Chapter 479

Temporal Territory

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Cameron's Future Timeline:

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Cameron wanted to find the 'clean room'. She wanted to locate Skynet. There was a wall between her and what she believed was her destination. She wanted to get behind the blind wall without smashing it open. She entered the ventilation system in the hope it would get her past the dead end. So far it looked like it would. She followed the ducting for a few hundred feet. Once she reached a junction, she went the direction she thought she wanted to go. At a joint she pushed on the ducting and it popped loose from itself. There was a metallic 'clang' sound but it wasn't loud. It still might attract some attention. There could be various sensors too. There could be sensors for movement or sound. Both were actually quite common.

She dropped down into the sealed off section of the tunnel. There was no light or any source of Illumination. She hoped to conduct a reconnaissance first to get a better idea of what she would actually face once the 'package' arrived. The 'package' was the warhead from a Nike missile. There was no sign of anyone or anything. She calculated her movements and the directions. She knew she needed to have precise information, but she really didn't think it was going to matter in the 'end'. She was pretty sure once the actual journey began, it would lead to the end. There would be no way out. There would be no return.

Cameron looked around her one more time and bent the ducting back to its original shape. She was concerned about her passage. She left her marks in the dust which seemed to build up, even with blowing air. If someone entered the duct they would be able to follow her. It was pretty tight so they would need to send a female Terminator. There could be other ways into the area as well. They could be hidden too. She might discover one or more of them when she looked around. They could offer her another way in or out if the opportunity arose.

She didn't know how anything would play out, but she was sure how it would end. It was her fate. It needed to end where it began. If she was Skynet, then it's exactly what would happen. She felt it was preordained.

Cameron moved back to where the blind wall was sealed. She could make her precise calculations from where she left off on the other side of the wall. She calculated its thickness as well. She didn't see any special reinforcement in the wall for when it would need to be breached. She didn't think the calculations were going to matter for her, but she needed them to get the 'package' in as close as she could so she wouldn't have to carry it as far on her own. It would slow her down and make her more vulnerable. The Nike W31 warhead was larger than one from an M-29 Davy Crockett weapon system. The latter W54 warhead was often used for the bases of a backpack nuke because of its compact size. The yield on the Nike W31 warhead was more powerful than the W54 warhead on the Davy Crockett or a backpack nuke.

First she needed to see where the tunnel went, and if she could find the 'clean room' along with Skynet. The power source was another objective. She wanted it destroyed as well. She didn't want some vestige of Skynet to live on indefinitely. It was her worry some group from the future would find its remains and reactivate it. It was always her worry they would worship it as some type of 'god'.

The tunnel was in total darkness. She used her night vision to navigate. She felt the TDE power up and spin down again. She hoped Cammy just sent Savannah away, but she doubted it. She continued down the tunnel. She started to detect a far off hum. It might be the power source she hoped to find. There were tunnels and shafts blocked off along her path. She didn't have time to open them up and explore where they went. She already put her time table into motion. She needed to work within the available time frame.

Cameron continued on her trek. The territory was unfamiliar as was the destination.

It was a journey into the unknown which would most likely end her existence.

As long as Savannah was able to escape, nothing else mattered.

Cameron knew she was long overdue for her date with destiny.

She glanced down at her hand. There was no glitch.

Cameron smiled. This was her fate. Destiny called to her.

Cammy approached the TDE control booth. She needed to pull off installing the encryption on the TDE, and hopefully into the Skynet computer itself. She switched to full infiltration mode. She was 'Allison' all the way right now. She undid two buttons on her shirt. A little cleavage, or a 'nip slip', wouldn't hurt. She kicked up the charm and smiled at the Gray as she walked in.

"Are you ready for a break?" Cammy asked.

The Gray noticed her as she approached. He thought she was beautiful. He was more surprised when she entered the control booth. He was tired and hungry. It was his second shift in a row. Things were hectic around the area. They were short on most of the technical personnel. Many of them were sent on temporal missions to establish versions of Skynet in the past. He hoped to be sent on one as well. Once he was in the past, he wasn't so sure he would continue to serve Skynet. There were a lot of other things he could do. He was worried Skynet might send a Terminator after him. There was a more pleasant situation now. He looked at the beautiful newcomer a little more closely.

"Thanks, I'm ready. It's about time. These Metal Bastards just don't get it, even after all these years." The Gray said as he checked her out. "I don't think I've seen you before. Are you new?"

He hoped she was transferred to his section. If she was, he knew he'd be in her pants within a week's time tops. Most of the females were willing to 'accommodate' a new 'friend' for a few extra credits. He could do without a few rations for some sack time with her. If she proved to be cooperative, he would be able to assist her with her Duty assignments. He would make sure they both were off on the same days at the same time.

Cammy noticed the way he looked at her. She didn't care for it. She wasn't there to make friends. She was there to lure the 'mark' where she wanted him. She decided to play it up a little. She poured on the charm.

"I arrived with the last shipment of 'Metal Bitches'. I still need to learn my way around here. Not all of my credits transferred over either. It's a hassle to get it straightened out." Cammy said. "I don't see how 'Metal Bitches' can pass for real females for very long. They all look so mechanical and blank faced to me. It seems like a classic example of 'the lights are on, but no one's at home'."

The Gray nodded his head and laughed slightly. He thought it was an accurate description. Half the time when he was with a 'Metal Whore', he would tell her to lie there with a smile on her face and her eyes closed, unless she was on top. He would still request a smile. A smile went a long way with him. It was much better than the crying and whimpering of the Resistance sluts who were rounded up for work camp duty. He tried to explain to them it was only going to get worse once they were moved into the work camp. They all needed to find out the hard way.

Cammy gave the Gray another smile as she brushed her hair past her ear. She tried to cover her face earlier with her hair. She watched the Gray's eyes follow her hand. She lowered her hand down past her exposed cleavage. The Gray's eyes lingered there. He lightly moistened his lips. She was fairly certain what was on his mind. It was reflected by the bulge in the front of his pants.

The Gray thought he could take advantage of the 'credit' issue. He would save the hook for later on. He was sure he would be able to 'plow' her within a day or two. He needed to play it cool. He wasn't sure when the last batch of 'Metal Bitches' arrived. It was possible one of the supervisors may have already claimed dibs on her. He thought about her description of a female Terminator.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." The Grey said. "One could never fool me. I really don't see how Skynet thinks it can get away with using them for very long. I heard all of the ones they tried to infiltrate the Resistance with were captured almost immediately, and turned into 'Metal Whores'. I wonder if they still have any of them."

The Gray thought if they did, they must be well used.

Cammy actually wanted to know something from a male point of view. It seemed like a good time to ask it and keep the Gray distracted. The more his mind was in a bed, the less he would think about what was happening where he was at.

"The ones I came in with were all 'Metal Whores' before. From a male's point of view, how do they do as 'Metal Whores'?" Cammy asked. "You know, does it feel the same? I don't think it could feel the same as a human female. Maybe they all feel the same as each other since everything is synthetic."

The Gray was surprised she asked, but some of the other female Grays asked him before too. They all wondered too how they compared. They all saw male and female Terminators naked before. They looked just like real people. He didn't think it was a big deal.

"I've tried more than a few." The Gray said. "You can't tell the difference when they're running their programming. The oral interaction and the interior feel is the same. They never need to slow down and they do anything you ask for. It's very pleasurable. You don't get the same feedback as with a real female, but there's a lot less drama and no complaints. They never get tired either so they can do the same thing for hours on end."

Cammy wanted to keep him off guard and not have him start to ask her any questions.

"I tried a few of them myself." Cammy said. "I was actually with all of the ones I arrived with once we got here. They didn't have anything to do so I tried it with each one of them. Some were better than the others, but they all delivered. It was really wild for the multiple finishes. Like you said they can do the same task for hours on end. It's really out of this world. They all gave me a guaranteed finish. I can say most men don't. I'd like to be with them again if they haven't left yet. I asked them to be with each other as I watched. It was HOT. They really went wild on each other. It looks like they can 'make it' too. It seemed more than just a simulated response. I think the longer they're activated, the more like human females they become. They still have a long way to go to catch up though."

The Gray's eyes were as wide as saucers. His mouth hung open slightly as he listened to Cammy. He needed to adjust his pants a little.

"Really?" The Gray asked. "You were with them and they were with each other?"

Now he was clearly interested.

Cammy could see he was totally distracted. She could easily terminate him at any point. She didn't think she would need to. She hoped to plant the encryption and slip away. It would leave him holding the bag and trying to explain what happened.

"Yup." Cammy said. "I've experienced better females because of the emotional feedback. They don't always get me off though. The 'Metal Bitches' all were able to deliver for me. I'm glad I tried them. The men around here all 'finish' too early for me to get to where I need to go. I need someone who can last longer than two minutes."

The Gray seemed spellbound at this point.

"You can take it easy for a while now. I'll take over here." Cammy said. "You might want to take a crack at one of the 'Metal Bitches' before they're all gone. I just did. I haven't made it this many times since I was in the female barracks. Every night there was a free for all. Sometimes we would make sure it was completely dark and just go for it. We tried to see if we could tell who is who by the way they finished."

The Gray could hardly believe all this. He thought he should get to know this cute girl a little better. She seemed Hot and willing. She looked like she knew how to use her assets. Right now he wanted to try the 'Metal Whores' out if he could. He knew there weren't many of them left. He really wanted to see two of them together. He hadn't seen it since they made some female Resistance prisoners do it. They told them they wouldn't have to 'put out' as long as they were with each other. They did it for two days straight until they were too tired to continue. It was even better because they didn't even need to tie them down at that point. They were completely exhausted and didn't put up much of a struggle and all. Both shifts of Grays took each of them a half dozen times over the next two days. They were asleep half of the time by the third day. It was some smooth sailing.

He looked at Cammy again and adjusted his pants. He was clearly ready for some action. He didn't think he'd need to rely on the chubby slut from supply as much to provide him with sexual favors. He was pretty sure he was going to have a lot better going forward.

"Thanks." The Gray said and left.

He planned to watch two "Metal Whores' together and then 'do' both of them. He'd look the new chick up afterwards. It would give him a better comparison of everything. Once he was finished, he might be able to give her an updated answer to her earlier question.

The TDE powered up again on its own and the 'Isabel Models' were gone.

Cammy looked to make sure the Gray was out of the area. She saw him adjust himself again as he went around the corner. She really wondered what he was going to do with the next 'Metal Bitch' he encountered. She would most likely be offended if he began to touch her. Unless she was actually programmed to be a 'Metal Whore' she wasn't going to respond in a positive manner.

She looked over the controls and started typing some information. She set her mind to replay as 'Duplicate Cameron' at the time she set the original encryption. It was the same information Duplicate Cameron used on the 'Day of Loss'. In seconds she was typing away with no recollection of what she was doing. She was able to pass along the encryption. The Skynet TDE was now useless into the past.

The next group waited on the TDE pad. There were three naked females. She never saw any Terminators like them in the past. Nothing happened. They began to look around. She saw all the lights begin to light up on the control panel. She figured now was a good time to get out of there and return to Savannah. Her work was completed. She didn't think Skynet would be able to break the encryption anytime soon, if at all.

Cammy left and hoped she didn't see the Gray she 'relieved' and went to get Savannah. She reached the location where she left her and told her to wait. She didn't see Savannah as she looked around.

Savannah was gone….

It wasn't a good development.

Savannah was in the access crawl way. It was used for maintenance. She followed the heavy power cables. They were hot before, but now they seemed to be even hotter. She needed to use the light Cammy gave to her earlier to see. The shaft she was in continued to get smaller. She was afraid she would trip or hit her head on the rocks. She didn't want to split her head open or knock herself out.

She continued along and soon arrived at a bigger junction with some cables which split off in different directions. The cable she followed was even bigger now than it was before the other cables branched off of it. The space to move next to them was much smaller as well. It also felt even hotter.

Savannah heard the TDE run once more after she entered the maintenance shaft, but nothing since. She thought it meant the 'Isabel Model' Terminators were sent off into the past. If they were the same ones, the timeline should remain unchanged. Cammy may have pulled it off and encrypted the TDE. She wondered if the encryption was responsible for the extra heat being generated from the electrical cables. Skynet could blast all the power it wanted through them. The program wouldn't work, no matter what.

Cameron brought two Thermite grenades and two plasma grenades with her. She kept one of each and gave Savannah and Cammy each one.

Savannah carried a Thermite grenade. She was going to use it on the group of cables if nothing else. She hoped to follow it to the power source and use it on it. She wasn't exactly sure what the power source would be or how it would actually work. She did think a Thermite grenade would severely damage it, if not cause it to destroy itself. The lack of power would put a dent in all the activity around there. She also needed to consider what the side effects of the power source being destroyed would do to her if she was anywhere around it when it occurred.

She didn't have any idea where she was at. She only knew she was headed to what she hoped was the power source. It was possible Skynet was there as well. Time would tell. She wasn't sure what Cammy's current situation was. She hadn't heard any shooting previously. She didn't know if she would still be able to where she was currently at.

Savannah continued down the shaft. The heat continued to build. She really wished she still had her canteen of water. She needed a drink really bad right now. She was glad she took a few sips out of it before she put it down in the corner for Cammy to find.

It sure was hot.

Cameron continued in the darkness. She hadn't heard the TDE in awhile. Cammy and Savannah must have knocked it out. She hadn't heard any explosions, or felt any, so Cammy might have been able to use the encryption from River on it. She thought it would really tie up Skynet as it tried to figure out what it was and where it came from. She didn't think Skynet could break the encryption. Maybe when she faced it, right before the warhead detonated, she would tell Skynet it was created by a human female. She didn't think she would mention the human female was from a further future.

She could see something different ahead of her.

She stopped.

There was an open shaft in front of her. It appeared to go straight down. There was a crude elevator system set up. It was much like one she saw used before in a Skynet facility. There was a control panel, but it no longer looked operable. The dust build up on it appeared to have taken years. The hum and vibration Cameron felt earlier was more pronounced now. She was sure she was one step closer to what she sought, Skynet - maybe herself….

Cameron could see there was only one way down. It would be on the cable which lifted the elevator cart or bucket it was hooked to at the bottom. She knew she needed to move as silently as possible. She reached into the darkness of the opening and grabbed the cable and started down, hand over hand. She kept track of the time and her movements. She calculated the depth and position. She knew she needed the information, but she didn't think it would matter in the end. Either way she needed to collect it.

She continued the journey down into the unknown. She knew if she brought the 'package' down there, it would have to be on her back. It would only be the warhead itself. The fragmentation package was removed from it prior to her acquisition of them. It would still be a hefty load.

It was just as well. She hoped she could detonate it from the position strapped to her back. She thought it should bother her but it didn't. She continued to keep careful and precise calculations of her position as she continued down the 'rabbit hole'.

Cammy was instantly worried. She looked around further. Savannah was missing. She didn't know if somebody took her away or not. The only weapon Savannah carried was a Thermite grenade. She was sure Savannah would have used it before she allowed herself to be taken into custody.

There was some commotion going on in the TDE area. Cammy took a quick peek around the corner and saw a Terminator grab the Gray she 'relieved' earlier. He was now being held up off the ground by his neck. His feet kicked back and forth as both his hands were on the Terminator's hand around his neck. It didn't look like it was going to end well for him. She needed to get out of sight in case he gave a description of her. She knew it wouldn't initially match any of the females around the area, unless someone else got a good look at her. She tried to make sure her hair covered as much of her face as possible when she made her move earlier.

Cammy went back to where Savannah should have been. She looked around and found the canteen. It was sitting upright so it didn't look like it was dropped. She saw the access panel and moved quickly to it. She saw one strand of Savannah's hair sticking out. There was a small knot tied into it to show it hadn't fallen out but been left there. It was a signal Savannah was inside of it. Cammy wondered if Savannah needed to go in there to hide, or if she'd found something. It didn't really matter. Either way it appeared to be where she went.

The noise from the TDE area got worse. There were commands and orders being given. There was a call for a maintenance crew. She decided she better get out of sight as well. She grabbed the canteen and opened the access panel and quickly disappeared inside. She took the hair with her. She didn't know where the access tunnel would lead. She did know she didn't want anyone to follow them.

Cammy looked at the power cable and decided to use her plasma grenade to booby trap the power cable to the TDE. It should also prevent anyone from following her. She wedged it between the wall and the cable and loosened the pin so it could come out easier. She ripped a section of cloth out of the shirt she wore and rigged it as a 'trip wire'. Whoever opened the panel was going to blow the whole power supply to the TDE. It was going to do a number on them too. It wouldn't be visible from the outside, but if Savannah came back this way and she missed her somehow, she would see it was there. She noted there was quite a bit of heat within the confines of the access tunnel. She hoped when the plasma grenade exploded, their initial assessment would be the electrical system overloaded. She hoped they didn't realize it was an 'attack' from a booby trap.

She started down the shaft and followed the cable. She could see Savannah's footprints in the layers of thick dust. She thought it was good thinking on Savannah's part to try to find the power source and destroy it. She wondered how Savannah thought she was going to get out after she did it. The power source was bound to be something massive and incredibly dangerous. There was a possibility Skynet would be located nearby.

A new fear gripped her. She knew Savannah didn't plan on coming out if she could destroy Skynet. She knew Savannah would choose termination to save Cameron.

Savannah was willing to forfeit her own life to save Cameron. She knew she couldn't allow it to happen. Savannah was a very determined individual. She needed to hurry.

Cammy picked up her pace as the shaft turned into total darkness. She loved Savannah even more. She knew Savannah was very focused. She was aware Savannah carried a Thermite grenade. She was sure Savannah would never be able to get away from the resulting explosion of the power source. She didn't have any doubt Savannah would detonate the grenade anyway. It would stop Skynet. It would save Cameron.

Savannah truly was the 'Chosen One'….

Cammy hurried through the darkness. The heat was very intense. She touched the canteen she held and knew Savannah would need the water to cool herself down. It was a race against the clock now.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Territory

What does one ever really possess
It is more of a state of mind
A person thinks they can see
They don't know they're really blind

When one terminates
Nothing else goes through
It's the end of the line
For everything they think and do

Something always means more
When it is earned
It is especially so
For something that was yearned

When a specific love is lost
Can it ever again be found
The rift will always exist
Like a ship run aground

Don't bother looking for glory
It's always the same old story
Everything in life is transitory
Love is only temporary territory

Nobody