Chapter 443
Temporal Troubles
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Cameron's Future Timeline:
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Bob and Holly went into Cameron's future to find out what happened sometime between where they were now, and three months from now. It was because Cameron's group there failed to return from the future as scheduled.
Holly's mind drifted as she relived some of her adventures with Future Allison and Claire. Now she needed to refocus and try to find out what went wrong with the future time transfer of Cameron, Savannah, and Ginger-Cammy. None of it made sense. There were no problems when Claire and her left.
They were in visual contact with Cameron and Ginger-Cammy. Cammy's chip was currently in Ginger's chassis for the mission they went on. It was to avoid having too many Cameron 'look-alikes' in her future. It would probably only stir up the anti-Metal faction. They were a group they needed to consider if there was any foul play involved.
It was their goal to track them back to the Connor Compound, and then observe them to find out what went wrong. They needed to be extremely clandestine so they didn't tip their hand and influence any events.
Bob found it very difficult to track Cameron and not have her know. It was only the 'Cameron' on Holly's chip right now which prevented them from being discovered. It almost happened several times already. Cameron paused again and looked back where they were just a short time ago.
"Cameron has zeroed in on something." Bob said. "Ginger-Cammy is about to return to her."
Holly currently needed to deal with more than one 'Cameron'.
"Ginger-Cammy is an older version of Cameron's program." Holly said. "So it really is two 'Camerons' there."
Bob thought about the other copies of Cameron's program as well.
"Plus there's another copy in you and Duplicate Cameron." Bob said. "There are a lot of 'Camerons' here."
They both knew with so many 'Camerons', someone should have come back. They all must be terminated before the scheduled rendezvous. Did it mean there was still a Skynet lurking there somewhere which rose back up like the Hydra it always seemed to be? Maybe the anti-Metal faction struck and assassinated Future John and all the 'Metal Lovers' associated with him. What happened to the babies?
Holly was concerned for everyone there, especially for Future Allison, Savannah, who was pregnant, and the newborn infant Claire gave to Future Allison. It all seemed to spell doom. Since they were there now, they would need to return at some point. Since they didn't return with the others who were supposed to, what exactly did it indicate?
"So what went wrong?" Holly asked. "We're back in this timeline now. We should have shown up for the rendezvous ourselves, even though it's three months from now. We should've returned ourselves."
Bob came to the same conclusion Holly just did. There was only one explanation why none of them returned. It seemed such a catastrophic event with so many terminations would only be possible with the use of a nuclear weapon. Depending upon their proximity to the Connor Compound when the explosion occurred, would determine the extent of damage to them if they were unprotected and unprepared for it.
"We must all be terminated then." Bob said. "I'm sure someone from the Resistance would have returned at some point to inform us of what occurred. It was possible all of the equipment was destroyed as well."
Holly knew it could happen at any point. It was part of the job. It was one of the reasons multiple locations and times were set up for any additional temporal transfers with the use of the energy bubble sent from Cameron's base.
The thought of some type of catastrophic failure was hard to push from her mind. She knew what Cameron worried about when she was first captured. She heard stories about what happened with other captured female Terminators. It wasn't something she wanted to happen to her.
"Bob…." Holly started and stopped.
Bob could see she was deeply troubled.
"Yes…?" Bob asked.
Holly didn't want to have to 'say' the next part, but she wanted her wishes known. It didn't look like they would be leaving there. Something else troubled her more than termination.
"Bob, if we're about to be captured by the anti-Metal group, I want you to overload my power cell if you can. I don't want to be turned into a 'Metal Whore'." Holly said. "I would rather terminate permanently before it can happen to me. I've heard it's what they do to female Terminators they capture. Please, Bob, don't let it happen to me."
Bob heard the stories too. He knew it was something Cameron feared already happened to her when she was first captured. There was no actual proof of it. He personally didn't believe it occurred. There should be some evidence to confirm it somewhere if it was true. There wasn't any.
He went over the reports about Cameron's involvement with Mrs. Weaver 'in some future'. She made several allegations about the nature of Cameron's association with Future John. Being captured and abused by the anti-Metal faction wasn't one of them. He was fairly certain if it were true, Mrs. Weaver would have mentioned it to Cameron. It probably wouldn't have been done in a tactful manner either. He would try to carry out Holly's wishes for her termination if it was possible. He understood the concept of overloading her power cell was to completely obliterate her chassis so it couldn't be used in any manner, even if her chip, or head, was missing from it.
"I'll do my best to make sure it doesn't happen." Bob said. "Is it a request from you or Cameron?"
It was an issue Holly was concerned about on her own. She wasn't the only one who was concerned about it. The fact she actually brought it up was because of Cameron on her chip. She understood the nature of Cameron's fear based on a past incident which there was no proof of ever occurred.
"It's from Cameron, Bob, but I don't want it either." Holly said. "Cameron said she wants termination in any chassis she's in, so it is all four of 'us', of her, now in this timeline. None of us wants to be reprogrammed to be a 'Metal Whore'."
Bob understood the concept of 'death before dishonor'. This application seemed to give it new meaning. The look of dread on Holly's face 'touched' him. He wanted to give her some reassurance, even if it wasn't something he would actually want to do. He would do it because it was a request of the most serious concern.
"I'll terminate you myself in the event you might be captured." Bob said.
A look of relief and maybe almost joy washed over Holly's face.
"Thank you, Bob." Holly said. "It's from both of us."
Holly and the 'Cameron' in her both felt a sense of relief.
Bob was concerned about an additional issue related to what Holly indicated. What if it was about to happen to one of the human females? He knew both Vanna and Jesse suffered similar fates more than once in Scavenger camps. They both survived and were alive today. If they would have suffered the same fate Holly and Cameron requested, they would be dead now. they weren't. They were very much alive and relatively content with their existence. He was sure it was better to be alive and active, than dead and terminated. It appeared the human females were stronger than the female Terminators when it came to abuse in the manner feared.
Cameron and Ginger-Cammy carefully made their way back towards the Connor Compound. It wasn't a direct route by any means. It was a different route then they took to get there when Holly and Claire were returned to the past. It was in case anyone spotted them. They could gather others and attempt to set up some type of ambush for them upon their return.
Bob and Holly hung back. 'Cameron' fed information to Holly on everything Cameron would do and when. So far it worked.
'Cameron' clued Holly in to the fact if Cameron even thought she was being followed, she would come to attack.
They never saw what alerted Cameron earlier. They carefully tracked her back to the Connor Compound. Cameron and Ginger-Cammy successfully entered. The first stage of the surveillance operation seemed to work out without any problems. Now came the long wait. They would need to see what developed over the next three months.
Holly, through her own experiences in this timeline, and from the 'Cameron' on her chip, knew where there were places for them to hide out as they tried to determine what went wrong. The situation could resolve itself in days, or might take the full three months. It was possible Cameron, Ginger-Cammy and Savannah perished on their way to the bunker on the day when they were to return.
They planned to keep a clandestine watch over the Connor Compound. They didn't know what to expect or when it would happen. It made every little thing seem like it might be the 'big one'. It was very tedious. They moved only if an infrequent patrol was out and moved in their direction.
They kept watch both day and night without fail. They were there to prevent Cameron and the girls from being terminated.
Cameron or Duplicate Cameron left the compound several times. When it happened, Bob stayed put to watch the compound. Holly turned her chassis over to 'Cameron'. They didn't know which 'Cameron' it was, or what they were up to.
Holly-Cameron needed to use all her skills to maintain contact and not be spotted. There was often work done on the camp perimeter. She saw them do the work but what was actually done wasn't always evident. It seemed to be by design. It would prevent the enemy from knowing as well.
They also needed to be mindful they might not be the only ones interested in what occurred at the Connor compound. There could be Skynet operatives, or Scavengers, who might want to know what was happening and where. They needed to make sure they were aware of what happened around them at all times.
Things went a little slow at first and seemed to get slower. The days turned into weeks and the weeks were soon a month.
Thirty days later:
There was a scheduled meet with Cameron's TDE coming up. It was already thirty days so far. Sheila would send the energy bubble for one of them. Bob said it should be Holly who goes, but 'Cameron' ordered him to go. Bob complied.
Nobody argues with Cameron.
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Cameron's Base Current Timeline:
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Bob and Holly only left a few minutes ago from the TDE room at Cameron's base.
Hanna, Sheila, and Sally-Ally waited in the TDE room.
"Are we ready?" Hanna asked.
Sheila checked over all the controls.
"I'm ready." Sheila said.
Sally-Ally wasn't so sure.
"We may be ready here, but are we going to like what we find out or don't find out in the next few minutes?" Sally-Ally asked.
Sally-Ally was currently in the chassis of another Terminator Cameron recently acquired. She was ready to go herself into Cameron's future if Bob or Holly failed to return for the scheduled meeting about to take place. She would do much the same thing Bob and Holly did when they left. She would arrive at a different location though. It was possible the location was compromised. Someone may have detected the energy bubble when it carried Holly and Claire away from the bunker.
While it was only a few minutes there in the current timeline, a month should have passed in Cameron's future. Bob and Holly were sent back just minutes after Holly and Claire returned from Cameron's future.
Time would tell.
Hanna wanted to know one way or the other.
"Let's just get things started." Hanna said.
Hanna and Sally-Ally checked their weapons.
Sheila double checked the control settings.
"Here we go." Sheila said.
The arcing and flashing started.
The energy bubble was sent.
In a flash of light it was gone.
Sheila worked the controls to return it.
The arcing and flashing started.
The energy bubble formed.
Bob was in it.
The arcing and flashing ended.
Bob stood.
Sally-Ally was anxious to find out the status of everyone.
"How'd it go?" Sally-Ally asked.
Bob noted the 'new' female standing there. He helped capture a female Terminator who was identical to her. He personally pulled her chip. She held an M60 loaded with Coltan projectiles. It was pointed in his general direction. He was a little hesitant.
He believed the situation was under control but decided to follow protocol.
"Lavender…." Bob said.
Sally-Ally could see Bob began to assess the threat level. She didn't want there to be any problems.
"Mongoose…. It's me, Ally." Sally-Ally said. "Call me 'Sally' like this. I needed to borrow this chassis."
Bob looked Sally-Ally over. He could see it was the same chassis he captured.
"It's a nice sheath tone." Bob said. "It's like Jim's."
Sally-Ally looked down at her hands. It was a nice skin tone. She hoped to be able to explore everything about it at some point.
"Thanks." Sally-Ally said. "I may have it for a while depending on how this all goes down."
Sheila looked at Sally-Ally. She could think of a few things to 'go down'. One of them would be her on Ally in the new chassis. It would be more exciting this time because the chassis would be activated.
Hanna wanted answers. She was worried about the others.
"Just tell us what's happened so far." Hanna said.
Bob didn't have anything worthwhile to report.
"We've been watching them for a month." Bob said. "Everything appears normal."
The Metal girls wanted to know about Savannah. It might still be too early.
"Did Savannah have her, well, Future Savannah's baby?" Hanna asked.
Bob and Holly wondered the same thing themselves. They hadn't attempted to infiltrate the base.
"We don't know." Bob said. "Holly didn't think it was time yet."
Sally-Ally wanted to help. Now with a different appearance she could.
"Let me go back with you." Sally-Ally said.
Bob figured Ally gave up her chassis for Cameron's spare chip to be placed in it. He wondered why she wasn't there. He didn't know Ally gave her chassis to Ginger and Cameron's spare chip was in Cammy's chassis. The chips weren't set yet.
"Negative." Bob said. "Where's the new 'Cameron' here at?"
Sally-Ally tried to dodge the issue.
"She hasn't been activated yet." Sally-Ally said.
It didn't make any sense to Bob. If there was a Cameron to be activated there, and there was, she should be. Cameron's input was needed now.
"Why not?" Bob asked. "She should be online now."
Sally-Ally figured she better come clean as to what her motivation was. Before she could speak, Sheila offered a better and more plausible explanation.
"As soon as we put 'Cameron' online and she finds out what's happened, she's going to go there herself." Sheila said. "We're protecting her, Bob. We're protecting her from herself."
Bob tilted his head slightly. The explanation sounded logical. He knew Cameron was very determined at times. It wouldn't matter to Cameron there was already a 'Cameron' there in Holly who was a copy of the same duplicate chip.
"It's been a challenge to avoid her, Duplicate Cameron, and Ginger-Cammy at times." Bob said.
Sheila figured they all looked at Bob's naked chassis long enough. It was time to 'get the show on the road'.
"I'll give you another month." Sheila said. "It will be about five minutes in our timeline until we see you again. I want to triple check the equipment thoroughly each time."
Sheila wanted to be certain the 'problem' wasn't on their end. It was still a concern of hers. With the successful recovery of Holly and Claire earlier, and Bob now, it seemed everything was operating within normal parameters.
Bob understood the need for caution. He also wanted to hedge their bet.
"Affirmative…." Bob said. "You must activate 'Cameron' soon."
Sheila didn't want to give a definitive answer.
"It's time." Sheila said. "I'm going to send you back to the future."
The arcing and flashing started.
The energy bubble formed around Bob.
In a flash of light he was gone.
The arcing and flashing ended.
Sheila sent him back and reset the controls. She double checked everything and then checked it again. There were no problems on their end with the equipment.
They all waited.
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Cameron's Future Timeline:
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The arcing and flashing started.
The energy bubble formed. Bob was in it. It dissipated and he stood.
He was back in the bunker in Cameron's future where he just left from only seconds ago. He put his clothes back on and rejoined Holly.
"How was everyone?" Holly asked.
She was out of the past for a month, but it was only a few minutes there from when she was sent.
Bob was going to say everything was the same but it wasn't.
"Ally has a new chassis and sheath." Bob said. "She's called Sally now."
Holly figured Ally relinquished her chassis for Cameron's spare chip.
"Was a new 'Cameron' activated with her spare chip?" Holly asked. "I figured she would've come with you."
Bob could see they all thought the same thing.
"Not yet and for the very reason you just indicated." Bob said.
Holly thought not activating 'Cameron' was a mistake, and so did the 'Cameron' in her.
They continued their patrols and observations. They were aware Savannah gave birth by all the activity one day. From what they could tell it was successful based on the big celebration. Childbirth was rare in the future. A child who survived was even rarer.
Savannah was to stay one more month before she returned with Cameron and Ginger-Cammy. This was to make sure the baby could be fed in case Future Savannah was a 'low producer' as Future Allison was. Cameron previously told them Savannah would be able to produce enough for both babies if needed.
If it wasn't for the necessity of the infant, Holly wanted to make contact and bring Savannah, Cameron, and Ginger-Cammy back now. The main part of the mission was done.
They should all return in six weeks from the future timeline. It was the scheduled rendezvous they ALL failed to make. It was only a matter of time now until something catastrophic must happen. Neither Bob nor Holly looked forward to it. Not only must their friends die, they must perish as well. Since none of them returned either, it was the only explanation.
They upped their vigilance and their patrols of the area. They hoped to find the threat before it could find them. What if it was a nuclear weapon used on the compound? It would explain all of their terminations.
Bob was scheduled for another rendezvous in two weeks.
Thirty more days passed for Bob since his last return to the past. He was in the bunker. His clothes were neatly folded on the floor in the corner.
The time bubble arrived for him on time.
The arcing and flashing started.
The energy bubble formed.
Bob stepped into it.
In a flash of light he was gone.
The arcing and flashing dissipated.
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Cameron's Base Current Timeline:
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Hanna and Sally-Ally checked their weapons.
Sheila double checked the control settings.
"It's time." Sheila said.
The arcing and flashing started.
The energy bubble was sent.
In a flash of light it was gone.
The arcing and flashing dissipated.
Sheila waited a few moments and worked the controls to return it.
The arcing and flashing started.
The energy bubble formed.
Bob was in it.
The arcing and flashing ended.
Bob stood.
Nothing was different from when he was last there. For the Metal girls there, it was only a few minutes.
Bob gave the next month's report. It was uneventful except for the birth of Savannah's baby.
The Metal girls wanted to know the baby's name and if it was a boy or a girl. Neither Holy nor him made an effort to infiltrate the Connor Compound so they didn't know. They did know Cameron and Duplicate Cameron worked to beef up security on the camp's perimeter. They weren't sure if it was because Cameron felt she was being 'watched' or not. They could be influencing events and not know it.
It was only five minutes later in the current timeline from when he was there. Both Sheila and Sally-Ally wanted to go with him when he returned.
Bob looked around. Someone important was still missing.
"Where's 'Cameron'?" Bob asked.
Because Sally-Ally and now Sheila both wanted to go, they still hadn't done it. They hadn't activated her. They discussed it in the short time Bob was back in the future. They didn't want any negative feedback on their proposed mission.
"After we go, Hanna can set her chip." Sheila said.
Bob told them not to go. Not yet anyway. He told them again to activate 'Cameron'. He gave them additional coordinates to try the time bubble at, in case they didn't show up as scheduled. Bob varied the dates and times as well as the locations. It was a suggestion from the 'Cameron' in Holly.
Sheila started the procedure to return Bob back to Cameron's future.
The arcing and flashing started.
The energy bubble formed around Bob.
"Activate 'Cameron'." Bob said.
In a flash of light he was gone.
The arcing and flashing dissipated.
Sheila sent him back and reset the controls. She double checked everything and then checked it again.
They all waited.
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Cameron's Future Timeline:
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The arcing and flashing started.
The energy bubble formed. Bob was in it. It dissipated and he stood.
He'd arrived back in Cameron's future again only seconds after he just left it.
He exited the bunker after he dressed and went in search of Holly.
It was on his way there to make the rendezvous when he heard them….
There were HK drones coming. There were a lot of them.
It spelled trouble any way it was looked at.
It appeared Skynet reared its ugly head once again. It is what must have gone wrong. Skynet attempted to take control again.
Holly blinked her eyes several times and shook her head.
She suddenly felt a little 'off'. She wasn't sure what just happened. Her clothes seemed to fit 'differently'. She felt different and a little unsettled.
Holly wasn't sure what she currently experienced. Things were different now than they were a few seconds ago. It seemed there were blocked files and some missing time. None of it made sense.
She briefly wondered if she was afflicted with some type of 'episode' from 'Cameron' on her chip. She was aware there were multiple incidents where unexplained events occurred with Cameron.
She was out a ways and slightly distant from the camp when she first heard them. There were HK drones, and there were a lot of them. 'Cameron' immediately took control of her chassis.
Holly-Cameron carried a plasma rifle. She quickly fired it over the camp in a patterned burst of two shots, a pause, and three more shots. One of the 'Camerons' there should recognize it. She hoped to give them a few precious seconds of warning. She then turned to strike at the targets in the air as they approached the Connor compound.
In the distance she heard a plasma weapon fire. It was Bob engaging the enemy - Skynet.
For right now it was a two person battle against Skynet.
Every second they could delay or slow the attack bought precious time for people to seek cover and troops to man the camp's defenses.
Cameron and Duplicate Cameron both heard the plasma shots fired in a pattern.
Bam Bam - Bam Bam Bam
They knew it was a 'Cameron' warning them. There was only one reason she would be there. It meant it was going to be bad news.
Duplicate Cameron got everyone down into the deepest bunker with an escape route. Cameron ran and made sure everyone outside was ready to fight. They would engage the first wave and then fallback if they needed to. They didn't know yet what all was coming or happening. They only knew something was going down. They'd heard the warning shots and then a battle broke out in the distance. They didn't know it was two of their Terminators from the past engaged in a battle they could never win.
Duplicate Cameron told Ginger-Cammy to make sure Savannah was safe, along with both of the babies as well as Future Savannah and Future Allison.
Duplicate Cameron joined Cameron along with Future John as they took up positions and manned the weapons.
In the distance they could hear two plasma weapons firing. There were explosions seconds later. Someone was bringing down HK drones. They heard the HK drone's unleash a barrage of heavy weapon's fire. It sounded grim for whoever was out there. They both knew the 'someone' was a 'Cameron' out there sacrificing herself for them. THAT 'Cameron' bought them the precious seconds they needed to get ready to fight back. They wouldn't be taken by surprise. They would have been otherwise, and been wiped out. It must be why there was an additional 'Cameron' here and out there fighting now to prevent it. It must have been what happened.
'Go easy, sister, and go hard.' Cameron thought…. 'Make it count.'
Closing monologue by Cameron:
Trouble
If one goes looking for it
They can always find trouble
When it happens it can amp up
And make the trouble double
When do we run
When do we fight
Does brute force in the end
Make it all right with might
It seems over time
Everyone has forgotten compassion
Is it an outdated principle
That has fallen from fashion
Do we look to help
Or do we look away
When we falter and delay
Who is it we really betray
It seems everything in life
Has some kind of issue
Maybe everything ends
With tears in a tissue
Nobody