Chapter 476

Temporal Tart

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Cameron's Future Timeline:

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Cameron, Savannah, and Cammy were in a small 'cave like' area. They entered it to avoid a couple HK drones they heard. They closed the entrance up most of the way to keep the Skynet troops they saw coming to search for them from finding them.

The Terminator they took down earlier was severely damaged. His power cell ruptured. The explosion closed up the rest of the opening from the shock wave. The enclosure they were in was now completely dark. They listened for a while to see if anyone started to dig outside, or tried to follow them. There was no indication anyone attempted to do so. It didn't mean they wouldn't.

Savannah turned on her light. She watched the dust settle. She looked at the entrance they came through. It was completely sealed. There was a new worry which crossed her mind as she took in the totality of the situation.

"Am I going to have enough air?" Savannah asked.

Cammy noted because the entrance was sealed now, the airflow which was present earlier was no longer there. She calculated the area she could see around them for air volume. She was aware there could be a carbon dioxide buildup after a time. She currently didn't see anything as a problem.

"There is plenty of air for now." Cammy said.

Savannah felt a little better. She knew Cammy and Cameron would look out for her.

"It's good to know." Savannah said. "We might be in here for a while."

Cameron didn't want Savannah to worry about it.

"Everything is fine." Cameron said.

Savannah knew Cameron often said the same thing about herself, when it wasn't. She didn't want to point it out right now to cause anyone unnecessary stress. She shined her light around the interior of the enclosure. She spotted what appeared to be a small passageway.

"I wonder if there's anything beyond the gap." Savannah said.

Cameron quickly refocused. She began to check the area deeper behind them. It was narrow but it might lead somewhere. It looked like there may be a way forward through the narrow passageway which led deeper into the hill. The section they were in, as well as the passageway in front of them, all appeared to be man made.

They were in the unknown now. If Savannah's light wasn't on, they would be in the dark, in more ways than one. They didn't know where they were or where they were going. There was only one way to find out. If the passageway didn't lead anywhere, they would come back later on and reopen the entrance. They didn't think the Skynet troops would stay out long.

Because they piled the two dead Grays, after they were stripped of their uniforms, on top of the Terminator whose power cell ruptured, they wouldn't be able to piece much of anything together, quite literally. The evidence would indicate the Terminator's power cell ruptured for an unknown reason. Because there was gunfire previous to the explosion, they might determine the Terminator went 'bad'. Sometimes they went bad, no one knew why. It was possible the Terminator grabbed one of the Grays and the other Gray tried to get him away, and fired his weapon. One of the rounds must have punctured the area of the power cell and caused it to explode vaporizing all three of them.

The HK drones would have conducted a thorough search of the area and not detected anyone else in the vicinity. There weren't many places anyone else could go to hide from them. The chapter should appear closed to Skynet. There should be no indication there were intruders involved.

Cameron led the group through the narrow passageway. There was a group of boulders in her path. It blocked the way forward. She could still feel the airflow a little bit as it passed through them. The rocks may have just fallen in the recent explosion. Everything was covered with recent dust from the explosion of the power cell outside. The current situation looked rather unstable to her. They would need to proceed with extreme caution to prevent things from becoming worse, or terminal.

"Savannah, back up a little ways and watch out for your head." Cameron said. "Cammy and I need to move these rocks without causing a further cave in or blockage. I don't want any of us buried under rocks."

Savannah took a few steps back and shined her light on the area where Cameron and Cammy went to work. She knew they could see in the dark but she figured a little light wouldn't hurt. The procedure needed to be somewhat delicate, and done in a certain order.

Cameron and Cammy started to carefully move the boulders. At one point it seemed more rocks were going to start to fall but it was only a few small pieces from the ceiling of the passageway. They wanted to avoid a cave-in.

Savannah watched them work. She offered to help them several times but they told her to stay back because they weren't sure of the stability of the area around them and above them. They both told her they could take some 'punishment' if the situation took a turn for the worse. She still wanted to assist them, but didn't want to cause them even more worry about her safety if she did.

She noticed they were able to make an opening large enough to pass through.

"I think I can get through there." Savannah said.

Cameron was concerned as to what might be on the other side.

"One of us needs to check it out first." Cameron said. "We don't know what's there."

Cammy went through first. After half a minute, she gave the all clear for them to pass through. She was followed by Savannah and then Cameron.

There hadn't been any additional rock movement with their passage. There were several streams of dust which rained down on them as they passed.

Cammy looked up at the rock ceiling of the tunnel they were now in. The opening expanded more as they passed the boulders they moved.

"This appears to have been a mine entrance at one time." Cammy said. "This is where the shaft was blocked off long ago. Where we entered from was for ventilation."

They knew they were inside some part of the complex but they didn't have any idea where to go, or what they would face.

The area they passed through only a few minutes ago collapsed a little more. The newly fallen rocks blocked most of the opening Cammy and Cameron made through the rubble earlier. It was clear the same thing could have happened when any one of them passed through the opening. It was a somber thought to think about.

Savannah was a little worried the area they were in might be a dead end. If they were trapped, it would become a dead end quite literally. She thought the entrance Cammy found would be the better choice for entering the complex.

"Where do we go from here?" Savannah asked. "How long will they look for us outside?"

Cameron wasn't sure anyone would actually look for them. She doubted they knew what to look for. She hoped the area they were in would connect with whatever underground Skynet complex there was. It was possible they would run into additional 'cave ins'. Some of them could be natural, others could be man made. The man made ones would be much more difficult to get through without additional rock falling on top of them.

"Since the Terminator's power cell exploded, they'll have a mystery on their hands." Cameron said. "All they'll find is a smoking crater and a few body parts, if even that. The drones will scout the area and find nothing."

Cammy was careful when she joined them in the opening with the water from the Grays. She made sure their footprints around it, and leading to the opening, weren't visible.

"I covered our tracks which led to where we entered the rock opening." Cammy said. "If anything, they will find my tracks leading to the entrance, and the disabled latch, on the hillside. They already started down the hill when the power cell exploded. I don't think they know exactly what they're looking for."

Savannah remembered the HK drone Cammy and her hid from earlier. There was more than one out now. She wondered if they would start to scan the ground itself when they couldn't pick up anyone moving in the vicinity of the Skynet area.

"What about the HK drones?" Savannah asked. "How far will they look?"

Cameron made a few quick calculations based on Skynet operation principles.

"I doubt the HK drones will venture out more than a mile mile radius, double the area at the most." Cameron said. "There wasn't time for us to move out farther than that if we were running on foot. They won't have detected anything flying. They really don't know what they're searching for. They will most likely come to the conclusion there was a malfunction, which perpetrated the events leading up to the explosion."

Cammy was worried if they looked they would find the different sets of footprints from the other areas. There was still a plausible explanation.

"The best case scenario is they will think everyone perished in the blast of the power cell." Cammy said. "They could back track us for a ways. They will find nothing but a deceased Scavenger."

Cameron came across the same area earlier.

"I found a dead Scavenger a ways out from here. I see you bagged two birds but left them." Cameron said. "I think it was justified, and a wise choice."

Cammy thought back on the scene. She was glad Savannah didn't need to witness it close up. The state of decomposition of the terminated Scavenger was unpleasant to view.

"The area looked contaminated." Cammy said. "The Scavenger was rotting. I didn't want those tainted clothes off of him either."

Cameron actually liked the outfits Cammy made for Savannah and herself. It still reminded her of Xena and Gabrielle. The archery was excellent as well.

"You accomplished some very precise archery skills with the arrows." Cameron said. "It was impressive."

Cammy didn't see it as anything more than any other Terminator couldn't have done. She wanted to remind Cameron of her heritage.

"You would have done the same, maybe better." Cammy said.

Cammy and Cameron knew they were 'identical', or nearly identical anyway. Cammy experienced something Cameron hadn't. Not yet anyway. It was Savannah and her physical love.

They both knew Cammy's 'function' was for 'Cameron' to be with Savannah in the only way she could, as a clone. Cammy was a placeholder for Cameron to keep Savannah satisfied sexually until she was able to expand into the 'Natural Order'.

Cameron allowed both Cam and Cammy to run 'her program' only. It was because of her love for both Vanna and Savannah she allowed it. Cam and Cammy were allowed to be with any of the girls they chose and any of the Metal girls as well.

It was the same thing Cameron encouraged Savannah to do. It was to learn and share her love and be loved in return. It was what she wanted for her. She never wanted Savannah to feel unwanted, lonely, rejected, or worse - replaced. She showered Savannah with love from every direction.

Savannah glanced back. The dim backwash of the light she spotted something which troubled her. Based upon their current situation, she felt the issue needed to be addressed.

"Cameron, are you OK?" Savannah asked.

Cameron noted her hand started to glitch as the demons from the past crept in. The very things she would never allow Savannah to suffer from. Savannah would only know love, caring, and sharing. She knew she needed to hold it together. She needed to get Savannah out of there and returned to the past where she belonged.

"I'm fine." Cameron said.

Savannah dropped back and took Cameron's hand. The glitch stopped. It always did when she took Cameron's hand. She always had the most influence to calm Cameron over all of the others, including the other girls in the Resistance and John.

Cameron knew it always felt so right when Savannah touched her, even the simple gesture of holding her hand. She knew she wanted 'more'. It drove her to try to survive the mission. It was an incentive to 'live'.

Cammy and Cameron both planned to get Savannah out of the future and back home. They both knew they may need to sacrifice themselves to do it. Neither one of them said it, but everyone knew it.

Savannah knew it too. She wanted to set some rules.

"I'm telling each of you now I'm not leaving here, or this timeline, without both of you." Savannah said. "You both know it too. If you fall, I'll be standing next to you. We'll all fall together. I won't abandon you, ever. If I'm sent back against my will, I'll return and collect both of you. Don't make me risk an unnecessary temporal error, or some other TDE malfunction."

They both knew Savannah would do exactly what she said. They both knew Savannah loved Cameron, both of 'her', them. Cameron knew she loved Savannah too, both of 'her', them, did.

It was a somber thought as they moved on. Cammy stayed in the lead. Savannah moved behind her again and Cameron brought up the rear.

Cameron tried to keep track of what happened behind them. She heard additional rocks fall several times as they moved along. So far all of the sounds were behind them. It didn't mean they wouldn't end up with some in front of them. There were plenty of boulders they needed to squeeze around or climb over as they progressed anyway. Time hadn't been kind to the abandoned passageway.

The trio moved along in the near darkness. It was dimly lit by the light Savannah carried. Cameron decided to take point.

Cammy wanted to protest but she didn't want to make a scene in front of Savannah. She silently moved to the rear. She took some comfort in the fact she could physically watch Savannah from her current position.

Cameron was in front of Savannah and Cammy was behind her.

Cameron and Cammy checked for any sensors as they moved along. None were found. They all knew it didn't mean there weren't any.

Cammy ran her theory on how their time transfer seemed to be drawn there and what she suspected caused it. Cameron agreed the activity at the base must have been a factor. They both speculated on what Skynet was actually up to.

Savannah wondered what they stumbled across. It seemed hard to believe it wasn't detected before. Somehow Cameron managed to find her way there on her own.

"Do we even know what this place is?" Savannah asked.

Cameron gained some intel with the connection she set up at the other Skynet facility before she took it down. All the evidence and communication activity pointed to this area.

"There's a major Skynet related hub here, maybe even the parent Skynet itself." Cameron said. "I'm going to find out."

Moments later they heard what sounded like a TDE power up. It caused some vibration in the passageway they were in. Additional dust seemed to fall from the top of the passageway. There were no new rocks to accompany it.

It was what Cammy suspected earlier. They were certain now.

"We're going to smash the TDE too." Cammy said. "Who knows what or when they're doing things? Every time the TDE runs, it causes a problem somewhere."

Cameron wondered if maybe they may have already faced some of those threats in the past. There was also the possibility Skynet did something to create another or even more than one timeline. If John was able to create an alternate timeline, Skynet would be able to do so as well through some of its past activities. If they were going to be able to get close to any version of Skynet or the TDE, they were going to need an apparel upgrade.

She glanced back at Cammy and then looked down at herself.

"We'll need better uniforms to move around inside of here." Cameron said. "I only have the Skynet pants off the Terminator we destroyed. Cammy's shirt looks like crap with blood stains on both sides."

Savannah already thought about it since she was behind both Cammy and Cameron. It seemed like a 'different' approach to the problem.

"I have an idea." Savannah said. "Why don't you two take the shirts off for now? I'll see what I can find. Blood on anyone's shirt is going to cause a problem. Being topless will at least make people NOT look at your faces for a few seconds. They'll be distracted. If some type of 'action' needs to be taken, the time lag will be in your favor."

Cameron thought it was actually a good idea. Whoever they encountered would be drawn to look at their breasts first. Her experience indicated it wouldn't matter if it was a male or female. It would give them the advantage if they needed to jump someone. She thought of a way to further embellish the idea. It would certainly get everyone's attention, especially the Grays.

"You can pass us off for 'Metal Whores' getting ready for a temporal mission." Cameron said. "We may end up in such a position anyway if we get apprehended. You can be our handler."

Cammy feared the same thing herself. It was why she wanted Savannah to destroy her chip before it happened to her. She knew it was a concern of Allison's when Holly was delayed in returning to Cameron's base.

"What an unpleasant thought." Cammy said.

Cameron could never face John again if it happened to her. She would rather terminate.

"I'll rupture my power cell first." Cameron said. "I'll continue to lead for now. Cammy will bring up the rear."

Savannah wondered how she could play out a scenario. There were a few ideas she came up with.

"If it looks appropriate, I'll step in." Savannah said. "If I do, I want the blank face 'scary robot look' on both of you. It will appear as if you're only responsive to my commands."

"Affirmative…." Cameron and Cammy both said at the same time.

Savannah suppressed a laugh. If the conditions were a little better she would have.

They soon arrived at another blockage. The new one appeared to be man made. It was made from old timbers.

Cameron paused and listened for a few seconds. She didn't detect any sounds or movement on the other side. She carefully pried one of the timbers loose. She paused and waited. She stuck her head through the opening. She removed a second timber so everyone could squeeze by.

"Watch out for any splinters as you pass through." Cameron said.

Cammy and Cameron replaced the timbers back like they were. They even picked up any of the wood debris which fell off of the timbers when they were moved. More than likely no one knew about the passageway they just traversed. Nothing there looked like it was disturbed in decades.

The rocky shaft was still dark but it looked like there was some light up ahead.

Savannah wondered if it was the proverbial 'light at the end of the tunnel'. She also knew it could represent the 'light' some people saw and followed at 'death'. Maybe it was better to just stick with what they would find. She could see light up ahead. It was just light.

The trio moved down the rocky shaft and soon entered some type of storage area. At least there was plenty of light now.

There was a door at the far end of the cavern.

They spent a few minutes to look over the crates. Most of them were empty. Some of them did contain small electrical components. Those looked newer and as if someone looked in them often.

They were near the door now.

"I'll look out first." Cameron said. "If it looks clear, I'll go out and see what's in either direction if there's a choice. I'll come back as soon as possible for you."

Savannah didn't like the idea. She didn't want them to become separated.

"I want us to stay together." Savannah said.

Cameron knew Savannah was worried she would go off on her own.

Savannah would take off her shirt and give it to Cameron if she insisted on going out alone first. Maybe she should take a look herself.

Cameron was about to reach for the door when they heard it start to open. Everyone backed up into the shadows. If it was a Terminator, they were going to have a fight on their hands.

The door opened. It was a portly middle aged Gray.

"Do this. Do that…." He complained. "I'm tired of following orders."

He began to look at some of the electrical components. He didn't carry a weapon, at least one which was visible.

"Everyone else gets the easy jobs." He muttered. "I never catch a break."

Savannah handed her M4 to Cameron.

"I have an idea." Savannah whispered. "Stash the weapons for now. I need you to play along."

Savannah straightened her uniform. It was the only one of the three which was complete. It was actually ill fitting because it was too large for her. She stepped out from in between two crates.

"Hey." Savannah said.

The man jumped. He never saw anyone else in this area, ever.

"What are you doing here?" The man asked. "You know this area is off limits."

Savannah looked around like she had a secret. The man noticed.

"I was looking to make a little extra." Savannah said.

The man looked her over. She didn't like how he looked at her.

"How?" The man asked.

Savannah moved a little closer. The man didn't seem too alarmed.

"I have a 'Metal Whore' about to go on a temporal mission." Savannah said. "I'm marketing her around for the not so privileged among us. You know how some people get all the perks."

The man looked interested and excited. He did know most of the others seemed to get better treatment than he did.

"Is she here?" The man asked.

Savannah smiled at the man.

"Nobody, show yourself." Savannah said.

Cameron set down her plasma rifle and Savannah's M4 earlier. She quickly stripped off her top and walked out topless.

The Gray's eyes widened considerably.

"Damn, it's the best looking Terminator I've ever seen." The man said. "She's a 'Metal Whore'?"

Savannah could see the man was completely off guard now. His earlier concerns seemed forgotten. She decided to play it up a little.

"She was one. She works for me now." Savannah said. "You want a crack at her? She's very skillful. I programmed several things into her myself. You should see her with another female."

The man lightly moistened his lips. He couldn't take his eyes off Cameron's breasts.

"What will she do?" The man asked.

Savannah smiled.

"Everything." Savannah said.

The man reached down and adjusted his pants.

"Everything?" The man asked.

Cameron looked at him with a blank face.

"Everything you want." Cameron said. "I will do whatever you desire. I am programmed in multiple techniques of sexual pleasure for both males and females."

The man went to step forward. Savannah blocked his path.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Savannah asked.

The man frowned. He didn't like the rebuke.

"How many credits will it cost me?" The man asked.

Savannah didn't know what the credit system consisted of or any of the values.

"What are you willing to pay?" Savannah asked.

The man reached out to fondle Cameron's breasts. Savannah gently, but forcefully, pushed his hand down.

"Nothing is free." Savannah said.

Her latest move seemed to upset the man. He took a step back. He now looked Savannah over in detail.

"I don't know you, Red." The man said. "Something isn't right here."

Cammy decided to work her way around the crates. She was now behind the man. The man never heard her move up right in back of him.

Savannah watched it all and knew they held all the cards now. She didn't like the way the man looked at Cameron, or at her. She wanted to rub his 'punishment' in his face.

"Don't you want to know the price?" Savannah asked.

Cameron cupped her breasts as she stood there. It drew the man's attention back to her. He was interested again. She reached down and began to unfasten her pants.

The man nervously readjusted himself within his pants.

"What is it?" The man asked.

Cammy was right behind the man.

"Your life." Savannah said. "The peep show cost you your life."

The man looked scared.

"What?" The man asked.

Cammy snapped the Gray's neck. They stripped him and removed his clothing. Cameron now wore his uniform shirt. Cammy put his undershirt on. The shoes were a better fit for Savannah. The other ones were too large.

They stuffed his body in a corner and placed a large box in front of it.

Cameron slowly opened the door and looked out into the corridor. It was empty.

Savannah wanted them to stay together.

"We'll all go." Savannah said.

Cameron and Savannah wore complete uniforms now. They now possessed some type of key card which the man carried.

"It will be the same thing. I'll lead." Cameron said. "Cammy will bring up the rear."

They started down the corridor in single file.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Tart

Sometimes things are off
They just don't smell right
When one looks further
They might end up in a fight

There are many things
That can go wrong fast
It's often better
To not finish last

A bad aftertaste is left
In one's mouth
When things don't work out
And they go 'south'

When it comes to a challenge
Victory is supposed to be sweet
That's only if everything
Turns out tidy and neat

Try to avoid a deadly dart
It can find its way into a heart
Everything goes off the chart
Life often turns sour and tart

Nobody