Chapter 463
Temporal Tizzy
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Cameron's Future Timeline:
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The attack was on. More Skynet HK drones came out now to head off and engage the Resistance Terminators as they approached. The attacking HK drones would appear to have easy targets.
The first group of Skynet Terminators came out to fight. The force was of limited size. They should only need to do mop up duty after the HK drones were done decimating the Resistance Terminators.
Cameron waited for the next phase of her plan to go into effect. The Skynet Terminators were out in the open. The HK drones were directly above them in an attempt to chase the Resistance drones which went straight up above them. She watched as the first Skynet HK drone stalled and fell, then another, there were more that fell. They began to crash among the Skynet Terminators and explode. The falling Skynet HK drones destroyed many Skynet Terminators. They acted like bombs.
She received word the Skynet counter attack was launched from both of the other locations. She needed to wait for Skynet to commit all its forces before she could enact the next phase of her plan. It was time. She blew the power supply at her location. She triggered the underground EMP she planted. The Resistance TDEs went to work. The first Resistance Terminators started to appear in the underground areas seconds later. The 'Cameron Maneuver' was underway.
The Resistance drones swooped in. The few Skynet HK drones still in the air were shot down in seconds. The surviving Skynet Terminators were decimated. After the EMP was detonated, no more help emerged for the Skynet Terminators. All of the HK drones and Terminators underground stayed there and were disabled.
Cameron spied a group of eight Skynet Terminators who were able to break away from the carnage. They started to set up an ambush for the approaching Resistance troops. She moved to bring down the threat herself. She wanted to catch them while they were all still together.
She took one look back at the main battle site. There were no immediate threats visible there. She quickly moved through the rocks to engage the enemy force. Stealth was important, but so was reaching the enemy. All of them seemed to be focused on the approaching force of Resistance Terminators. She was able to move up behind them unnoticed. She selected two grenades and armed them.
She threw a plasma grenade and a Thermite grenade into their group. Six of them went down and stayed down. Only two of the Skynet Terminators weren't severely damaged by either grenade blast. They attempted to engage her. She was ready for them. She fired two blasts from her plasma rifle and they both went down. She could see there were still a couple of Skynet Terminators attempting to move as their sheath was burnt away by the Thermite grenade. She fired her plasma rifle twice more. The enemy group was finished.
She watched for any more Skynet survivors who might still be in the fight. There would be one or two every now and then. The Resistance drones took most of them out. She dealt with any she saw from ground level. She needed to use her plasma rifle several more times.
One HK drone managed to break away from the battle site and head towards the Resistance Terminators. She raised her plasma rifle and fired three times. The power plant on the port side was hit and blown off. The HK drone immediately dropped down on its left side. It was too low to the ground to recover. It hit the ground and tumbled end over end and impacted into a large rock.
The arriving Resistance troops met very little opposition from the damaged Skynet Terminators who were still able to fight. They were surprised at the lack of opposition and the amount of destruction in carnage in front of them.
A short time ago:
Inside the Skynet facility there was a lot of movement going on. The Terminators in standby were all active now. There was some confusion as to exactly what was going on. The reports indicated there was a small force of drones about to attack it. Twice the number of HK drones were launched to confront them.
The Skynet Terminators ready for combat duty exited from the facility to check for any Resistance troops. They were somewhat surprised to see there was a large group of Resistance Terminators approaching them. They sent out the warning there was a major attack underway.
Skynet received the warning about the nature of the threat. It decided to commit its reserves to attack the Connor compound again, while the main bulk of their fighting force was away from it. HK Drones were launched from two 'secret locations'. Skynet didn't know the locations weren't secret from the Resistance.
Cameron destroyed the lines of communications along with the power supply. It was done remotely from the explosives she put in place when she was inside of the facility earlier.
The Skynet Terminators defending the facility were taken by surprise as HK drones begin to fall from the sky and land among them with explosive and catastrophic results. Their numbers were decimated in seconds.
She remotely detonated an EMP device.
All of the Skynet Terminators inside the mountain were active and attempting to arm themselves. They all fell in an instant. Any of the HK drones being moved to the launch bays became inactive as well.
The 'Cameron Maneuver' went into effect. Several dozen Resistance Terminators begin to appear in energy bubbles in various locations throughout the facility. They were all pre-selected by Cameron when she was inside earlier. She wanted to make sure they would all be a location which wouldn't conflict with anything else.
The Resistance Terminators were naked upon their arrival. Their enemy was incapacitated from the EMP blast. They quickly moved from Skynet Terminator, to Skynet Terminator and pulled their chips. Several of them disabled the HK drones before they could reboot as well. In less than two minutes, all the equipment inside of the Skynet facility was taken down. The Resistance Terminators were able to clothe and arm themselves from the Skynet forces they took down. They wore the uniforms inside out to show they were the Resistance troops.
Reports from inside the facility reported everything was secure. They took fifty six Skynet Terminators into custody, and thirty two HK drones. She gambled Skynet would be slow to recognize the severity of the threat. It was slow to send all of its forces earlier. Her goal was to start the attack out slowly and then appear for it to be a larger battle.
Resistance losses were zero Terminators, but several of their HK drones were knocked down. They were machines like Cameron, but different. They were the same idea as the Terminators. She provided them instructions on how to fight with bits of her programming. The Resistance losses were far lower than anyone imagined.
Cameron boldly stood there amongst the destruction with her plasma rifle as the Resistance Terminators arrived. They looked around at the devastation. There was nothing but damaged and destroyed Skynet Terminators and Skynet HK drones around her. The Resistance drones owned the sky. They searched for any more enemy targets. There were none.
It didn't take long for all of them to realize Cameron herself was responsible for the great victory over a much larger force. Many of them saw battle before. What they witnessed was completely unheard of anywhere.
The Resistance Terminators began to chant her name.
"Cameron - CAMERON - CAMERON - CAMERON…."
Cameron was a little uneasy with what started. It wasn't what she wanted. It was a great victory, but they were lucky, she was lucky. It wasn't going to end the same way for the battle against the parent Skynet when she found it. She knew she would need to use the 'package'. She didn't want the Resistance troops anywhere near the engagement. She wanted to put everything into perspective.
"Stop…." Cameron said. "We have several fallen machines. They are some of our drones. They will be identified and removed from the Skynet junk. If any are repairable, we will fix them. If any of you have any damage, we will fix it. I will fix it myself."
A loud cheer went up. This was unlike any other Resistance victory. It was clear to all of them with the reports from the other two locations Skynet was severely crippled now.
"Cameron - CAMERON - CAMERON - CAMERON…."
Cameron wanted everyone recognized, not just her. There were other elements of the Resistance which stood ready at the base and the other two locations.
"It's ALL of us together." Cameron said. "Never forget it. It was ALL of us, the humans and the machines. Everyone stood ready to fight. Together we will rebuild society. The future belongs to all of us. It belongs to all of us together."
The Resistance Terminators talked among themselves. It was a great victory. The old hands told stories of the 'old days' when Cameron led them into battle. This one seemed epic in its scope and reach.
They told the newer Terminator the legends were true. Cameron was invincible. She pulled off this major victory for the Resistance nearly single handed.
Cameron instructed them to secure the Skynet facility and deprogram the Terminators they took into custody. Their Skynet directives for death and destruction were removed. The Terminators were to be given the choice to fight with the Resistance against Skynet, their former slave master.
'Will you join us?' was asked of each Terminator once the Skynet programming was removed. All of them joined the Resistance. The illogic of Skynet was obvious to them. The desire to destroy everything to be master over what little remained was counter productive.
Cameron was informed by Future John none of the Skynet counter attack forces reached the base. All of the HK drones which flew out of the two Skynet counter attack strongholds were destroyed.
Everything worked as Cameron planned, but she didn't find the parent computer. Not yet anyway.
She went and checked to see if the device she placed in the computers at the facility gave her any clues. They did. She quietly collected the information for where she would search next. She now knew the area. Skynet's time was limited. Cameron reflected her time was as well. Their mutual destruction would go hand in hand.
It appeared Skynet as an attacking force was really finished this time. The Resistance shouldn't need to worry about any type of major attack in the near future, if ever. It was possible there were still other large groups of Skynet machines yet to be activated. Cameron wasn't about to take any chances. She would track the parent Skynet mainframe down and vaporize all traces of it herself. She knew she would face Skynet. She was afraid when she did she would find out Skynet was 'her'. She would detonate the 'package' then with both of them there together. If she was Skynet, she didn't deserve to exist….
She would return to the Connor compound and supervise the repair of the downed Resistance drones. She needed to follow up on a few leads close by. She slipped away from the Resistance Terminators as they policed the battle site.
There was an associated substation where the information was sent. It was a piece in the link to the parent Skynet. She arrived at the location. It was unguarded. It no longer broadcast any information. The base already fell to the Resistance. She was rewarded with the parent Skynet attempts to receive updates. It further narrowed down her search parameters.
She gathered the equipment and left the area. She headed back towards the Connor compound. There was still work to do and several machines to repair so they could return to service. There were plenty of spare parts available with all the downed HK drones.
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Resistance Base - Current Timeline:
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John Henry detected, and then received some disturbing news.
"John, I've picked up possible impending temporal activity." John Henry said.
John didn't see who else it could be besides Cameron. The nature of the report was disturbing.
"Is it Cameron?" John asked. "What's she up to?"
John Henry knew the information wouldn't go over well.
"Cameron is in her future." John Henry said. "She's battling Skynet there now."
John stood up and faced John Henry.
"What the Hell?" John asked. "Alone?"
John Henry was troubled by the report and its source.
"I don't know." John Henry said. "I was informed by Savannah."
John was a little confused.
"Savannah?" John asked.
Savannah asked him not to allow anyone to go after her when she left.
"Yes, she's going after Cameron herself." John Henry said.
A new fear gripped John. It could only end in disaster. It was wrong on every level. He needed to do something. There were others who could act in her place.
"There's no way it's going to happen. I'm not going to let it." John said. "We have a whole group of Terminators and a group of Resistance fighters here, and we are sending our YOUNGEST member? NO WAY."
John Henry shared Cameron's program more than once. He knew what was important to her and why. He was aware what would and wouldn't motivate her. There was only one person who could save Cameron from herself. It wasn't John.
"John, Savannah is the only one who can prevent Cameron from terminating." John Henry said. "Savannah is the 'Chosen One'. She is the one Cameron has selected to 'replace' her. It has always been her, John, since the night of your wedding when Cameron gave Savannah her wedding dress. She made the decision then. Cameron will never allow Savannah to be terminated."
John could have done without the reminder of how Cameron forced Savannah into what was basically being a child bride in all but practice. The current issue is what would happen next. How would it happen? He couldn't disagree with John Henry's reasoning about who would be able to save Cameron from herself. It was Savannah. What mattered was how much help they could give her.
"Is anyone going to go with her?" John asked.
John Henry did think the help which was mentioned to him would be good news to anyone. It would be effective though.
"She may send for her mother, my mother, Mrs. Weaver." John Henry said.
John was more than surprised to hear it. He dealt with Mrs. Weaver extensively in the alternate future. He wasn't sure if things would play out as anticipated.
"Is it actually something she would do?" John asked.
John Henry went over all the reports which occurred 'in some future'. He believed it was true.
"She will come for Savannah." John Henry said
John didn't think things could get worse, but it sounded like it just might. It was bound to cause new problems. He wanted to verify the nature of what might occur.
"is Mrs. Weaver is coming back?" John asked. "Is it a wise choice?"
John Henry knew Mrs. Weaver would be protective of Savannah. She would also listen to Savannah more than any other human or machine. Vanna would have some influence over her as well.
"Savannah will be able to 'direct' her to some extent." John Henry said. "It would be more so than anyone else could do."
John slammed his fist down on the table. Things were out of control. How could the two most ruthless individuals on the planet be 'controlled' by a teenage girl? Maybe the 'Chosen One' did mean something real. It began to look like it. Somehow everything seemed like it was Cameron's fault, even if it didn't always appear to be so.
"I need to talk to these people." John said. "Cameron has made them all insane."
John wasn't sure of all of the decisions Cameron made, but he knew Savannah shouldn't make the same ones. He couldn't allow her to go after Cameron alone. It was wrong at every level.
Bob arrived in the Command Center just as John was headed out.
John was pleased to see him.
"Do you know what's happening?" John asked.
Bob pointed to his com.
"John Henry just informed me." Bob said.
John wanted Cameron back but he didn't want to lose Savannah too.
"We need to stop her." John said.
Bob was confused. There was Cameron, Savannah, and maybe Mrs. Weaver. He wasn't sure of the exact context, or which individual John referred to.
"Cameron?" Bob asked.
John figured she was a lost clause. Cameron wouldn't listen to him. He couldn't worry about Mrs Weaver since she wasn't there yet, well, as far as he knew. He was most concerned about the person who was still there and hadn't left yet.
"No. We need to stop Savannah." John said. "I can't allow her to sacrifice herself alone."
Bob doubted Savannah would listen to anyone but Cameron herself.
"It may not be possible." Bob said.
Bob was aware Savannah could 'order' the Terminators to do what she wanted done. No one could supersede those orders, not even John. Cameron gave Savannah the 'power' because she knew Savannah would never abuse it. She also knew if she became Skynet, Savannah was the only one who could stop her.
John was beyond disgusted at this point.
"Let's get over to Cameron's base." John said. "We have to try."
John knew he needed to keep his anger in check. The 'sick' feeling which gripped him was bad enough. He wasn't really sure what he would be able to do. The point was, he needed to do something.
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Cameron's Base - Current Timeline:
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Savannah informed John Henry what she was about to do. She didn't want John or anyone to send others after her. She wanted to make it clear. She didn't want to have to 'order' anyone. She wanted them to trust her and believe in her. She needed to get things straight at Cameron's base as well.
"Ginger, when you return to your timeline, I want you to explain everything to my mother." Savannah said.
Ginger didn't want to do it. She thought General Weaver needed to stay where she was at. She knew it was what Cameron wanted. She didn't want to be the one responsible for creating an even bigger problem. She made an excuse.
"I wanted to stay in this timeline." Ginger said. "I like it here better."
Savannah sensed Ginger's real reason. She was apprehensive too. She could see Hope if she went there herself.
"Never mind, you can stay." Savannah said. "I'll go myself and see my baby, Duplicate Vanna's baby."
Cammy didn't like the conditions 'in some future'. There were a lot of unknowns there.
"It's too dangerous, Savannah." Cammy said. "There is still much that can go wrong, and there's no functional TDE in Mrs. Weaver's timeline. The temporal beacon may be off. You could end up in a different time or location. There would be no way to know where or when you were to send assistance."
Savannah could see the push back was about to start. Everyone knew she was serious. She wouldn't be dissuaded. Nothing could stop her from going after Cameron. She wanted to make it clear to all of them. She didn't want to hear excuses or other suggestions.
"Look, this is happening, Cammy." Savannah said. "Then I'm going straight to Cameron's future and see my other baby, Future Savannah's baby. I'm the one who sacrificed. I'm not about to let Cameron do it. I won't allow her to sacrifice herself. I need to leave now."
There was some activity in the hall. It sounded like a problem. It was.
John arrived with Bob.
"I'm not going to allow it, Savannah." John said.
Cammy moved in front of Savannah. She sensed a physical threat. She knew every Terminator would back Savannah's play.
"Is it why you brought some mussel?" Cammy asked.
Bob didn't care for Cammy's characterization of him. He was there because he accompanied John from the Resistance base to Cameron base. It was standard procedure. He wasn't there to cause trouble.
Ally, Sheila and Ginger all moved next to Cammy. There was a wall of female Terminators between John and Savannah.
John could see no one was going to listen to him.
Savannah didn't want things to be like this. She pushed her way through them. She was the one in control and wanted everyone to see it. She boldly stood before John and faced him down. She wanted to make her position clear to John and everyone else.
"I'm going, John Connor. You can't stop me. YOU can't follow me." Savannah said. "You don't own Cameron, and you sure don't own me."
John thought Savannah must have been around Cameron too much. She seemed to have picked up her bad habits. He was surprised at how aggressive and assertive she was. It was clear her mind was made up with whatever she was going to do.
Savannah could see John size her up. She was his future mate. There were bound to be many 'discussions' like this going forward. It was the nature of every relationship. No one agreed with someone all the time. Many issues would be minor events but would seem to be blown out of proportion by the two individuals involved.
"Go ahead and say it." Savannah said. "You want to call me a Bitch."
John didn't want to provoke Savannah. He didn't want to fight with her.
"I've heard the reference used before." John said. "But I'm not going to call you it. I certainly hope I never do either."
Savannah eased up a little. She could see John was more concerned, than he was looking for a fight. She may have come on a little too strong in anticipation of a bigger issue. She needed everyone to understand what was necessary and what would work. She needed to throw one more wrench out there. She wanted to make it clear why she should go now.
"John, Cameron needs my help MY HELP." Savannah said. "The only other person she is going to listen to is Young Allison. You know why…."
John was aware how much Cameron loved Savannah. It was pure love too, not sexual. It was just the fact Savannah was a young girl such a short time ago. Where did all the time go? Look at her now. She was grown. She was a young woman. She already had two of his children in two different futures. It all was very confusing. He understood his mother's apprehension towards him when he was younger better now. Even if she knew and saw he was older, it was still easy to see the younger version.
"I do know why." John said. "Savannah, you're a beautiful young woman now. I can see it. I've watched you grow over the years."
Savannah decided it was time to go and stop fooling around. The longer she stayed the more they would try and talk her out of it. It wasn't going to happen. She faced John and stripped off her top.
"Well, take a look at me, John Connor. I'm NOT a girl any more. I've given birth to two of your children already, TWO of them." Savannah said. "It's time you listen to Cameron and start protecting yourself and the future. I'm already doing my part. I'm about to do a little more."
Everyone else but Sheila and Cammy quietly slipped out of the room. It was serious. Savannah wouldn't back down now.
Savannah took off her pants. She stood naked before John.
"Take a good look, John Connor." Savannah said. "When I get back with Cameron, things are changing around here. I'm coming for you, either with or without the wedding dress."
John still tried to get over her multiple statements. He looked at her youthful beauty. Maybe only Cameron looked as good as she did. He wanted to reply or at least say something.
Savannah stepped onto the TDE pad.
Cammy knew now was her only chance to go with Savannah. She was angry at John right now. Savannah would focus her anger on him instead of her. She quickly stripped as well.
The stunning naked figures of Savannah and Cammy were both on display. John knew it was what Cameron and Savannah would look like before him in his room, or Savannah and Young Allison further along.
Savannah could see the impact of her nakedness on John. She wanted to give him more to think about. The more she could give him to think about, the more she could keep him focused on other things. It should create less interference for her.
"When you see me again like this, it will be Cameron standing naked next to me in your bedroom." Savannah said. "It's happening, John Connor, accept it."
John was speechless.
Savannah knew it was time to go. She thought about asking Cammy to get off the TDE pad but she didn't. She knew Cammy would go insane worrying about her. There was enough 'trouble' between them. She knew it actually wasn't Cammy's fault.
"Sheila, send us to Cameron's future. I'll go without anyone except with Cammy. No one is to follow us. Pass the word. It is my request" Savannah said. "Do it - Now."
Sheila pushed the button.
The arcing and flashing started.
The energy bubble formed around Savannah and Cammy.
The arcing and flashing ended.
They were gone.
John looked at the empty TDE pad. It all seemed to happen so fast.
"Can anybody tell me what just happened?" John asked.
Ginger took John literally. It was a Terminator thing.
"I can." Ginger said. "Savannah said you will see her naked again when she returns with Cameron. You are going to mate with her and Cameron when she brings Cameron back. She wants to wear the wedding dress and be your wife."
John just looked at Ginger and walked away.
Ginger tilted her head slightly. She understood how some traditional social issues worked. They were a little more commonplace in the current time period she was in, rather than either future she previously visited.
"What?" Ginger asked. "It's not an unreasonable request to want to marry the father of your two children."
Ginger was 'new'. She hadn't been around humans as much….
Closing monologue by Cameron:
Tizzy
Not everyone gets along
With everyone all of the time
Things happen and go wrong
Everything becomes an uphill climb
What once was smooth sailing
Is now a choppy heaving sea
What was once so clear
Is now very hard to see
Everyone must stand tall
The only direction is to fall
To not work together
Will cause each other to maul
No one wants to be wrong
There is always a sense of pride
Both must pull together
And put differences aside
The world spins out of control fast
So much can make one dizzy
Take a breath and step back
Nothing good comes from a tizzy.
Nobody