Chapter 484

Temporal Transfer

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Cameron's Future Timeline:

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Earlier:

Cammy rebooted. The ground still moved underneath her. It was an 'earthquake' at this point. The mountain was 'gone'. There was no fireball or mushroom cloud. There was only a massive dust cloud in the air.

She looked for the HK drones which were about to attack her earlier. All there was were a group of smoking holes in the ground and burning wreckage scattered about the area. The smoking debris was all around her. It looked like it was a little closer than she thought it would be. She made the right choice. They didn't. Cameron was right on schedule.

The EMP, or the massive shock wave, must have knocked them down. The entire mountain collapsed in on itself. A huge dust cloud drifted over the area. The explosion was contained deep within the earth. It caused the mountain to collapse and an 'earthquake' to follow.

The ground finally stopped moving.

Cammy checked her HK drone. It appeared operational and was able to restart. It seemed OK. She climbed on board and took off. Her left hand glitched wildly. She couldn't stop it. Cameron and Savannah were both terminated right now. Unless she held up her end of the deal, they would stay that way. She needed to get back to Cameron's base.

She took one further look around again to make sure there were no other HK drones in the air. There weren't, at least not yet anyway. There could be other outposts like the one where the HK drones which intercepted her came from. She needed to get away from the area.

She took one last look back at where she left Savannah only a few minutes ago. There was nothing left there but dust. It was all on her now.

Cameron notified her where the listening posts were for the Connor Compound. She decided she should try to avoid them. The fact she was wearing a Skynet uniform would only make her a bigger target as she approached the location unannounced.

An alert came into the Connor Compound at the Resistance Base.

There were several LPs which reported seeing the same thing.

"We have an HK drone coming in low and fast." An aide said.

Duplicate Cameron stepped forward. It may be good news. She knew Cameron was hard to keep down. It may be something else too.

"Let it pass all checkpoints. Do not engage it." Duplicate Cameron said. "It may be Cameron. Let's keep track of it and plot its course. I think it will be headed back here."

Future John lifted his head and looked at Duplicate Cameron. He resigned himself to the fact she too would be gone soon to go to his younger self in the past as 'Cameron Prime'. Cameron made him aware of what would happen and a clone would be sent for his 'needs'. He tried to tell himself it was all the same program. Somehow it didn't seem to do much good.

He needed to take a moment to think about things. He didn't want to get his hopes up for several reasons. He didn't want to hope Cameron made it, and it not be her. He didn't want to hope 'His Cameron' wouldn't leave him and be replaced by a clone. He wanted to know a little bit more. He didn't think a single HK drone could possess too much of a threat.

Wait.

Maybe one drone was a bigger threat than a fleet of them. All the evidence indicated Cameron just used a nuclear device to take down Skynet. What if there was one affixed to the HK drone approaching? It could take out the entire compound and wipe all of them out in an instant. His first thought was to raise the alarm and have everyone take shelter. Those who made it to the bunkers would most likely survive the initial blast. They would probably be flooded with radiation and end up dying a slower death than those who were vaporized or incinerated at the time of the blast.

Future John shook his head to clear it. He was getting ahead of himself. What if it was Cameron? It seemed if anyone could escape the jaws of death, it was her. It wouldn't be the first time she pulled off the impossible. He needed to know more.

"How's it possible?" Future John asked. "I thought she was terminated."

Duplicate Cameron knew Cameron was often able to make things happen which were impossible. Savannah always said she, well Cameron, was invincible and eternal.

"I don't know." Duplicate Cameron said. "Cameron is very resourceful. We need to let it play out and see what develops. The action she takes might indicate who it is."

Future John wanted more information. They needed to track things to make sure she made it. It seemed like he was always the last to know.

"Where's it at now?" Future John asked. "We need to assist her."

Duplicate Cameron turned her head slightly. Somehow the HK drone was already about to arrive. It'd slipped through all of their defenses and was already at the compound perimeter. It seemed like something Cameron would do.

"It's almost here." Duplicate Cameron said. "I can hear it."

Duplicate Cameron was a little upset the HK drone was able to get so close to their base before being detected. They would have to beef up the LP system, the listening posts. They should have been able to detect it sooner. Maybe this really was Cameron and she avoided them so she wasn't shot at. She would have known where they all were at. It made her wonder why she wouldn't try to contact anyone before she arrived so she wasn't shot at.

The HK drone screamed over the camp. It smoked violently. It made no effort to slow and passed over everything. It headed out towards the old bunkers…. Something wasn't right.

They all rushed outside to see what happened.

Future John looked in the direction the smoking HK drone went. He hadn't been able to tell much in the brief amount of time he saw it. It should have slowed and landed. He wondered if there was a problem. It did smoke rather profusely.

"What the Hell?" Future John asked. "Was it Cameron? Where is she headed? What was wrong with the drone?"

He was a little worried the HK drone might have suffered some type of damage and was about to explode. It would explain why it wasn't landed in the middle of the compound.

Duplicate Cameron got a good look at the drone rider. It may have been Cameron or one of her clones from the past. She looked like she was having a bad hair day. She didn't know if it was intentional or a result of her means of transportation. She may have tried to mask her identity from her specifically. She really wondered about one of Cameron's clones. It didn't make any sense either. Why would one of them be here? When did they get here? What was really going on?

She knew about Cam, Cammy, Camille, and Ally. Wait. Cammy was just here in Ginger's chassis. She was here with Savannah. A new fear gripped her. She didn't want to tell anyone until she knew more. There was a good chance Savannah returned with her cyborg lover to get Cameron and 'save' her. There was only one person on the HK drone and they were after something specific.

She thought about it a little more. There was only one person who could stop Cameron. It was Savannah. It would make sense if it was Cammy who was on the drone. It would also seem to indicate Savannah and Cameron didn't make it. Somehow the prospect of Cameron being terminated just got worse if Savannah was as well.

"I saw her. It was Cameron, at least 'a Cameron'." Duplicate Cameron said. "It looked like her anyway."

Future John heard what 'his Cameron' just said. It didn't make any sense to him. If it wasn't Cameron, why would it be one of her clones? Why would they show up right now after Skynet was taken down? He was sure there was more going on than he knew about. It was nothing new. He was sure he would be the last one to know whatever it was.

Duplicate Cameron was already out the door and off toward where the HK drone was headed. She increased her speed to maximum. She knew she needed to reach the area the HK drone was going. More files began to unlock as she ran. Things seemed to go from bad to worse in the last few seconds. This new turn of events only spelled additional problems. The new problems were very close to her.

Earlier:

Cammy left the destroyed mountain behind her. She needed to get back to the Connor Compound. She needed to return to Cameron's base. She experienced a hard time to function. She was overwhelmed by grief. Suddenly something popped up on her HUD.

It was even worse.

Now, she faced a new problem. The TDE would need to wait a little longer. It wasn't what she wanted. There was a much more pressing matter which would need to be dealt with first.

How was the new problem possible? How was it even known?

The latest issue caused the glitch to stop and the grief to be suppressed. She was now on a rescue mission. It was a different rescue mission than she planned to carry out. If she didn't make it in time, she would need to use the TDE even more. The latest problem was NOT going to happen. Her HUD kept flashing new information. She pushed the HK drone for everything it could deliver. It overheated as she flew. Smoke began to pour from the power plants. The HK drone was well past its redline. It was an HK drone which contained Cameron's programming. It was how she was able to push it beyond the breaking point.

Cameron told her earlier when the time came, she would need to be a good actress. She thought it referred to Savannah. NOW it needed to be for someone else. Future Allison NEEDED 'Cameron' right NOW.

Cammy set the HK drone down in an open area outside of the bunkers. She sprinted through the trees toward the old bunkers. Every second counted.

She slammed the bunker door open. Future Allison stood there with her Model 66 pressed to the side of her skull with her finger on the trigger. The hammer was back. She was about to shoot herself in the head. She could see Future Allison start to pull the trigger.

"I love you, Allison." Cammy said.

She pushed the gun up above Future Allison's head as it fired. The report was deafening in the enclosed space.

Future Allison stared in disbelief. It was impossible. She felt the 'earthquake' earlier. She could see it wasn't Her Cameron. She left her with Her John. 'Cameron' wore a Skynet uniform for some reason. It was probably part of her mission. She actually looked a little worse for the wear.

"Cameron?" Future Allison asked. "I thought you were - dead."

Cammy knew she was on thin ice right now. She needed to save more than one life and not overplay her hand. She chose her words carefully.

"You needed me now so I came for you, Allison." Cammy said.

Future Allison made sure she wasn't followed. She didn't want anyone to stop her.

"Nobody - knew I was here." Future Allison said. "How did you find me?"

Cammy didn't have time to explain. She was a clone of Cameron. She felt everything Cameron did. She was what Cameron was too.

"Nobody - DID know you were here, Allison." Cammy said. "I am - Nobody."

Nobody did hear the shot….

Duplicate Cameron was at the HK drone in less than a minute. She heard a shot fired. She immediately entered into a combat readiness mode. A lot of things didn't add up all of a sudden.

She continued toward the bunker. She slowed and listened. She heard 'Cameron' talking with Future Allison.

Cammy heard Duplicate Cameron approach the bunker. She needed to deal with the 'new issue'.

"Wait here, Allison." Cammy said.

Future Allison's ears rang still. The shot was very loud so close to her head. She was a millisecond away from death and 'Cameron' just saved her life, again. She looked at the revolver she still held in her hand. She wondered why it wasn't taken from her.

"Aren't you going to take my Model 66 away from me?" Future Allison asked.

Cammy knew what to say. It was already in her mind and she hadn't even thought of it. It was like the other information which appeared on its own. She wanted to show future Allison what she thought. 'Cameron' believed in her.

"No. I don't need to, because you're NEVER going to do it again." Cammy said. "ARE YOU?"

Future Allison realized how close she was to throwing everything away for nothing. She remembered what Cameron said before. Cameron always told her there was something worse than nothing. It was less than nothing. It was the door she just knocked on. It wasn't the door she wanted to open. She wasn't even sure what went wrong.

"No. I won't. I promise." Future Allison said. "I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking…."

Cammy didn't want this to be an issue going forward for Future Allison. It could fester and the stigma could follow her. It would haunt her.

"Allison, I need you to wait here for a few minutes. I have to go on an emergency temporal mission. 'Your Cameron' will be here for you. Hide your revolver and she'll never know." Cammy said. "Nobody - will know."

Future Allison quickly put the Model 66 away.

"I'm sorry." Future Allison said.

Cammy moved up and gave Future Allison a kiss.

"Nobody - will know about it. It'll be our secret." Cammy said. "I love you, Allison."

Cammy headed out the bunker door.

Duplicate Cameron stood back and waited. She heard everything and understood 'Cameron' knew she heard everything. What was said was as much for her benefit as it was for Future Allison's benefit.

"Cameron?" Duplicate Cameron asked as she looked a little further. "No. You're not Cameron. You're someone else. I haven't seen you before. Not in this future."

Duplicate Cameron was a little alarmed now. The Skynet uniform Cammy wore didn't help any.

Cammy noticed and didn't want any problems. She wanted to clear things up and go on her temporal mission. She needed to return to Cameron's base in the past.

"Relax, you have. I'm Cammy. You last saw me in Ginger's chassis. I am 'Cameron'. I'm 'Savannah's Cameron' - Cammy. Did you hear everything?"

There was a lot going on Duplicate Cameron didn't understand.

"Yes." Duplicate Cameron said. "I'll comfort her. I won't tell her you weren't - Cameron."

Cammy didn't think it mattered. It was more a matter of perception.

"Thanks, Cameron. I really am 'a Cameron'." Cammy said. "I need to use the TDE."

Cammy hopped back on the HK drone.

Duplicate Cameron was a little confused as to what was going on. It seemed there were a lot more questions than there were answers. The most important question needed an answer.

"Where is Cameron?" Duplicate Cameron asked.

Cammy looked at Duplicate Cameron. She could feel her grief start to creep back in.

"She's in the bottom of a mine like 'Big John', along with Savannah - MY Savannah." Cammy said. "They're both deep inside the mountain."

Duplicate Cameron heard the reports.

"The mountain is - gone." Duplicate Cameron said.

Cammy looked irritated. It was something she needed to try to fix.

"Don't you think I know that?" Cammy asked. "I need to go."

Duplicate Cameron quickly stripped off her top. She didn't want anyone to get an itchy trigger finger when Cammy arrived at her next destination.

"Wear this." Duplicate Cameron said. "It will make fewer people nervous."

Cammy pulled the Skynet top off and put the other top on.

"Thanks." Cammy said.

Duplicate Cameron wanted to know one thing before Cammy left.

"How did you know to come here right now at this time?" Duplicate Cameron asked.

Cammy didn't have a good answer.

"I just did." Cammy said. "It appeared on my HUD. I didn't think I was going to make it. I've ruined the power plants on the HK drone to make it here. I need you to have it repaired for me. I need to go."

She powered up the HK drone. It still smoked and she took off. She headed straight for the Resistance TDE. She landed the HK drone outside and thanked the modified HK drone for putting up with her abuse and holding together. She apologized for the damage she did to it. She let it know it would be repaired.

Cammy rushed inside and told the 'bubble tech' she needed a temporal mission. She was glad she switched tops. She was sure she would have been hassled if she wouldn't have already switched.

The bubble tech didn't look too concerned or in a hurry. Everything needed to happen through channels and procedure.

"I'll have to clear it first." The bubble tech said. "There has to be approval, the system needs to be set and power allocated…."

Cammy's eyes glowed red. She grabbed the 'bubble tech' by the shirt collar.

"Do you know who I am?" Cammy asked. "The mission is a matter of life and death."

The 'bubble tech' thought it was the General's - 'Personal Terminator'. NOW he knew it was 'Cameron', the real one. The one who led the defeat of Skynet almost single handed. He didn't even know about the latest victory.

"I'm sorry." The tech said. "I wasn't thinking."

Cammy flashed her smile. All pretense of a threat was gone. Anyone who saw her smile knew how beautiful it was. It was captivating.

"It's OK, soldier. I have a situation I need to attend to. It's an emergency." Cammy said. "I apologize to you. I'm sorry."

The bubble tech began to power up the TDE. It would draw energy away from the rest of the Resistance areas for a short time. She said it was a matter of life and death. By her response to him, he believed it.

"I understand." He said. "Give me the data for the mission."

Cammy began to remove her clothing. She figured it would make the bubble tech more compliant and not ask any more questions. The tech loaded in the information she gave him. She asked him to read it back and repeated it again.

He couldn't help but look at her figure. It was perfect. He never saw a more beautiful female. Her body was flawless. It was hard to believe she was a machine.

Cammy could see he was busy thinking about her and what he'd like to 'do' to her. She didn't want to be rude, but she did want to point out the reality of the situation.

"Lives are at stake. It's a matter of life and death." Cammy said. "Do it."

The bubble tech didn't want to cause any more waves.

"Yes, ma'am." He said.

The arcing and flashing started.

The energy bubble formed around Cammy. She disappeared.

The arcing and flashing ended.

Cammy was gone.

The bubble tech walked over and picked up her clothes. He looked at them and then adjusted his pants. She was the Hottest female he ever saw. He knew what he would think about tonight in his bunk….

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Cameron's Base - Current Timeline:

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The arcing and flashing started.

The energy bubble appeared and Cammy was in it.

The arcing and flashing ended.

Cammy stood and looked around.

Sheila and Ally burst into the room, John and Ginger were right behind them. Ginger carried a weapon. She wasn't sure what was happening. She knew it was her duty to be ready. She needed to remember things were a little less tense in the past. In the future there was no way to know when a new threat would arise.

John's eyes were as wide as saucers. He couldn't believe she was back and in one piece. He knew who it was when he saw her.

"Cameron!" John said.

He ran up to her and gave her a kiss.

Ally looked at Sheila and then back at John.

"Do I get one too?" Ally asked.

John was a little confused. He was surprised she made such a comment in front of Cameron. He was sure it was going to cause a negative reaction. It didn't seem to.

"Why?" John asked.

He was happy Cameron was back. He didn't see any need to cause trouble.

Ally wanted to make a point.

"I also look like Cameron." Ally said.

Sheila decided to play it up. She looked at Cammy and then at John.

"It's Cammy, love." Sheila said. "I'll take a kiss too while you're at it, or do you want me to take my clothes off first like Cammy did?"

John looked befuddled. It looked like Cameron to him. There was no way to tell them apart.

"Cammy?" John asked.

Cammy was afraid she was going to 'have' to be 'Cameron' if she didn't get Cameron and Savannah back. She wanted John away from there. Savannah or Cameron could be injured. There'd been a lot of Skynet opposition when she left. She was almost hit with a plasma around when she exited the hangar deck. Three drones followed her from the Skynet base. they all crashed. Twenty drones were about to use her for target practice when she landed. It just showed a lot could happen in a very short time. Any one of the encounters could have terminated her. She didn't want to make an issue about anything right now.

"It's a long story." Cammy said. "John, I need to ask you to leave for a while. I'm going to bring the girls back soon. You've already seen enough of Savannah naked, well, until you're ready for her. She's a lot more woman than you think. She may not have her cherry, but she still has the box it came in, and she is still a virgin, well, at least with a male."

John didn't want to have the conversation right now, especially in front of a bunch of female Terminators. They would all 'gang up' on him. They didn't seem to have any qualms about ribbing him when they could. He knew they wouldn't do it in front of Cameron if she were there. It looked to him like the best course of action was to leave the TDE room.

"Let's not start this again." John said. "I'll wait down the hall."

As soon as he was gone, Cammy spilled the beans. She laid out the whole story. It wasn't a good story. It was a story of doom. She was very upset and needed to keep it together as she explained everything.

"Cameron did it again and Savannah was with her - I hope." Cammy said. "All I know is the nuke went off. There was a massive earthquake. Somehow it was bigger than it should have been for the nuclear device she used."

Sheila needed to think about what Cammy just said.

"You hope Savannah was with Cameron when she blew herself up in a nuclear explosion?" Sheila asked. "You two must have kinky sex. Let me know when you want to make it a threesome."

Cammy knew Sheila was trying to change the somber tone. She just wasn't in the mood for it. She needed to get Cameron and Savannah back.

"Shut up. An entire mountain was destroyed." Cammy snapped. "They might both be terminated. They both ARE terminated right now if I can't get them out, then they will be dead. I need to get them out before it happens."

Sheila could see Cammy was on the verge of a shut down. She was so upset and animated. It wasn't her intent to be rude or hurt Cammy.

"I'm sorry, love." Sheila said. "I was just trying to lighten the mood."

Cammy gave Sheila the information and asked her to read it back and she repeated it again.

"Do it." Cammy said as they all watched. "The energy bubble should arrive in the bunker with Cameron, Savannah and Skynet. They should step into the energy bubble and return with it when it is recalled. The bomb will go off in a very short time."

The arcing and flashing started.

The energy bubble formed and disappeared.

The arcing and flashing ended.

They waited as Sheila worked the controls again.

The arcing and flashing started.

The energy bubble reappeared. It was empty.

The arcing and flashing ended.

"NO!" Cammy said. "NOOOOOOO!"

The TDE pad was empty.

The only logical conclusion was Cameron and Savannah were terminated. They should both have returned in the energy bubble. It was the time and location calculation Cameron provided her with. There was no other plan or backup. That was it. It was a one shot deal and no one returned.

Cammy burst into tears.

Sheila re-checked all the information. Everything was exactly what Cammy told her to use. The problem wasn't on their end.

Ginger and Ally tried to console Cammy. They were all pretty torn up now as well.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Transfer

Events in life are confusing
They often will dull and blur
It seems to be universal
On which everyone can concur

It is easy to become angry
Then issue an insult or slur
The words can sting like a thorn
Or a jab from a sharp spur

Kind words can make one happy
It will make them playful and purr
It's a surer way to a heart
That's something everyone can infer

Of life's many choices
There's always something one will prefer
The only trouble with that
Is there is always a saboteur

One needs to think before they stir
Or they look like a petty amateur
Many things can still occur
As one's feeling transfer

Nobody