Chapter 425

What Have You Done

John thought about what John Henry said. Things all seemed a little too neat and tidy in his report about Cameron. He was sure there was more to the testing at Cameron's base as well. He was dissatisfied with everything, too many things didn't add up. He went in search of Savannah himself.

He was sure if anyone would give him a straight answer it was Savannah. He believed if he asked her directly, and wasn't aggressive about it, she would tell him the truth. He honestly didn't believe anyone else around the Resistance base would, including his mother.

John felt all of the Terminators were susceptible to pressure from Cameron. The pressure she could exert on them through intimidation was greater than he could exert on them as being the General. He wouldn't put it past any of the humans to lie to him directly if they thought they could cover something up which he really didn't need to know, or they thought he didn't need to know.

Cameron previously told him he would need to rely on Savannah and Young Allison going forward. They would be able to advise him on things he did and hopefully prevent him from making mistakes and getting people killed. She told him Savannah would always do the right thing, even if it seemed like it was the wrong thing. It wouldn't be.

He was unaware Cameron already sent Savannah off to Australia, along with Vanna, Jesse, and their Metal girls as chaperones.

John went to Savannah's room. He paused outside for a minute and listened. He couldn't hear anything. He wasn't really sure how to approach the situation and not seem overbearing or intimidating. The fact he was at her door was intimidating to him. He thought if he asked Savannah outright what all happened, she would tell them. He at least hoped she would. He knocked softly on her door. She didn't answer.

Cameron suddenly appeared behind John as he stood at Savannah's door. She knew what John was after. She needed to gain control of the conversation before it started.

"What's wrong? Didn't you get enough?" Cameron asked. "I'll send Summer, Ally, and Sheila to see you. You can try all of them and see how they compare to me, or if any of them are 'new'."

Cameron turned and started to walk away.

John felt embarrassed by what she said. Things weren't the way they seemed. He remembered all the times when Cameron told him he knew where Savannah's room was. It was where her wedding dress was as well. He knew it looked a little compromising where he stood right now. He was after answers, not someone's purity.

"Cameron." John called. "It's not like that. I wanted some better answers. That's all."

Cameron stopped and looked back. She knew John was 'on to' something. It was time to play the 'game'. She turned and brushed past him as she opened the door to Savannah's room.

"Follow me." Cameron said as she went by him.

They both entered Savannah's room.

John felt it was an invasion of her privacy to just walk into her room, especially when she wasn't there. He hoped they wouldn't spot any 'marital aids'. He was aware there were times when his mother possessed some of those over the years. He never actually observed her use one, even if he heard them in use at times.

Cameron opened the closet. She showed John some of Savannah's outfits.

"Do you see this?" Cameron asked. "She isn't a girl anymore, John. She's ready to take her place at your side."

Cameron took out her wedding dress and held it up.

"She will wear this for you right now." Cameron said.

Cameron wanted to say it would be a real marriage. She didn't want to point out to him someone couldn't actually marry a machine.

John felt ambushed. It wasn't the conversation he planned on. He was the one on the defensive now.

Cameron could see she made her point. She pushed her agenda. She actually didn't see anything wrong with it.

"It fits her, John." Cameron said. "You must accept her as your destiny and as your wife, one of them anyway. Your future offers you more than one beautiful woman to call your own."

John knew where the conversation led. It was always the same more or less. Cameron based everything regarding him on the future she came from.

"Is it how it is in the future?" John asked.

He already knew it was. He'd heard the story a thousand times.

Cameron was pleased she restored the future to how it was before she was part of it.

"Yes." Cameron said. "I've been there twice. Now you have Allison back as well in the future. I'm sorry I took her from you."

John was more than a little upset now. He believed everyone should be able to choose their own future and determine their own fate. They didn't need others to make decisions for them. It included him as well. It was Future John who Cameron referred to. Not him, at least not him now.

"If you hadn't, we wouldn't be standing here now in a young ladies room and determining her future for her." John said. "I can see she's 'ready'. I just don't know how much you've 'brain washed' her over the years. Maybe what she thinks she wants isn't really what she wants. We all know what her true desire is. It's the true desire of every Savannah Weaver. It's something you can't deny. It's probably something you can't change without making her very unhappy about her future going forward."

John was sure Savannah would do anything Cameron wanted because it was what she heard for more than half of her life. He knew Savannah loved Cameron dearly in every way a person could be loved. It was the purest form of love. There was no physical aspect to it. He was sure there would be one day.

Cameron was offended by what John just said. She never 'brain washed' anyone, how dare he say it to her. Who did he think he was?

"I would NEVER do anything to hurt Savannah." Cameron said. "You know I wouldn't."

John wondered about it. Maybe she wouldn't intentionally, but maybe she already did unintentionally. He knew Savannah was 'different' now somehow. He wanted to make Cameron understand her actions might be detrimental to Savannah.

"Do I really know it?" John asked. "What have you done to her?"

John's statement angered her. How dare he insinuate she would harm Savannah.

"Nothing…." Cameron said.

John wasn't sold.

"I saw her." John said.

Cameron didn't feel she did anything wrong.

"I've done nothing to her, except protect her." Cameron said.

John knew Savannah looked different than she did a few days ago. It didn't happen on its own. Whatever it was, he knew Cameron needed to be involved somehow.

"She's different now." John said. "I know something happened. I know you were a part of it. I don't know what part you played. I just know you're part of it."

John felt he knew Cameron's M.O., her method of operation. He witnessed it in action enough times to see how she rolled. It was actually like a steamroller more than anything else, especially when something got in her way.

Cameron tried to calm down some. She spoke what she believed was the truth. She didn't want to get into a shouting match with John over something she didn't have a lot of control over.

"Anything that's happened has been her choice alone, John." Cameron said. "I may have facilitated things for her, but I never chose for her, or made her do anything she didn't want to do. She's a young lady now. She has needs and wants also, just like you did at the same age and do now. I love her, John. I'm never going to let anything happen to her. I'll be there to protect both you and her and your children in the future."

John could see Cameron seemed sincere. The idea of the three of them caught his fancy.

"So it will be the three of us?" John asked.

Cameron needed to remind John about the 'Natural Order'.

"No. It will be the four of us." Cameron said. "Young Allison is still going to need a little more time, even if I don't think so. I don't see the reason to wait for anything. When the inevitable is going to occur, it's going to occur. Any delays are nothing but a waste of time, and do everyone a disservice."

Cameron quickly thought of a few ways to speed the process up. She really didn't see why any of them needed to 'wait'. It was all the same people. It was all going to happen anyway. What difference did it make? Age was a 'hang up' for other people, not her. The future wrote its own rules. She hoped to have things under control before it did.

John could see Cameron hadn't listened to a word he said about people being able to determine their own future. Everything already happened once for her, so she felt it needed to happen again the same way. He just didn't see it the same way. The changes they made mattered.

"And you've already determined her future as well." John said. "That's nice. She's never going to have a choice either is she?"

Cameron wondered why John was so confused. Everything she did was all his doing.

"I haven't decided anything for anyone, time has chosen it. YOU have chosen it." Cameron said. "You're the one who sent me here to make sure it all happened, again."

It seemed to John as if Cameron possessed more information than she originally did. Maybe some files unlocked inside her. Maybe something else was at play.

"How do you know all this as well as what happened after you left?" John asked.

Cameron was worried she said too much. She would try to stick to the truth as much as she could. If John wasn't there making an issue of things, none of this would be happening right now. It was all his fault. It was all his fault in the future too.

"Mrs. Weaver once indicated to me she left My Future, Our Future, after I did. In the future she witnessed, I was there. It was the four of us." Cameron said. "I thought she said it just to make me angry or try to hurt me. It did hurt me and made me angry. So I never believed her. I've thought about it a lot since she said it. I've now come to believe it's true."

She didn't want to mention the second Duplicate Cameron should be with Future John, Future Allison, and Future Savannah. She still wondered if she shouldn't have gone along to make sure everything happened as it was intended. It would be something for her to look into. She wanted to know how Future Allison and Future Savannah were doing, oh, and Future John too. She didn't want to leave anyone out.

John wanted to use the new reality to make Cameron care about herself more. He never liked when she went off on some crazy 'mission' into the unknown. He didn't know she was just back from one of those 'missions' and Savannah was with her. If he did, he would know why Savannah looked different.

"So your 'Natural Order' of time actually does include you." John said. "It means you need to be around to be there. It's the only logical explanation."

Cameron frowned. It was the timing which was all off because of the other future John created by time jumping. It created the other set of girls. It also sent Mrs. Weaver to the wrong future, the alternate future, when she wanted to return to her future. When she attempted to reach her future from the alternate future, she ended up 'in some future' instead. She believed all of those were John's fault, even if she may have been involved in some of them. She didn't need him to tell her what should or shouldn't be in any future. She was the one who visited four different futures, not him.

"It may." Cameron said. "If it does, I was supposed to come later, not now in your life as your wife. I've slowed your progress. If you weren't 'getting any' from me, Savannah would have been in your bed a few years ago. You wouldn't have turned her away any more than you did Future Riley."

John could have done without the reminder. He actually thought Cameron was about to bring up the movie he watched from time to time. He didn't see it as a big deal. It was a regular movie release with big name actors and actresses. He was conflicted now about some past events. Cameron pressured him to be with the girls so many times. He did what he thought was the best choice for Cameron back then. Since River was here recently, it made him wonder about Allison, Duplicate Allison. He was still troubled by what was now 'Duplicate Allison' and the fact she perished on the 'Day Of Loss' so many years ago. He grieved for her and the baby she carried. Now she was 'back' and in River's future. What made it stranger is the set of Duplicates was still in the same week from when those events happened years ago. Even stranger was the fact they were half a millennium in the future now on top of it.

"How is Duplicate Allison in River's future doing?" John asked. "I did what you wanted in the only way I could and not hurt you back then."

Cameron knew the girls from the future all faced a challenge when it came to reproduction. It was what she wanted to get ahead of this time around before Judgment Day arrived and changed everything. She wanted to ask him if he would do the same thing again. She wasn't sure if it was the right time to lay it on him or not. It was definitely in the forefront of her mind since he's the one who just mentioned what his involvement was, without her knowledge when he did it.

"Only the medical technology of the future she's in may be able to help her." Cameron said. "Are you ready to become a father?"

John didn't make his decision lightly. It was the current outcome which wasn't foreseen.

"I made the choice when I provided the girls with what they 'needed'." John said. "Now I will be dead for hundreds of years before the baby is ever born, if it's even born. It will never know who I was."

Cameron didn't want to say what she already 'did' but she did want John to know the girls were good to go, even if he wasn't.

"John, the girls are all ready, especially Savannah." Cameron said. "Please listen to them, to me. Help them. Their Metal girls are their lovers and companions. They are there to assist them. They want families too."

John was worried how the girls from the future always took the failures so hard. It bothered him to see the emotional stress and pain it caused them.

"What if I do and they all fail again?" John asked. "It's going to kill them inside. We've seen it every time before."

John wondered if there was some way they could be impregnated without knowing it occurred so when the failure came, they wouldn't know it was actually a failure. Somehow it seemed like a bad idea to suggest it to Cameron. He didn't want to give her the green light to go 'Skynet' on anyone.

Cameron hung her head in resignation. It was evident John just didn't understand the future. She told him hundreds of times how everything was and needed to be. It didn't take him long before they ended back up at 'square one' going nowhere fast.

John could see his statement 'hurt' Cameron in much the same way the girls felt about their failed pregnancies. He wasn't sure he was ready to go through everything again himself. He knew it was more than just about him, even if he didn't want to acknowledge it.

"I'm sorry, Cameron. I didn't mean to make you feel the same way." John said. "Let me think about it and talk with my Mom and Kyle. I want their input. It's a big decision. I was ready before, I think I can be again. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I like to get some input from my parents. I feel they can offer me a broader perspective than I can see on my own."

Cameron didn't see anything different now. She wanted John to see the big picture. The future was already out there, waiting. She was glad he was going to give it some thought. She didn't think he needed to speak with the others.

"John, it's not just about you anymore." Cameron said. "You have people here who depend on you and whose lives have been forever changed and altered. YOU are their future as we fight this silent war. You're the leader. They're depending on YOU."

John weighed all the options and possibilities. It was a mind trip. He saw things in a different light than Cameron did.

"I don't know, Cameron." John said. "I could end up with half a dozen kids in a year's time. It's mind blowing. I don't believe I could be a proper parent to any of them."

Cameron pointed out the current grim reality. None of them involved John, yet.

"So far the halls are empty except for your sister." Cameron said. "Derek and Riley are having trouble…."

John was pleased Cameron made the effort to assist Derek and Riley. It was the right thing to do even if Cameron didn't need to do it. He remembered what Derek mentioned to him yesterday about it. He was very appreciative and grateful to Cameron.

"I applaud what you've done for Derek and Riley, they both do as well. Derek spoke with me about it. He couldn't give you enough praise." John said. "It was really big of you, Cameron, to do what you did for them."

The talk about Derek and Riley allowed Cameron's thoughts to drift where they didn't need to go.

"John, I know this Riley isn't the same one who 'hurt me'." Cameron said. "Even if technically she is the same one…."

John didn't want the conversation to go 'there'. They all seemed to end up 'there' at some point. Cameron was never going to let it go. He dodged around the issue. The real issue was much more important.

"Will it work for them?" John asked.

Cameron felt she did all she could do.

"I don't know." Cameron said. "I really don't. I hope so. I'm honestly trying to help them."

Cameron truly hoped it would work so John wouldn't need to be the father of Riley's baby…. It was something she seriously considered. She wasn't going to tell anyone. She would erase the files as well so she wouldn't know either. She sought help from the medical specialists she hired and brought in. She tried to do everything through trained professionals with experience to make sure things could happen.

"I've assembled the best medical staff to help them." Cameron said.

John hoped Cameron understood how appreciative Derek and Riley were.

"You've done them a great service." John said. "They both love you."

Cameron smiled. She liked it when she made people happy.

"I try to do what I believe are the best things for everyone." Cameron said. "I'm ashamed when I fail or try to harm myself. Things which don't work out hurt me, John. They really HURT me. I know everyone doesn't always like the way I do things but I believe I'm doing the correct things for the future and you."

Cameron believed she was reliving her life over and over. There was no proof of it whatsoever if she was. She believed the 'tides in time' along with the 'currents in time' tended to follow the same paths no matter how other events played out.

John could see Cameron's hand start to glitch. He was sure it all started because of him and was what perpetuated it. It was more than a mechanical issue. The entire arm on Cameron was replaced before.

"I know, Cameron. I'm sorry I can't always do what you want me to do. Maybe one day I can." John said. "I hurt you before. I never want to hurt you the same way again. I know what I did to you was wrong. Can you see why I'm hesitant? I don't think I can be with the girls physically at this time, but I will try again like we did before."

Cameron's eyes opened wide. her face lit up. She needed what John just indicated for more reasons than one. One of them would be to cover her tracks of what she already did.

John took her hand. The glitching slowed but didn't stop. Only the girls seemed to make it stop, especially Savannah.

Cameron was aware of the same fact as well….

"Thank You, John. I love you." Cameron said. "Please, John, at least think of Savannah. She's young and beautiful and she is 'ready'."

Cameron held him in a tight embrace. She felt some of her 'shortcomings' weigh on her. She didn't like who she was at times. Her first poem 'Outsider' said it all. Nothing was different, at least not for her. She didn't think it was ever different, even if she lived her life over and over.

"Please, John, for me, for us." Cameron said. "They will be my babies too, our babies. I can't 'provide' for you."

John could feel Cameron's pain. Maybe it was time to act. Most of it would probably fail anyway. It was worth a shot to lift Cameron's spirits a little.

"OK, Cameron, it's time to 'milk the cow'." John said. "But you're going to do it this time for me. When you do, I know it's what you really want."

Cameron couldn't quite believe what John said at first. It took her a few seconds to fully process it. It was better than she hoped. It was time to get to work before John reconsidered what he just indicated. She quickly scooped John up off his feet and ran back to their room with him. She wasn't about to chance him changing 'His' mind.

John was surprised at Cameron's instant response, she must really want things to happen, he thought. He really wondered how far this would go and what the real implications would be. He was going to ask but thought better of it. Based on the past incidents with the girls, it probably wasn't going to be promising.

Cameron was happy, really happy. It was all better than she ever imagined. She loved it when a plan came together. The best part was, she hadn't even planned it. It just happened. It looked like there were going to be a couple of 'early' child births to cover up her earlier handiwork. She didn't see any reason to bring up the 'head start' program she already initiated.

Cameron happily went to 'work'….

John was happy too. Cameron looked like she was up to anything at this point. He planned to make the most of it. There were a few new things he wanted to try as well.

Cameron was up for all of them with a smile on her face. It would allow her to collect more genetic material without any questions from John.

Summer watched and listened from a distance. Cameron appeared she wasn't going anywhere now since her two day, and two different futures' 'excursion' was over. Her program was identical to Cameron's. She was 'Cameron' too. John should be hers. It was what Cameron promised her. Cameron didn't know how to treat him properly. She was pretty sure at some point they were going to end up in a fight over John.

She needed to wonder what the 'special assignment' was all about. Cameron was probably going to deactivate her and terminate her. It would be just like Cameron to make a big show of it in front of everyone. So be it. The girls all shared a Metal girl as their lover already. One Duplicate Cameron was with River, the other Duplicate Cameron was with Future John, if she made it to the proper future. It didn't leave her many options. Even Ally and Sheila were able to share with each other. Events left her 'odd man out'.

Summer passed by John's room and heard Cameron and John sharing with each other. She knew it should be her in there. It's what Cameron promised her. Now she would have nothing.

Nothing for Nobody….

Closing monologue by Cameron:

What Have You Done

One can talk and say anything
What speaks louder are their actions
The huff and puff or even fluff
Are all only misleading distractions

Words and promises are cheap
They don't really have any cost
When one gets caught up in them
They become befuddled and lost

Down what path will one follow
Are they better off to make their own
They're most likely not headed for a throne
Instead away they'll be thrown

One better pay good attention
To see where they're actually headed
It is often to a destination
That is resented and dreaded

Things can fall apart fast
It all ends before it's really begun
They look with disbelief and ask
What have you done

Nobody