said very quietly.
Jesse and Jan looked around.
"Where?" Jesse asked as quietly.
Summer decided to show them.
"Follow me." Summer said.
Jesse wondered how Summer snuck around so quietly.
"You're a little 'sneaker'." Jesse said to Summer.
Jan told Jesse why.
"She learned it from Young Allison." Jan said. "She told me."
Jesse already was aware that Jan and Young Allison spied on all of them. She'd never seen Summer do it. She would have to pay more attention. She didn't have a clue Summer looked in on her and Claire earlier. It's why her shoe had been removed and the door closed.
Three heads poked around the corner all one above the other.
Summer's head was the lowest, Jan's was above hers and Jesse's was higher up.
They saw Samantha outside Claire's door. She knocked and waited. The door opened and she went inside.
Jesse looked quickly at the girls. She understood what was about to happen.
"That was something you didn't need to see." Jesse said.
Jan didn't see it as anything new.
"We all know what everyone does." Jan said.
Jan and Summer exchanged a quick glance.
Jesse didn't like them to be so forward. She seemed to have developed a sense of decency since she'd been in the past, the present.
"You don't need to worry about the 'big girl' things." Jesse said.
Jesse wanted to tell them it wasn't all fun and games. She really didn't want to get into that aspect of things.
Summer decided to spell it out. She was very informed about what happened in the future – all of them.
"If the future happened unaltered, we would both be 'big girls' by now." Summer said. "That's if we lived."
Jesse was painfully aware it was true for Vanna and her at their age. She never wanted anything like that for any of the younger girls. She would give her life to protect the girls. No cost was too great to prevent savagery.
"It's what I'm here to prevent." Jesse said. "I swear it."
Now Jesse thought about how much her future – sucked.
Jesse would die before she ever let anyone touch one of the girls. It was something she spent her free time doing to make sure the herd would be a lot thinner. Gail and her didn't do a lot of things the others did when they were out. They did make sure the future would be a better place. At the same time they also made sure that the present would be as well. She looked over at Summer.
Summer looked back at Jesse and nodded her head slightly.
"We'll all do whatever it takes." Summer said. "I swear it."
Jan looked at both of them and wondered what she'd missed.
Cameron checked the time and figured they were down to the last song.
The stage performers all came out and gave a bow.
A spotlight came on as the curtain closed and a lone performer came out and sat on the edge of the stage with a guitar. The room grew quiet after the excitement of the last song and the recognition of the other performers.
There was one more song by the Beatles.
'Yesterday', filled the theater with its melodious tones.
Cameron listened as the words reached out and touched her.
She wasn't so sure she longed for 'Yesterday'. It offered both the good and the bad. She honestly hoped that 'Tomorrow' would be better than 'Yesterday'.
She couldn't help but think about what she believed. Maybe she did long for Yesterday. If she really relived her life over and over, isn't it exactly what she longed for? Isn't it what she actually did?
She really didn't know if it was the case or not. There seemed to be clues she would find from time to time which indicated it was true. There was never any concrete proof. There was no smoking gun. She hadn't located any of the chassis she would have replaced from the future anywhere. She really would like to know what the truth was.
Was this the first time she lived her life with John? Was it the tenth time? Was it the hundredth time? How many time lines were there? She really didn't know if she wanted 'Yesterday' or 'Tomorrow'. Maybe she should just settle for 'Today'.
She looked over at John and smiled again.
Kyle sat next to Sarah. He still held her close.
'Yesterday' for him was the past, the future. There was nothing about it he longed for.
He wanted what he shared 'Today' and looked forward to 'Tomorrow'. He hoped 'Tomorrow' never became 'Yesterday'.
Sarah glanced over at Kyle. 'Yesterday' was gone for her, there was only 'Tomorrow' that counted. There was no going back. All that really mattered was moving forward at this point. Her troubles were always in flux and most of them were gone at this point. She was with her son who she'd devoted her life to protecting. She was with Kyle and they were happy most of the time. At least they didn't have some of the issues that 'normal' couples needed to face. Jan was their daughter and she was a special girl too. She was raised in the shadow of John but always knew what the future held. She made sure of it. She really hoped Jan Connor never needed to replace John Connor as the leader of the Resistance in the fight against Skynet. It was always a possibility that crossed her mind. She didn't want her mind to drift to a dark place. She glanced over at Kyle.
"I think this is the last song." Sarah whispered.
Kyle tried to push the past out of his mind. He looked at Sarah and smiled.
"I do too." Kyle said.
They both hoped 'Yesterday' was gone forever.
Derek hoped he was done with 'Yesterday'. 'Yesterday' was a terrible place to live. Everyone but Kyle had died. He made a new family with Vanna and Allison. He lost a lot of people he knew in the fight against Skynet.
He didn't long for 'Yesterday' and he wasn't sure what 'Tomorrow' would bring. He didn't want his mind to go there.
Derek leaned forward.
"Are we going to watch it again or look around and hit the buffet?" Derek asked quietly.
Sarah didn't think it was her place to make any decisions for the others.
"Let's speak with Cameron and John." Sarah said. "We're their guests."
Riley didn't care for 'Yesterday'. It was done. It was gone. It was over. She'd survived. Many others hadn't. 'Today' was better than 'Yesterday'. She only hoped tomorrow would be better than today. She wanted to focus on the present.
"I'm good with any of the choices." Riley said.
Riley was 'hungry' at this point and it wasn't for food.
Moments ago:
Samantha walked toward Claire's room. After having been with Vanna and Allison, she looked forward to being with Claire and Jesse. Vanna assured her there wouldn't be any problem. She told her Claire and Jesse were both very accommodating to any female visitors.
She was very pleased with her experience so far. She looked forward to the next one. She'd heard the 'talk' among the other Metal girls. Jesse and Claire were 'better' than Allison and Vanna. It was 'better' in the sense of a more intense experience. It was very loving and tender with Allison and Vanna. She decided she would be back to see them tomorrow. It would give her a good opportunity to compare and contrast each of the individuals.
Samantha approached Claire's door and listened. It was quiet inside. She thought it was too early for them to be asleep. She listened some more and heard a closet opened and some rustling sounds. It sounded like someone was packing for tomorrow.
She moved over to Summer's door and listened. There was no noise in there at all. She moved back over to Claire's door and softly knocked.
Moments ago:
Claire decided to get a few things ready for tomorrow. She pulled out some things. She didn't have many things here with her. Cameron assured her everything 'fancy' she would need was on the ship already. She wasn't really sure how it was possible. Cameron informed her there were multiple stores and shops on the ship. It was hard for her to picture.
She'd heard about cruise ships in the past but didn't really understand what exactly it would be like. She thought it was more like going across the Atlantic Ocean or the Pacific Ocean. She knew there were dining rooms on the ship. She didn't know about the shops on the Promenade deck. Somehow it made her think about a mall.
Every now and then a thought would creep into her mind that she didn't want to be there. She'd watched several movies about a luxury liner that hit an iceberg and sank. She knew there weren't any icebergs off the Southern California coast. It was still a visual that was hard to shake from her mind. There weren't enough lifeboats and there were people in the water. The water was freezing. She wanted to refocus her attention. She caught her reflection in a mirror.
She spent a moment to look at herself in the mirror. She stood naked as she moved her body from side to side to see as much of it as she could. She believed she was still pleasant to look at. It seemed to please all the females she was with. It had certainly pleased all the males that had been with her. She was done being used by people who didn't care about her or her needs.
There was a soft knock at the door.
She took one last look at her naked figure. She really wondered what others saw when they looked at her. She really wondered what she looked like to others. She wondered why Jesse would knock, maybe the door was locked. She went over and opened it.
She was a little surprised to see Samantha standing there.
They greeted each other.
Claire made no attempt to cover up.
She noted that Samantha carefully looked at every inch of her body. She wasn't sure why. She didn't know Samantha was actually comparing her Resequencing sheath to her body.
Samantha decided to send out a feeler and see where it landed.
"I see you were expecting me." Samantha said.
Claire thought Samantha was joking. She looked down at her naked body. She sensed an opportunity to be with a new female. She didn't really see female Terminators as machines. They looked and acted just like human girls to her anyway. She didn't want to think about the damage she seen on Cameron before and on Samantha after she was first captured. She actually worked on some of her damage firsthand. There was something else she wanted to focus on right now.
"I wasn't before but I am now." Claire said. "Jesse is here with me. Will it be a problem?"
It was what Samantha hoped to find.
"It's not a problem for me. It's a blessing." Samantha said. "I'm looking forward to it."
Claire wanted to start now but thought they should wait for Jesse to return. The more she looked at Samantha, the more she wanted her. She still wanted to be cordial.
"We can wait for Jesse to come back." Claire said. "I don't want to be rude but I don't know if I can wait."
Samantha lifted Claire's hand to her top.
"We can surprise her." Samantha said.
Claire couldn't resist anymore. She moved forward and gave Samantha a kiss.
Samantha deepened it.
It excited Claire even more.
Claire was now frantically helping Samantha strip. In her excitement and hunger, she didn't realize Samantha was identical to her from the neck down. She'd just looked at herself in the mirror less than thirty seconds ago too. She was hungry and she knew what she wanted. It wasn't food either.
Jesse gently pulled Jan and Summer back around the corner. She didn't want to get into any further details about what was going to happen. It was clear to her both of the girls knew what was happening.
Jan glanced over at Summer.
"Do you want us to go back to my room?" Jan asked.
Jesse thought about it. She didn't want to cause Claire any additional anxiety. With Samantha in the room, she didn't think it would be the case. If Claire was worried about the girls, it was going to affect her performance. She didn't want Claire's performance diminished if she was about to be with a new female.
"No, you girls need to get ready for bed." Jesse said. "Claire thinks you're both there already. I'll cover for you as best as I can."
Jan thought about some of the sounds the females made when they were together.
"I don't know if we'll be able to fall asleep." Jan said. "Sometimes it gets 'noisy'."
Jesse smiled.
"It happens." Jesse said.
Jan remembered some of the sounds that escaped her parent's room.
"I'll say." Jan said. "You should hear my parents sometimes."
Jesse wanted the girls in Summer's room. She would deal with the 'sound issue'.
"We'll go to your room, Summer. I'll make sure it is quiet in your mum's room." Jesse said.
Jesse took the girls to Summer's room. She asked them to clean up and get ready for bed. Summer said she needed to study a little before she went to bed.
Jesse told them to rest up for tomorrow. She wished them goodnight and headed for Claire's room. She entered Claire's room through the pass door.
Claire and Samantha broke their kiss off and faced her, both of them were naked.
Jesse pulled her top off and slid her pants off.
"A 'three way' is my way." Jesse said.
Jesse was even more excited to see Claire and Samantha looked identical from the neck down. It was even better than she'd expected. The visual alone took her about half the way there.
There were a few things she'd like to compare side by side on them, just to make sure everything was identical. She thought it might take a little tact. She'd actually done the same thing with the other human girls and their Terminator counterparts. Everything was always identical. She could look at and touch Sheila for hours. Maybe she couldn't get enough of 'herself'.
Jan's and Summer's ears were pressed to the pass door. It was doubtful they'd be going to sleep anytime soon.
Yesterday Or Tomorrow
Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock
Does time ever stop
Aren't one's surroundings
Just another hollow prop
Day in and day out
Each is really the same
Through endless repetition
One's soul it will tame
What was once an individual
Is now part of the herd
Whenever they did speak up
Were they ever heard
Same, same, same
Anything different is bad
Variety was the spice of life
When it's gone it's sad
Today is here now
Up life's stream one will row
Is it really any different
Than yesterday or tomorrow
Nobody