Chapter 444

Temporal Tragedies

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Cameron's Future Timeline:

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Bob heard the HK drones as they neared where he was at. He heard Holly fire a patterned volley of shots in the distance. It seemed like something Cameron would do. In seconds, he saw the first HK drone. They were all heavily armed. It may even be a new generation of HK drones. They were at very low altitude to avoid detection by radar.

If Bob and Holly hadn't been there, Skynet would have taken the Connor camp by surprise. Skynet would have inflicted severe damage and maybe wiped the Resistance out. They would have wiped out the leadership anyway.

Bob could see there were dozens of HK drones. He needed to pick his shots carefully. They would be all over him in a few seconds once he opened up. He waited until the first wave passed over him and then opened fire on five of them in quick succession from their rear.

The first HK drone he hit was the last one to pass near his position. His first shot scored on the port engine mount and blew the power plant off. The HK drone dropped over on its side, and went straight into the ground. It tumbled twice and rolled once.

Before the first HK drone hit the ground, he fired twice more and scored two additional hits in the same way. The second HK drone tried to increase power on the remaining power plant and flipped over on its back in the opposite direction as the first one. It impacted the ground and caught fire.

The third HK drone attempted to turn back towards him once it was hit. As it did, it entered into a tight spiral instead and impacted on the ground almost like an aircraft in a flat spin. It was relatively undamaged, but could not take back off.

The fourth HK drone erupted into a fireball and nosed over. It ended up in the trees. There were a series of secondary explosions from the ammunition on board.

The fifth one was the furthest away. It exploded and showered flaming debris in all directions. It's spectacular end seemed to cause more confusion among the remaining HK drones.

Bob thought about his tactic, each one was hit in the power plants. All five HK drones went down. By waiting until they passed by him, they couldn't bring their weapons to bear on him. The tactic was used up right now. The second wave was almost to his position.

He knew he needed to get away from where he was at quickly and did. He was now a target. The other HK drones would have his position zeroed. The element of surprise was lost.

There was a massive explosion behind him as he moved from his previous position. It appeared at least two HK drones fired at where he was moments ago. One used a missile, and one fired a plasma cannon.

The HK drones flew low to try to avoid detection. By conducting their surveillance of the Connor Compound, Bob and Holly became an inadvertent LP, or listening post, for the Resistance camp. It was the only way the HK drones could have been detected before they would have shown up at the Connor Compound. The real question was, how many were there, and where did they come from?

The HK drones were so low it actually limited their response. They were in too close to maneuver and get a good shot at him. It rapidly changed.

In a short while, Bob heard Holly open up and seven HK drones went down, again it seemed like Cameron's work. He couldn't see what happened, but he could hear it. He moved up and fired at more HK drones. He knocked four more down. He moved rapidly from the second location as another massive explosion shattered the area where he just was. Some of the drones were armed with a large plasma cannon, not just a minigun and missiles. The first group of HK drones were past him now. Three remained behind to search for him. Now, it was cat and mouse. He didn't like being the mouse.

The three HK drones gained more altitude so they could search over a wider area. It actually made them better targets as Bob could see them from any new position he took up. He needed to pick his next shots carefully. They often worked in conjunction with each other, especially in pairs.

Bob watched as the HK drones began to systematically attack any place anyone could hide. Two of them flew by the bunker he just appeared in from the past. Both started to attack it. They attacked it from different sides. One HK drone used a plasma cannon, while the other one used a missile, and then a second one. The bunker took a lot of punishment before it was destroyed. The bunker location was now rubble. He sure hoped Sheila or Sally-Ally hadn't followed him. The remains of the bunker were now just collapsed and broken debris. If anyone arrived there, they were going to be trapped under debris with no way out. He did recommend if anyone did followed him, they needed to use one of the alternate locations he was provided by 'Cameron'.

He was able to knock the two HK drones down as well when they passed by each other. He could concentrate his fire. He fired on the furthest drone first. It attempted to turn in his direction even as the second one passed. He hoped as it fell it would fire and hit the other drone. It didn't. Another quick shot from him did. The second drone was the one with the plasma cannon. It dropped off to one side until it was inverted. It continued downward even as it attempted to correct itself. It was able to get up right, right as it slammed into the ground. It slid for a short distance before it impacted against a tree.

So far none of the power cells in the downed HK drones ruptured. They were protected with heavy Coltan armor to prevent such a catastrophic failure. He was very pleased with his latest accomplishment. The downside to the latest victory was now the third HK drone had him zeroed…. It didn't look good.

He sure hoped they got another 'Cameron' on line and operational in the past when he left. He didn't know what they were waiting for. He could sure use her assistance right now.

It was clearly not some probe or light strike. It was an annihilation mission. It appeared it was just starting. The sound of more HK drones seemed to increase. In an attempt to avoid the unknown ground fire from Holly and him, some of the drones moved to a higher altitude. It would give the defenders at the Connor compound targets to engage further out now.

Not only did Holly and Bob spoil Skynet's surprise, they alerted the Connor Compound. They caused the attacking force to switch from its original tactic of hugging the trees to avoid detection. Whatever Skynet originally planned was no longer going to be carried out as intended. They were about to find out exactly what the term Resistance meant.

Moments ago:

As soon as the HK drones were detected 'Cameron' took control from Holly. She knew Bob was fighting behind her. She knew she needed to protect Future John, the girls, Savannah, and the babies. It was time to fight. The HK drones were there. There were a lot of them. She knew she did her duty to alert the Connor Compound with her volley of sequence shots. It was only a few seconds later when she brought down seven HK drones. It provoked a response to the location she fired from. She was already on the move before it arrived.

Holly-Cameron avoided the initial barrage aimed at her location after she knocked seven of the HK drones down. She still heard Bob carry on the fight behind her. She was able to pop up and bring five more HK drones down and then they were past her. Three remained behind to stalk her….

They inadvertently spoiled Skynet's surprise. There were crashed and burning HK drones all around her. The three HK drones slowly closed in around her. She watched them fire on any position someone could hide. They would have her zeroed in seconds at their current rate. They formed onto a loose circle around where she was at. It was a tactic which would allow two of them to pinpoint her location when she engaged any one of them. She was bound to bring one of them down for sure. She could probably even hit a second one. She knew she wouldn't have enough time to hit the third one and still get away.

It didn't matter. The Connor Compound needed to be protected. She was one individual. There were hundreds in the Connor Compound.

From the Connor Compound, Cameron observed the destruction going on in the near distance. It wasn't very far away. It would only be seconds before the HK drones arrived. There could be transports, or a ground assault which would follow them. It seemed most likely. She took care of one side of the compound while Future John dealt with the other side.

Future John checked different positions to make sure the anti-aircraft weapons were manned. They were. Ground troops were able to find defensive positions. He moved to where Cameron was located. He could see she took care of everything the same as he did on the other side of the compound.

"There may be a ground assault coming in back of the HK drone attack." Future John said.

He thought the same thing as Cameron.

Cameron looked at both Duplicate Cameron and Future John. She wanted them to get away. She was the 'extra' one in her future. That fact made her expendable. She didn't want John to repeat the mistakes of the past either.

"If we survive the initial assault of the HK drones, I want both of you to get the girls and the children, and get away from here." Cameron said. "I'll hold this position for as long as I can. Take all the non Terminators and go. Remember there are to be no unnecessary human losses, John. You need to keep the support of the human Resistance. The Resistance Terminators will hold the line and provide cover until everyone else can escape. We're only doing what we were designed to do."

Duplicate Cameron could see Cameron would most likely terminate there. It didn't seem fair to her. They were the same. The more Terminators they could have in the fight, the more of the enemy they could destroy.

"What about you?" Duplicate Cameron asked. "I'll stay and fight with you if John will go."

Cameron didn't want to argue about it. She wanted everyone protected. What happened to her didn't matter. She was sure Future John would need to be ushered away by a Terminator. Duplicate Cameron was the obvious choice over any other Terminator. She knew what was best for all of them. She always did, even if they didn't know it.

"I'll buy you both time." Cameron said as she looked directly at Duplicate Cameron. "You must make sure MY children are safe no matter what, along with John and the girls too."

Duplicate Cameron and Future John could see the two infants were what meant the most to Cameron. She viewed them as her own children.

Future John couldn't help but wonder about Cameron's development since he sent her away into the past. She wasn't the same machine she was then. He watched her for the months she was there now. She was superior in every way. He sent her away to protect her and to help his younger self develop. He believed most of the development was on her part. She seemed human to him most of the time. Somehow it was even more so than 'his Cameron'. He wasn't quite sure how, since they were identical to each other in every way, including their program.

Duplicate Cameron filled him in on all of the activity which occurred 'in some future'. He understood the role Duplicate Cameron assumed there. Even though the Liquid Metal Terminator, who identified as Catherine Weaver, Savannah Weaver's mother, was the one officially in charge. He could see Cameron was as much of a natural leader, as Duplicate Cameron was there. He needed to focus on the task at hand.

The HK drones were visible now. They were almost right on top of them. Some of them were at a higher altitude and they became the long range targets. It would thin the herd before their arrival.

"Here they come." Duplicate Cameron said.

It was time to fight.

Plasma weapons opened up from all over the camp. The HK drones dropped like flies. Some managed to score hits and a few screams could be heard in the camp.

The bottom line was, they were not taken by surprise. Their defenses were all manned and responded. It turned into more of a 'turkey shoot'. The majority of the HK drones were in too low and too close to be able to maneuver well. The ones at higher altitude were even easier targets.

The defenders gained and held the upper hand as the battle progressed. It was all thanks to the 'Cameron' who was out there, fighting alone. The battle still raged in the distance. It was much closer now.

Bob managed to avoid a direct hit from the last HK drone which stalked him, but took shrapnel hits. The smoldering HK drone he used for cover took a hit. Pieces of it were blown off. His sheath was damaged in dozens of places. He moved again, but the HK drone closed in on him. There was nowhere to go. He turned to fire. He would go down fighting, not running. He fired at the HK drone, but before his first shot hit it, the HK drone exploded and crashed. It must have been a shot fired by Holly-Cameron. He was sure Cameron was in total control at this point.

Holly-Cameron knocked it down and saved him. She also made herself a bigger target for more HK drones.

She managed to knock down the three HK drones which stalked her and saw there was one still in Bob's area. She'd dodged but still took more than a few rounds from a minigun burst across her upper torso. A partial plasma burst hit her lower torso when it hit the ground between her legs as she flung herself backwards. She aimed a long shot at the HK drone near Bob and fired. She scored a hit. She saw it explode and crash. She hoped Bob was still functional. She was aware she sustained major sheath damage.

Holly-Cameron monitored the warnings going off in her HUD where she was damaged. She was mechanically functional. She knew there were numerous damaged spots on her sheath. Metal was exposed, massive amounts of it. She wouldn't be able to use the TDE anytime soon. The plasma burns more than likely permanently damaged her sheath at this point.

'I'm sorry, Holly.' Cameron thought.

She damaged Holly's sheath and the damage was most likely permanent. The plasma burnt areas would never regenerate properly, if ever. She wanted to look at the damage but was physically unable to do so yet for some reason. It was as if she was programmed to prevent her to look at the damage to her sheath, Holly's sheath. She wondered what all was in play.

'My program is copied onto your server as is your program.' Holly communicated back to Cameron. 'We may terminate here now, but we will still live on. Stay in the fight. We must protect Future Allison, the children, Future John, and the girls.'

'Everyone sacrifices for John Connor'. Was the same thought Cameron and Holly shared at the same time.

Holly-Cameron made one last search for Bob but didn't see him. She was afraid he was terminated. She headed for the Resistance compound. She feared there may be a ground assault. The base would need all the help they could get. The firing which came from the compound was intense. She could see the HK drones fall as she approached. There were a lot of them scattered about. It appeared the early warning paid off.

Every now and then one of the remaining HK drones would swing too far away from the battle. It put it within firing distance for her. She continued to bring one down every so often as she headed for the Connor Compound.

There were screams heard above the battle every now and then. It didn't look good. The battle was far from over. If there was a major ground assault the compound would most likely be overrun. Something needed to be done to keep the Skynet ground troops away from the Connor Compound.

Bob managed to get to one of the first HK drones he downed. It was the one which impacted the ground at slow speed and attempted to take off, over and over. He quickly approached it from behind to disabled it. It appeared the large plasma cannon on it was still operational. The HK drone tried several times to take off but couldn't. He ripped out the control lines for the damaged engines and it stopped moving.

He wanted to get the plasma cannon ready in case another HK drone arrived or any transports showed up. He could do some major damage with the plasma cannon.

The plasma cannon was the only way he would be able to damage or knock down a transport. He would let any HK drones pass in the next wave and save the big blast of the cannon for the high value target. He was sure he wouldn't be able to get off more than a few rounds before the HK drones which escorted it attacked his position.

Holly-Cameron decided the same thing. She needed a larger weapon. There seemed to be a selection of HK drones lying around her location. They were in various states of damage. It was clear none of them would fly again without repair. She could still provide better warning to the camp from her outline position further out. She too tried to get one of the plasma cannons on a downed HK drone operational. She knew if any transports came, she would need the heavy hitting power it could deliver. Transports were where the weapons fire would need to be directed. The fewer Skynet Terminators who could attempt a ground assault against the Connor Compound would make its defense easier.

She knew she needed to work fast as the next wave would arrive shortly. It was going to limit her mobility to need to fire from a fixed position. She knew it was going to make her a target as well. She would see if she could get more than one HK drone re-purposed for the next wave.

Holly-Cameron figured this was where she would be terminated. She intended to hold her ground. She needed to think about who needed to be protected at the Connor Compound. It was all the motivation she needed to continue her task.

'Everyone sacrifices for John Connor'. It was the same thought Cameron and Holly reminded each other.

Termination with honor was at hand.

Cameron, Duplicate Cameron, and Future John all survived the initial assault. The damage to the compound was scattered but not widespread. It appeared the initial causality rate was low. The damage wasn't as bad as anticipated. Almost all of the defensive weapons were still functional and ready for the next wave of the attack. Every position was fully manned with humans and Resistance Terminators fighting side by side.

Cameron wanted Duplicate Cameron and John out of there. She wanted to remain with cyborgs only.

"I need you two to go." Cameron said. "I have this under control with the Resistance Terminators. Get all the humans away from this area. The assault is far from over. I'm fairly certain the main show is on its way. I believe they anticipated having an easy mop up operation when the troops arrived. It's not what they're going to find when they do. I've prepared the base to withstand a ground assault."

Future John couldn't help but think how he didn't agree with what Cameron wanted to do when she arrived with Savannah and Claire. She wanted to fortify the defenses at the base. He was surprised at some of the equipment she was able to come up with. It was all in brand new condition. The Phalanx CIWS 20 MM weapons surprised him the most. It was something he only heard about in the past. At the time he didn't know it was all equipment she hid in the past, before she returned to the future.

He checked his command and communication network. It was still functional. All of the Resistance forces were on fill alert. No other attacks were detected yet. It didn't mean there wouldn't be. No one would be caught off guard now. There was some good news to report. His call for assistance was answered.

"There's Resistance air support on the way in the form of captured and modified HK drones." Future John said. "They won't be here for a while. They're marked with our symbol, our insignia. Our Terminators will know which ones not to shoot at."

Future John started to pull his troops out and evacuate them. The humans all saw the Terminators stayed at their posts, and would fight as they retreated. They all understood the sacrifice which was about to take place. Anyone who ever doubted Future John before and his decision to have Resistance Terminators, no longer did at this point. They all saw Cameron was the one who was now in charge of their defense and survival. Their Terminators would cover their retreat.

The Terminators all held firm as they saw Cameron stayed to lead them. She communicated with them and gave instructions. It was like the 'good old days' to some of the Terminators. Those who hadn't fought with Cameron before, heard of her exploits. Now she was there to lead them again. They knew Cameron wasn't going anywhere and neither were they. They knew Cameron didn't back down. If this was their last stand, Cameron would be the last Terminator standing.

The Terminators were ready and steady.

Duplicate Cameron and Future John got the humans organized and away. They both returned to where Cameron was at, much to her dismay. She needed them to leave now. This was going to get real ugly in the next few minutes.

Cameron looked directly at Duplicate Cameron. She repeated her earlier request.

"I'll hold this position with our Terminators. Get everyone out now." Cameron said. "You must make sure MY children are safe no matter what, along with John and the girls too. There are the Duplicate girls 'in some future' and in River's future. Go get them for whichever John will need them…."

Duplicate Cameron felt guilty. This was her timeline now, not Cameron's.

"Cameron, you go with John. I'm the Duplicate." Duplicate Cameron said. "I'll stay. Your future is in the past."

Cameron saw it as a deeper issue at this point. Duplicate Cameron already established deep personal bonds with everyone there. The 'Natural Order' was a functioning reality there. It couldn't be disrupted. The 'Natural Order' could never be disrupted.

"No. You've mated with John and the girls. They need you. It's the 'Natural Order' now." Cameron said. "I will survive…."

Cameron recalled it was the name of one of the songs Summer liked to listen to. She could only hope she would survive.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Tragedies

Life is a series of events
Some of them work out well
Many of them do not pan out
Some become a living Hell

What is the deciding factor
In what will work and what will not
The same mistakes are repeated
When life's past lessons are forgot

It seems almost impossible
Yet it happens again everyday
One should watch another's actions
Not listen to the words they say

Every new day or person
Doesn't need to be a catastrophe
One needs to turn on their brain
To prevent they usual atrocity

It's time to grow up and think
Stop the needless casualties
Or it all starts over again
With the next set of tragedies

Nobody