Chapter 477

Temporal Temper

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Cameron's Future Timeline:

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Cameron, Savannah, and Cammy moved down the corridor and away from the storage area. They could hear the TDE run again. They were closer to it now. It was much louder and the vibrations were stronger. They didn't know the layout of the complex, or where they were going. They followed the sound for now.

Savannah couldn't pinpoint the sound. Finding the TDE was one thing. Finding other people was another thing. It wouldn't be a good thing either.

"We're bound to run into more people soon. We don't know what kind of reception we're going to run into. The slob we terminated in the storage room became suspicious of me when he started to think about things. I didn't care for his derogatory comment either. I'm a little worried who we might run into next. We needed to leave our weapons behind. I'm just glad I'm with two weapons right now. It's hard for me to judge based on the sound alone where the TDE is." Savannah said. "I'm not as gifted as you two are."

Cammy appreciated Savannah's praise. She didn't care for the Gray she terminated in the storage room either. His rude comment to Savannah was all she needed to hear to want to terminate him. It wouldn't have mattered if he was a Gray or not. Savannah told her it was one of the things the other students in school, as well as gymnastics, would give her a hard time about. It was the color of her hair. How was a young girl supposed to do anything about the way she was born? Savannah told her she missed the interaction with the other students when they were pleasant. She didn't miss the interaction when they were derogatory or negative. She decided if anyone else insulted Savannah about her beautiful hair, she would terminate them immediately. Wait. She better run it by Savannah first when they returned to the past.

Cameron always liked how Savannah complemented Terminators in her own way. It was sincere and honest. Savannah praised their abilities and didn't look down on them because of them. She also didn't like when the portly Gray made a rude comment to Savannah. She needed to play a specific role as a Terminator so she couldn't do anything about it in the moment. She was especially pleased when Cammy worked her way around in back of him and snapped his neck.

She did use her Terminator ability to get a better fix on where the TDE was at. It was in a lower level. Right now they didn't know how to go to a lower level, or any other level if there were any. It seemed most likely there would be. The TDE wasn't the only thing she wanted to find.

"It's below us somewhere." Cameron said. "I want to find the HK drone hangar. I want to know what their strength is."

Cameron did want to know their capability. She also wanted to see how to open the hangar door. She knew there was a 'special delivery' waiting to arrive. She 'neglected' to tell Cammy and Savannah about her 'package'. She previously installed a Skynet transponder in the drones she selected for the 'one way' mission, along with parts of her program. The transponders were the ones she obtained from the last raid. Now she needed an updated code. She knew they would be changed often. It was the whole point. It was to prevent someone from finding out what an old code was and reusing it.

Once she obtained a current code, the drone with the 'package' should be able to approach, and the hangar door would open for it. Bob and Rob would follow the two HK drones she arrived on and go inside the hangar. She would need to send the details on what they were supposed to do when they entered. The trouble was she didn't know what any of it would be yet. She needed to know more about the layout of the complex and hopefully what was actually there. She needed to know if Skynet was there. It would make a difference if it was a satellite facility, or the parent mainframe.

It was still her concern once she located the clean room, the version of Skynet she found there would be 'her'. It would only further ensure its termination along with her own to destroy it.

They hadn't seen or passed anyone else yet. So far it was only the portly Gray who they terminated and stripped of his shirt. The place seemed eerily vacant. It may or may not be a good thing. The lack of people may indicate it wasn't the main facility and the parent Skynet computer wasn't here. It could also mean everyone was being sent on temporal missions into the past. It was even more troublesome. They may have arrived at the location too late to stop additional damage to the past by Skynet.

"Where is everybody?" Savannah asked. "It doesn't seem right to me. There needs to be a reason."

It didn't seem 'right' to Cameron either. It was what she just thought about seconds ago.

"I don't know." Cameron said. "I think they're all being sent into the past. Skynet must be sending them all on missions to try and save itself. It may understand it's not going to win going forward. If it loses the future, it needs to try to win the past."

The more, or actually less, Cameron saw made her worry it wasn't going to be what she hoped for. It might be another dead end.

A high pitched whine sound grew louder in volume.

"I hear several HK drones." Cammy said.

Savannah could hear them too. She figured the ones they sent out to look for them must have returned. There was no way the drones could find them since they were already inside of the facility.

Cameron was better able to pinpoint the location. She knew which direction to go. She saw it as a positive note in the pursuit of what her actual objective for being there in the first place was. She needed to play her cards close to the vest.

"They're over here." Cameron said. "Let's go this way."

They moved in the direction and followed Cameron.

They went down another corridor and down a ramp to a lower level. They could hear The HK drones louder now. There was more activity on the lower level. Things were a little more like what they anticipated. It was also bad news. They were strangers.

They saw some movement off to their side.

"Hey." Someone called out. "Wait up for a minute."

They all stopped. Savannah looked behind her.

"Be cool for a few seconds." Savannah whispered.

Cammy and Cameron still looked forward, they didn't turn back to look.

An angry looking man approached them. He looked at the backs of Cammy and Cameron. He turned his attention to Savannah when she turned and faced him.

"Why are those 'Metal Whores' down here?" The man asked.

Savannah saw he checked both of them out. She didn't have a good answer for him. She hoped for him to point her in the right direction so they could find where the TDE was next.

"I needed to get something for them." Savannah said.

The man looked irritated when he looked away from Cammy and Cameron. Now he looked at Savannah. He checked her out from head to toe and back again.

"What?" The man asked. "You know this is the hangar level."

Savannah wanted to punch the man in the face for the way he looked at her. Instead she reached up and brushed the hair back over her ear and smiled at him.

"I must have got turned around at the last corner." Savannah said.

The man noticed her red hair along with her figure.

"I haven't seen you around here before." The man said. "You're hard to miss."

Savannah didn't like the man's last comment. She also didn't care for the way the man looked at her. He seemed like he wanted a 'little more'. She didn't want to get tripped up with his questions.

"I transferred in with the last batch of female Metal." Savannah said. "I'm their new handler. They currently only respond to me. You know what happens if we give them too much freedom or autonomy."

The man didn't like her answer. He wanted a better one. It seemed she was up to something.

"The last transfer was almost two weeks ago." The man said. "Who's your supervisor?"

The man looked over Cameron and Cammy again. They appeared to be identical models. He actually liked how they looked. The blank look needed to go thought about asking the redhead to tell them to smile.

Savannah saw the man look away from her. She quickly opened her top up more.

The man looked back and noticed Savannah's shirt was half open. His eyes settled for the new view.

Savannah knew to 'offer' the target what they wanted to draw them in closer for the kill. Cameron taught her all the tricks. She wanted to keep the man off guard.

"Don't you want to know what I need for them?" Savannah asked.

The Gray walked closer to Savannah for a better view of her nearly exposed breasts. It put Cammy behind him now.

The Gray could see her nipples were very pink. He finally looked up at her face. He was interested to hear more.

"Go ahead and tell me." The surly Gray said. "I'm dying to hear it."

Savannah disliked the man intensely earlier. She disliked him even more now. She told him what they were going to need on her own smug terms. It was much the same information the portly Gray heard before he was terminated.

"You will die to hear it. We need your uniform and access card." Savannah said as she smiled. "And your life for being a jerk…."

The man turned red and looked like he was about to strike Savannah.

Cammy reached out and snapped his neck. She quickly drug him off to the side. She took his uniform shirt for herself.

Cameron moved to the closest door and looked inside. She saw a place where he could be stashed. They couldn't leave him in the hall.

"Bring him in here." Cameron said. "There are two small rooms."

They stripped his body of anything usable and stuffed it into a locker in the room off the main corridor.

They now all wore a complete uniform. They also obtained two access cards. Cammy and Cameron each carried one. They left the room and continued in the same formation.

Cameron wanted to cover more ground since they now possessed two access cards. She also wanted to mask her real goal. She couldn't let Savannah or Cammy know what she was going to do. Savannah would prevent her if she knew the truth.

"You two look for the TDE. I'm going to check the hangar deck." Cameron said. "It will speed our search for the clean room as well."

Savannah sensed a 'red flag' right away. She knew Cameron didn't expect to find Cammy and her where they were. She was there to make sure Cameron returned to the past where she belonged. It was her home now. She didn't want to make a big deal about it yet.

"I don't think we should split up." Savannah said.

Cammy knew Savannah was there to prevent Cameron from destroying herself. It was clear Savannah wanted them to remain together. She backed Savannah's play.

"We can all go together." Cammy said.

Cameron didn't want things to turn into an issue in the middle of a Skynet base. She wanted to ease everyone's mind some. She did want to know where the TDE and the clean room were, besides the hangar deck.

"I've been in places like this before." Cameron said. "Cammy will have the information as well. Follow her and everything will be OK."

Savannah didn't look convinced. She remembered the way Cameron stepped out of the energy bubble and forced Cammy to hold her in it when she left her future the first time. Cameron stayed for a reason. It couldn't be a good one either.

Cameron wanted two things. One was to get a current transponder code. The other was to find the 'Clean Room'. Either way, she was going to destroy the place. She wanted to find the best place for the 'package' to be placed for maximum destruction.

She wanted Cammy to find the TDE and send Savannah back in time to where she belonged. Cammy would have to start the process and physically hold Savannah on the TDE pad to get her back to safety. Cammy knew her duty and responsibility. It was to protect Savannah. It wasn't safe for her in the future, Savannah was in danger.

Cameron looked at Cammy but didn't say it out loud. She knew Cammy would do the 'right' thing. Savannah came before her.

Savannah looked back as Cameron departed. She wasn't happy. She smelled a 'rat'.

"I don't like leaving Cameron on her own." Savannah said. "It's not what I want."

Cammy could already see the way the conversation was headed. She didn't want to have to argue on Cameron's behalf. She was still upset at Cameron for making Savannah 'hate' her with the 'fast one' she pulled previously.

"She knows you're concerned." Cammy said. "There are several locations we need to find. She's a big girl."

Cammy's answer further irritated Savannah. She wasn't there to play games. She was there for ONE specific purpose.

"You know what I mean." Savannah said. "It's why I'm here. It's why WE are here. It's to protect Cameron and make sure she comes home. I want her to come home. I don't want any more of the 'behind my back' crap."

Cammy didn't want Savannah to get ahead of herself. They were a long way from any 'end' right now, at least Savannah was.

"She won't do anything stupid until we're out of here, or at least you are anyway." Cammy said. "I'm expendable to her. You're not."

Savannah felt a surge of fear. It's not what she wanted to hear on any level.

"How can you say such a thing?" Savannah asked.

Cammy wanted to make the reality of the situation clear.

"Savannah, I AM 'her'. YOU know it." Cammy said. "You know if it comes down to it you must choose her over me. I know you will. It's how it is supposed to be. It's what I want too. She is part of the 'Natural Order'. I'm not."

Savannah didn't want to think about the two 'females' she loved the most terminating. She was there to prevent it.

"Cammy, stop it." Savannah said. "Please…."

Savannah knew the possibility of any or all of them being terminated inside the Skynet facility was real. She knew if there was a Skynet mainframe there it would need to be knocked out along with the TDE. It was all of their duty, whatever the cost would be. They needed to protect the future by protecting the past.

She may not have come there to die, but it was always in the back of her mind. There was a war. People died in wars. It was how they were fought. Sometimes someone won, sometimes they lost. She planned to do whatever it took to have the winning hand. She would also sacrifice herself for Cameron and Cammy if she needed to. Love was stronger than death to her. All she needed to remember was sacrifice was the true test of love.

Cameron could tell Savannah was upset with her. It was probably going to cause a problem later on. There were certain things she needed to do. She needed to make sure certain things would be in play to make everything work the way she intended. She followed the sounds of activity. She made it inside the hangar deck.

She spotted a few Grays in the far corner. There was no one around her right now.

She moved to an HK drone which just returned. It hadn't even powered down yet. As it shut down, she disabled it. She removed the transponder and copied the code. She also obtained the code for opening and closing the hanger door. Both of those things changed everyday.

Cameron could tell there was still at least one HK drone out. She moved closer to the hangar door and got her communication device ready to transmit with a burst transmission. She entered all the information and times to be sent to Bob and Rob. They would make sure everything was programmed correctly. It would all be about timing now. She would need to find out what she needed and be ready when the 'package' arrived.

It still caused her to worry because she didn't know if her timing inside would all add up. Either way, she needed to make sure Savannah was out. It was Cammy's task.

Cammy was to find the TDE and send Savannah back home to where she belonged. Cameron told Cammy it's what she wanted. She thought back on the conversation. They were able to talk in another room off to the side as Savannah went through the lockers.

Cammy told her she didn't like what happened before when she held Savannah in the energy bubble.

Now Cameron wanted her to do it again. Savannah would really be upset at her now for sure. She wanted to make sure Cameron understood what was going to happen, regardless of what she planned.

"Savannah will not leave without you." Cammy said. "You need to understand this."

Cameron knew what she wanted for herself. She also knew what needed to be done to protect everyone as well as the future and the past. It was about more than her. Cammy was going to need to carry the ball for her.

"Then you better be a good actress." Cameron said. "You ARE me. Act like it when the time comes. You know I have to finish this, once and for all."

Cammy saw it as a double edged sword. She wanted to use Cameron's own words and reasoning against her. She at least wanted to open Cameron's eyes.

"I do." Cammy said. "I don't think you need to perish here to do it. I can do it for you. Whatever you can do, I can do too. I am YOU."

Cameron's mind returned to the current task. She was worried they were all going to die for each other at this point. She didn't want to start thinking about it. She disabled some more HK drones while she waited for the hangar door to open again. The HK drones would fly for a minute and then lose power. It was what she did before. She reinstalled the transponder in the HK drone she disabled and put it back online. She then sabotaged it as well. She wanted everything to look like it was in order in case anyone checked. A missing component would definitely raise eyebrows. If someone started to check, a more thorough check was sure to follow.

She could hear the high pitched sound of an HK drone as it approached. She readied her communication device. What she did next was about to start the ball rolling.

The hangar door opened and the last HK drone returned. Cameron sent out her communication and received an acknowledgement. She then went and sabotaged the last HK drone as well. There were a few other Grays working around the area. No one seemed to pay much attention to her. She didn't think they even looked in her direction. It was all routine to them and no one really cared anymore once it happened. She was sure most of the individuals involved preferred to stay in the background so they weren't given additional duties or assignments.

Cameron slipped out of the hangar area and went in search of the 'Clean Room'. Based on standard Skynet designs, she seemed to have a pretty good idea where to look. If it was like most of the other Skynet offshoots she faced, it would be down deep. Skynet liked old mines. Most of the excavation work was already done for it so it could be established quickly. It didn't take too much effort to fine tune things the way it wanted them, especially when Terminators were involved.

She was also aware Duplicate Cameron faced Skynet in the past the same way without a way out. She went in knowing it was a one way ticket. She was worried hers would be too. She was able to rescue Duplicate Cameron and leave her in River's future. The other Duplicate Cameron was with Future John.

It didn't matter. What needed to be done, needed to be done. Everything was set in motion. She made contingencies for everything. Both John and Future John would be covered. The one she would have trouble dealing with would be Savannah. It was because of her deep personal connection. It didn't matter in the end. She needed to uphold her end of the deal and do what needed to be done. Skynet needed to be terminated.

Savannah looked back where they left Cameron. None of it sat well with her. They also needed to help and do their part. She understood the need to find out as much as possible before they became targets.

"As soon as we find the TDE, I want to disable it." Savannah said. "We need to stop the time transfers. Every time it's used is something else we will need to deal with in the past, if we haven't already."

Cammy knew what Cameron wanted. It was their ticket home. It might be their only ticket home.

"We may need it to get - out." Cammy said.

Savannah already made her mind up. Her fate was in Cameron's hands. It was why she was there. Her future depended on Cameron.

"I think we both know Cameron isn't going - out." Savannah said. "I'm going to be at her side when she does what she has to. I don't want any interference this time either. I want to make it clear right now."

Cammy wanted Savannah back home and away from all of the danger.

"I can't allow it." Cammy said. "You know I can't."

Savannah felt a fire rage inside of her. It was a deep rooted anger she suppressed for the good of them all. It was right at the surface now. She looked at Cammy's face.

"You screwed me over once, Cammy." Savannah said. "It isn't going to happen a second time."

Savannah thought of the time Cammy physically held her in the energy bubble when Cameron stepped out of it and remained behind. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She was at the boiling point right now.

Cammy didn't say anything.

Savannah had enough. What SHE wanted mattered. She grabbed Cammy's collar and pulled her closer. Cammy was caught off guard by the violence from her.

"Did you hear me?" Savannah asked angrily.

Cammy became upset. It wasn't her fault. She loved Savannah.

"I did it because I love you, Savannah." Cammy said. "It wasn't to hurt you. It was to protect you. I didn't want Cameron to get you killed then. I don't want her to do it now either."

Savannah didn't like to be mean to Cammy, but she needed to make her point.

"OK, Cammy, I know how things work with Cameron." Savannah said. "I want to make it clear it's not going to happen again. It needs to be MY choice. I'm the one who's responsible for my decisions and actions. My choices don't belong to anyone else."

Cammy knew she was going to have to do it again to get Savannah out of there.

"Savannah, I don't know what's going to happen here for any of us." Cammy said. "We may all be terminated. It can all go wrong in an instant. We need to stop the enemy, even if the cost is prohibitive."

Savannah was aware of it. Not everything worked as it was intended. In fact, few things did. It often seemed if something could go wrong, it did.

"I hope not, Cammy, but if we're terminated, then we're terminated. I won't run, even if I can, if the job isn't done." Savannah said. "Without Cameron or you there's no point to living anyway. That's MY choice. You both need to respect it."

Savannah still looked Cammy in the eyes as she released her collar. She made her position clear.

Cammy looked at Savannah and knew she meant it. She scanned her as Savannah held her.

Savannah was willing to die for Cameron, or with Cameron….

Cammy felt a very disturbed feeling. She was sure it was exactly what was going to happen. Savannah didn't 'order' her. She could have, but she didn't. Savannah counted on their love to make her listen. It was a powerful motivation. She would rather terminate herself than destroy the love Savannah felt for her. She would need to betray Savannah's trust and love to save her. She doubted she could do it now. She needed to trade places with Cameron. The option was preferable to her at this point as she looked at Savannah. Death before dishonor was what she wanted now.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Temper

It never does any good
To say things that are rude
It just makes one
Seem uncouth and crude

Words spoken with malice
Are only going to hurt
One needs to think twice
Before such words they blurt

It seems some are happy
When they can be obnoxious
Those mean words fester
To the mind they're infectious

For those that take joy
By being vicious and cruel
They'd better take note
It might end in a duel

Think of others first
Words spoken in anger
Can brew fury and rage
Creating a bad temper

Nobody