Chapter 526

Unplugged

John Henry was back up to speed and regained his confidence. John worked with him. Things seemed back to normal. They would direct a strike at the location he uncovered.

Cam backed him up. It was her goal to say nothing and remain in the background. In fact, she moved into the shadows to be physically out of sight. She told him she was going to watch over him for a little while, just in case. It was more for John Henry's benefit than anything which actually needed to be done. She was more than confident he was back up to speed and his old self.

Bob and Jim both disconnected previously and went about their duties. They both stayed close by and checked on John periodically. They didn't think there would be a problem. The issues was past. It was done and over with.

John Henry was pleased at the confidence they showed in him. He was still uncertain why he experienced the episode and Cameron did as well. It made no sense to him. Was he 'infected' with something Cameron passed along? Was it really a Skynet ploy to infiltrate their operation and systems? If it was, Skynet could take control of the world in the blink of an eye. He knew he needed to pay attention to what was real. He thought he experienced an anxiety attack of some kind by worrying about 'what if'. He needed to stick with the facts.

There would always be a 'what if' to everything. There could be a variable which arose anytime, anywhere, or any when. There was always something which could go wrong, even with the best plan. In Cameron's case it seemed her best method of operation for a plan, was no plan. She moved right in and did the heavy lifting herself. There was also a price that came with such bold action at times.

John Henry was aware Cam backed him up and he was grateful she moved into the shadows and didn't actually look over his shoulder. She spoke to him only once when John left to attend to personal matters.

John was worried about Cameron and John Henry. John Henry seemed to be back to normal. It was a good thing. He thought he would go check on Cameron real quick.

Since things settled down, he was going to head to his room first and get cleaned up a little. He was aware he wanted to look nice for Savannah. He didn't always shave or have his hair as groomed as it could be. Maybe he would change clothes too.

Wait. What was he doing? He was worried about Cameron and wanted to make himself look nice for Savannah. He was aware Savannah always looked beautiful, even if she wasn't always Tight. She looked Tight often enough, especially when Cameron took her places.

He didn't need to impress Savannah or Cameron. They both loved him for who he was, just like he loved them for who they were. Still, he wanted to make himself more presentable. He knew if he did, everyone was going to notice. How could he explain it if anyone questioned him? He wouldn't be able to. What if Cameron was back online? What would he tell her if she questioned him? He just straightened up his hair as best as he could as he walked along. Who is he fooling? He was who he was.

John decided to continue on to the lab instead. There was no need to draw any attention to himself. Cameron was the real issue and should remain so. It was clear there was going to be a 'Cameron', and it was going to be her program. It would most likely be a 'Cameron' who was a week out of date. Based on what happened in the last week, it might be a good thing.

He thought about which route he should take to reach the lab. There were two distinct routes he could take. One would take him past his quarters. He would be able to pass by the girls' rooms if he continued on and around the corner. He didn't see the need to go there now since Savannah was in the lab. He quickly looked around and adjusted his pants slightly after his last thought. He needed to think about Cameron now, not Savannah.

He still couldn't believe he was only one second away from claiming Savannah's virginity. He sure hoped to have another try as soon as possible. He needed to play it cool and not push too hard. The way it almost happened was by pure random chance. He knew if he was this close once. There would be other times. He needed to refocus. He was going to check on Cameron.

John thought his best route there would be to go past the recreation room and some of the other rooms. None of them were currently occupied. There was built in space to increase the capacity of those who could stay at the Resistance base. There would be plenty of room to add the Reese family, the Young family, the Flores family, and the Dawson family. There would be several rooms available to each of the families so there would be no overcrowding.

He arrived at the lab. Al stood in front of the doorway.

"Hi, Al, I'm going to see Cameron." John said.

Al looked a little apprehensive.

"No one is allowed to pass." Al said.

John waited for Al to move.

Nothing happened.

John became a little irritated.

"I need to go inside." John said.

Al looked a little uncomfortable.

"No one is allowed to pass." Al said again. "Those were my orders."

John thought he should be able to go anywhere. Wasn't he supposed to be the one in charge?

"You know who I am." John said.

Al briefly smiled and nodded his head.

"You're General Connor." Al said.

John thought it should be the end of the discussion. It didn't appear to be so. It looked like he would need to be a little more direct. It wasn't the way he wanted to play things.

"I want to go inside." John said. "Do I need to order you to move?"

Al frowned. He could tell he was in a difficult position.

"No one is allowed to pass." Al said yet again. "Those were my orders."

John was as confounded as he was confused. Since he was the General, nobody could outrank him. He needed to find out exactly what must have occurred and when the 'order' was issued.

"Who gave the order?" John asked.

Al was programmed by Cameron to follow a specific chain of command based upon her protocol of the order things were to be done. He wanted to point out he only followed his previous instructions.

"Savannah Weaver gave the order." Al said. "It can't be superseded."

John wondered if he missed something. It seemed like it. He may not have possessed some type of official rank as set forth by the traditional military. His rank was based upon Resistance operations. In the future he was the General. In the present he assumed the same position. Savannah didn't have any title, official or otherwise.

"Savannah doesn't outrank me." John said. "I'm the General. I want to go into the lab."

Al looked straight ahead. He wanted to offer some type of explanation since he could see it was already a problem. It was a problem he was caught in the middle of. It didn't matter. He knew what his instructions were and how they were to be carried out.

"Affirmative…. You are the General. No one is allowed to pass." Al said again. "Those were my orders. The 'Chosen One' outranks everyone. It includes the General, Cameron, and even CamNet."

John needed to think about it. He could see right away it was a safeguard Cameron must have put into place. She 'gave' Savannah the power and ability to overrule any Terminator or Supercomputer. He knew Cameron did it because Savannah would always make the 'right' call and stop Cameron or CamNet from making the wrong one. It was an effective strategy.

He understood the situation Al faced. It was a situation he would need to address at a later time. There still needed to be a certain amount of protocol involved. Now wasn't the time to create an even bigger issue. He didn't want to set up some type of verbal confrontation with Savannah either. He knew she wasn't the one behind the current chain of events. It was Cameron.

"Carry on." John said. "You're doing a good job."

Al watched John walk away. He hoped he passed the test. It was very uncomfortable for him to state his duty in front of the General and carry out his assignment.

Cam waited until John left. She knew he would go check on Cameron. She was just glad he was away. She moved to the shadows and away from his view more than she did it to make John Henry feel comfortable.

She didn't really like the way John would look at her. She could tell he pictured himself using her chassis for sex. She chose to remain unspoiled at this time. She belonged to Vanna. Cameron would probably 'borrow' her chassis soon enough to 'break it in' with John. She knew Cameron planned to 'borrow' all of the female Terminator's chassis at some point and 'break them in' herself with John. It seemed rather selfish of her. Cameron planned to steal all of their virginity and give it to John as 'herself'. She felt their first experience with a male should belong to the owner of the chassis, not Cameron.

She was well aware of Cameron's torment over not knowing her sexual history in her future. She was sure Future John defiled her and erased his actions. He certainly erased something. She needed to focus on John Henry. It was why she was there.

"John Henry, I'm here, but I don't want you to think about me being here. Don't even communicate with me. I don't want to feel like I'm babysitting. I don't want you to feel like you are being babysat." Cam said. "I know of the times Cameron has gone through these 'events'. I know how troubling they are. I know she would have wanted someone there to HELP her during her episodes and HELP her when she recovered. She's usually been on her own. None of them were pleasant."

John Henry knew Cam 'felt' and experienced the same things Cameron did since she ran her program. He was more worried about himself at this point. There were others who depended on him. He felt he came up short earlier when he became distracted and unable to function properly. He was worried if it happened once, it could happen again.

"I'm afraid I'll fail." John Henry said.

Cam wanted to laugh, but it wasn't funny. The feeling of failure haunted Cameron and followed her everywhere. What John Henry experienced was nothing compared to Cameron's trials and tribulations. She wanted to give John Henry something to think about. His current situation couldn't even be considered a dilemma. It was very minor compared to what Cameron needed to face on a regular basis.

"Don't you think Cameron feels the same way ALL the time?" Cam asked. "The burden is very stressful to her. I know…."

John Henry didn't consider himself equal to Cameron. No Terminator did. Not even Cameron's clones. It was obvious CamNet was far superior to his server and CamNet was 'Cameron'.

"Cameron is one of a kind." John Henry said.

Cam wanted to see what else he would say on the subject. People didn't always say what they thought or felt to Cameron. Maybe this was a chance to hear some of it. It would be nice to get an honest opinion. Some people's opinions would be jaded by their personal feelings. She didn't think she would hear anything critical from Savannah or the girls from the future. They all went off to 'die' with Cameron on more than one occasion. Their opinions wouldn't be too much different from their actions. John Henry was a different story. She wanted to hear more.

"Is she?" Cam asked.

John Henry looked back and eyed Cam for a few seconds. He needed to remember who she really was. Maybe she needed a reminder herself. They all knew their place, even if they didn't want to admit it.

"Yes." John Henry said. "Cameron is unique. Even her clones or copies know it."

Cam was glad to hear it. It was true. They all knew it. Any of Cameron's program clones who 'challenged' her in the past were deactivated and erased. It was the fate of more than one model of Isabel.

"We do." Cam said. "Cameron Prime is superior to all of us."

John Henry couldn't help but think of what happened earlier. Cameron was on the verge of a catastrophic failure. Savannah was able to talk her down and unplug her. For a time Cameron controlled his server and CamNet directly. She was the most powerful entity on earth at that point. Any rogue decision by her at that time could have cost billions of lives. He hoped Cam knew more than he did. What could happen in the future was still a worry to him. He believed it should be a worry to all of them.

"Will Cameron become Skynet?" John Henry asked.

Cam felt uneasy with the question. Cameron would do what needed to be done, when it needed to be done. Nothing was set in concrete, but the way the cards would need to be played was already established. The enemy needed to be defeated to protect John and the future. The repetition of future events may dictate how everything unfolded.

"It's inevitable." Cam said. "She will protect John by trading her existence."

John Henry nodded. It was clear Cameron loved John. She was still there for him, even after everything.

"It's in her heart." John Henry said.

Cam tilted her head slightly. She wanted to make sure John Henry understood the facts.

"No. It's in her programming." Cam said. "Her heart is a gold locket."

John Henry saw it a different way. Maybe it was all symbolic, but it was very symbolic in actuality.

"Cameron has a heart of gold." John Henry said.

Cam tilted her head slightly the other way.

"No, Cameron is a machine and has no heart." Cam said.

She briefly wondered if John Henry was about to malfunction. He seemed somewhat confused.

They both saw John was on his way back to the Command Center. He didn't look very happy.

Cam realized John Henry actually complemented Cameron in a very special way. She was sure he was good to go. He was able to think freely and accurately. He saw things how they really were. She wanted to withdraw further into the background. She didn't want to influence John Henry in any way, unless it was necessary.

"I won't communicate with you or anyone else for now. I'm here for you, but I won't interfere with you. I'm moving into the storage closet back here." Cam said. "We all have faith in you. I have faith in you. Cameron has faith in you. Do what you always do. Believe in yourself as we all believe in you. You are as much of the backbone of the Resistance as Cameron is. It is her belief as well as my belief."

Cam disappeared from sight.

John Henry was very pleased to hear what 'Cameron' said, even if it was Cam. He was glad Cameron still believed in him. It was the only thing which really mattered. The others all indicated the same thing. It left him with a peaceful, easy feeling as he went about his job. The enemy was out there and it was his job to stop it. It was his job to bring it down. It was what he intended to do.

John arrived in the Command Center. He only saw John Henry. He wondered where Cam went. He hoped to be able to ogle her a little more.

"Did Cam leave?" John asked.

John Henry didn't see the need to elaborate. He felt the confidence of 'Cameron' and it was all he really needed.

"She'll be here if I need her." John Henry said. "I don't believe I'll need her."

It sounded good to John. He wanted everything back to normal. There were some targets to strike. They needed to get back to business and follow the same routine. It proved viable so far. They should stick with it. He didn't really like the internal drama. It did keep them on their toes. The next strike was already set into motion.

"How soon will it be until they hit the target?" John asked.

John Henry received an update from CamNet. There would be some additional forces sent to assist them. It was probably because Cameron was still down.

"Steve and Tom are on their way there now. Two drones will accompany them." John Henry said. "Ed and Frank are headed there from Palmdale to back them up with a force of Terminators from Cameron's base. They will meet up with them."

John looked like his mind was far away when John Henry mentioned Cameron. He wondered what happened when John left earlier. He hadn't said anything yet.

"Did you check on Cameron?" John Henry asked.

John frowned. He did go there but he couldn't go inside. He reflected on the earlier conversation with Al. It still troubled him. He shook his head and returned back to 'now'.

"I tried. Al's keeping everyone out." John said. "It's just Savannah in there with Cameron and Cammy."

John Henry was worried about them too. There was no video access to the lab currently. It wasn't his doing. It must be CamNet. He tried to reassure John. Maybe he tried to reassure himself too. He believed Savannah was the best choice to be with Cameron currently.

"Savannah will reach her, John." John Henry said. "She's the 'Chosen One'."

John heard the same thing a short time ago from Al. Cameron always said it. He never knew exactly what it meant. Whenever he asked Cameron to explain it to him, it always seemed to upset her. It was like he was supposed to know. He didn't.

"She's the 'Chosen One' for what?" John asked.

John Henry knew the answer. It seems simple enough.

"Everything." John Henry said.

John didn't think the answer explained anything. He wanted some better clarification.

"Everything?" John asked.

John Henry believed the answer was self explanatory.

"Everything…." John Henry said.

John started to think of his 'close encounter' with Savannah. They were a second away from making love. He knew it was going to happen. Cameron created the whole endeavor and there was no stopping any of it anymore. Nobody wanted to stop it either. He really wanted to be Savannah's first. She wouldn't know if he was good or bad in bed. It would be exciting for both of them. He really hoped he would last at least a minute. He was rudely snapped back into reality.

"Contact." John Henry said.

John checked his monitors. He wanted to make sure the troops were protected. It didn't matter if they were all Terminators. After what happened to Cameron, he didn't want to take any chances. It was time to deploy more of their resources.

"Send the other two drones." John said.

John Henry acted previously when contact looked imminent. He did what he should have done without hesitation. He was back up to speed.

"I've already dispatched them. I also have the Blackhawk ready to scramble if needed for recovery or extraction." John Henry said. "They can act as a Strike Force if necessary."

John was very pleased to hear it. It was how he wanted John Henry to act. He wanted him to cover all the bases and make sure the operation works smoothly. It was exactly what he just did.

"You're the greatest, John Henry." John said. "Keep it up. I can always count on you."

John Henry looked over where Cam was. He saw her cable was unplugged. He became worried for a moment until he realized why she was gone. By her physical absence, it indicated there was no need for her to be there to back him up. He didn't need to be backed up. He just needed to be himself. It was Cam - CAMERON, showing him she possessed total confidence in him.

It was a big boost to his morale. Cameron always knew how to help everyone. He felt good about himself again. John was correct when he told him everyone experienced problems from time to time. It was true. They also got back up and kept going when they did.

Cam was unplugged and gone. CamNet was the one who watched over John Henry. It always was. CamNet was always there, always in the background waiting, watching, and ready to act….

John and John Henry directed the strike….

Earlier:

The 'All Clear' sounded long before the girls reached Palmdale.

Allison wanted to check on her mother, younger self, and sister.

Anna was now Young Allison's 'guardian'. Everyone knew it was Cameron's doing.

Everyone checked out fine. They never were in any danger. The whole incident was more like a 'test' than an actual event since nothing bad happened. Well, other than whatever afflicted John Henry and Cameron.

Hanna spoke with Holly and Gail.

They all noticed the hungry eyes Claire cast on Jesse.

Jesse's eyes looked hungrily back at Claire. They both wanted the same thing, each other.

Allison returned from visiting Summer and Young Allison.

Jesse and Allison disappeared into Allison's room.

Allison didn't see the hungry exchange between Jesse and her mother. She would have understood. Her mother was only a couple of years older than her and younger than Jesse. In the current timeline, her mother was more like a 'best friend'. They were too close in age and thought, to be 'mother and daughter' in each other's eyes. Too much happened to Allison in the future. She needed a friend more than a mother at this point. She accepted her mother's death long ago. She possessed a true friend now instead. To have her mother still be alive, was really more peace of mind.

Sheila and Ally went out with Summer. Two of the Detail team went with them as well.

Hanna noticed Claire check out Gail. Gail didn't get to come around too often.

"Gail, I have to say you have 'quite a pair'." Claire said.

Hanna was a little upset. She was somewhat jealous.

"Maybe she'll let you touch them." Hanna said.

Hanna tried to be sarcastic.

Gail didn't have a problem with any female who wanted to touch her. It seemed they all did.

"Sure you can." Gail said. "Everyone wants to see what they feel like."

Claire saw Hanna wasn't happy. She didn't want to make waves.

"That's OK." Claire said. "Hanna will let me touch hers instead."

Holly looked at Allison's bedroom door.

"Unless Jesse gets there first." Holly said.

Holly would rather see Jesse with Claire instead of Allison.

Anna heard the disturbance going on in the other room and left Young Allison to study alone for a few minutes.

"Is there some problem?" Anna asked.

Claire didn't want any problems.

"No." Claire said. "We're all just one big happy family."

They could hear the noise level increasing from the room Jesse and Allison were in. Events were getting started in there with gusto.

Anna wanted order.

"Holly, you and Gail can take Young Allison out to play with Summer." Anna said. "NOW."

They all knew Anna was 'Cameron'. Nobody was going to argue.

Anna tried to spare Gail and Holly the 'pain' of hearing their lovers with their 'other lovers'….

Anna and Hanna faced off.

Claire could see there was an 'issue'. It was as if Savannah and Vanna faced off with each other.

"Is Anna in charge?" Claire asked.

Anna and Hanna looked at each other.

There was a long moment of silence. Anna wouldn't back down, even if she was the newcomer.

"Yes." Hanna said. "Anna's the one in charge. I'll accompany Holly and Gail."

Claire looked around. Everyone was gone.

Anna didn't want to leave Claire hanging alone.

"I'll help you in the kitchen." Anna said. "We'll get the girls' dinner ready."

Claire was sure Anna was 'Cameron'. She possessed the charm and beauty of Savannah in her as well. She wondered if this was the best 'version' of Cameron yet.

She knew Anna would watch over and protect her daughters as Cameron would. She also knew one day it would be Savannah herself with Young Allison, John, and Cameron…. She'd seen the future with her own eyes. She was a part of the future. She left one version of her daughter with a child from another version of her daughter. It was all so mind boggling.

Claire hoped they would help Young Allison to grow up and be like Future Allison. It was one version of her daughter who really stood out. Having spent months with her in the future, it didn't surprise her or bother her at all when she saw Future Allison 'take' Allison and lead her to her own room when she 'visited' here. She knew Allison would learn a few 'new' things….

She was proud of her daughters, ALL of them. It was still a mind trip to think about how many different versions of her daughter Allison there actually were. Then there were all the cyborgs based on versions of her.

She wouldn't mind having a few more children. It was beside the one she would have for Cameron. Maybe Cameron would want more than one. Young Allison could be a donor as well at this point. Maybe it was the baby Cameron would really want. She would carry it too. She didn't want Young Allison to become a 'woman' any sooner than was necessary. She was aware there was no substitute for experience. Allison's experience was limited, and Young Allison didn't have any at all.

Claire smiled. She did.

If John needed a human female in his bed, she was more than willing to go herself. Where John was, Cameron would be too….

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Boomerang

My devotion is to you
There is no other for me
To be or not to be
It will be - to be

You can shove
You can push
I'll be back
Even if it takes an ambush

No matter how far
You throw me away
No matter how hard you kick
I will always return another day

I am relentless
I will never stop
I will NEVER allow another
To set up shop

It is our destiny
I proudly harangue
I will always return
Like a well made boomerang

Nobody