Chapter 527

Mission Unchanged

Savannah opened her eyes. Nobody was there. She was in the lab.

Where did Cameron go?

She looked from one side to the other. Cameron was still lying next to her on one side. Cammy was on the other side.

Neither one of them moved. They both still lay there lifeless.

Savannah sat up and looked around. No one else was in the lab.

She quickly checked Cameron's chip port. It was still empty.

'NO.' Savannah thought.

It couldn't have been a dream. It was real. It must have been real. It seemed so real. It was everything she wanted. Cameron said she was the 'decider'. Everything was still the same. Nothing changed.

Now Savannah wondered if the encounter with John was real….

No, she was sure it was real. She thought back on what occurred. She remembered her body's response. She felt John 'bump around' on the outside of 'her' down there. He almost made entry. He was in too big of a hurry and missed. In one more second it would have happened. Everything changed in an instant. The alarm went off. She was so close. It all happened so naturally and felt so right. She anticipated what it was going to be like to be with John. She asked Vanna what it would be like to be with a male. She thought back on the conversation.

Vanna told her there was going to be discomfort at first, maybe some pain as things were 'stretched' out some. She said after having two children there may be no pain at all, she didn't know. Vanna said her experiences were all against her will. When there were a few months between them, they always seemed to cause more discomfort. There was always some initial discomfort anyway. Vanna told her to ask John to 'go slow', at least at first.

She was sure her desire to be with John would make things go a little smoother. She knew there was a difference between wanting it to happen, and not wanting it to happen. The mind would control the body's natural response to such activity. It may not be much, but it was to a certain degree. She felt it in her case. It wasn't something Vanna indicated to her. She thanked Vanna for being honest. Vanna reminded her, she was her.

It disturbed her some Vanna recommended she put off 'giving it a try' as long as possible. She wasn't sure why since it was what other people did all the time. It didn't seem like a big deal really. How hard could it be? She listened outside of their rooms when she was younger. She heard John and Cameron, Kyle and Sarah, Derek and Jesse, and Derek and Riley. They didn't seem to have any issues. She didn't see why John and her should. It seemed if both individuals involved were willing participants, there was no problem. She planned to be a willing participant and knew her partner would be as well.

What she didn't know was Vanna still hoped to be with John before her. Vanna was afraid if John was with her first, he wouldn't want or need to be with her. Why would anyone choose older and used, over younger and new?

She discussed it with Allison too. Allison's experiences were much like Vanna's. She didn't need to perform for males like Vanna did. She was just used. Her attempts at breeding sex weren't much different. They all were very short in duration. They lasted anywhere from thirty seconds to two minutes at the most. It was all of her experiences. The males just wanted one thing. It was exactly what they did.

She asked Future Savannah and Future Allison what it was like as well. They knew what it was like to be with John, even if it was Future John. It was still John. What they described was different from what Vanna described. They both knew what it was like to be with someone who they didn't want to be with for whatever the reason was. They told her it was very different when it was a loving relationship. Even in the loving relationship there were times when there were problems and things didn't go as smoothly. In a short while everything returned to normal and there were no problems or difficulties going forward. Emotional issues always could play a factor one way or another.

Jesse was able to give her quite a description from against her will, to emotion driven desire, and everything in between. She remembered Jesse looked around to make sure there was no one listening when she told her of her true desire.

"Only a female can truly satisfy another female." Jesse whispered.

She read much the same thing in Cosmo. With female to female sexual encounters there was a ninety percent success rate for a climatic finish. With male to female sexual encounters, the success rate dropped down to thirty-five percent. Some reports were as low as ten percent. It was actually a very discouraging prospect. She was very pleased her success rate was at one hundred percent for all of her sexual encounters. They were all female to female.

Savannah needed to refocus on events there. It was what mattered now. It's what was important.

She tried to talk to Cammy and touch her. Cammy was functional until she put Cameron's chip in her second port. It all fell apart in a few seconds after she did. She hoped Cammy and Cameron were in deep communication inside Cammy. Now it looked terminal for both of them. She tried everything for a while.

There was nothing.

It looked like it was on her now. She did what Cammy asked. She never thought it would end up like it did. She wouldn't have done it if she would have known how terminal it would be for both of them. To lose Cameron was bad enough. To lose Cammy on top of it by her own actions, made it even worse.

Savannah removed Cameron's chip from Cammy. It was her hope Cammy would reboot on her own.

Nothing happened. It was worse than she imagined. She at least hoped something would have happened. She was certain she 'killed' Cammy as well now.

She looked at the chip she held in her hand. It was 'Cameron'. She remembered Cameron told her she held her chip in her hand just like she did now and wanted to crush it. Cameron was plugged into the server with a tether at the time. Cameron wanted to terminate herself. She never did. All she needed to do was close her hand and then unplug herself from the server.

Savannah told Cameron she could never do it, even if she wanted to. She remembered the conversation.

"You can't self terminate, Cameron." Savannah said.

Cameron looked directly at Savannah.

"Is it an order?" Cameron asked.

Savannah didn't believe it needed to be.

"No." Savannah said. "It's what I've asked of you."

Cameron smiled faintly. It was almost unnoticeable.

"You can order me not to do it." Cameron said. "I've given you the power."

Savannah still believed in freedom of choice.

"I won't use it like that." Savannah said. "It's not the way to do things. It's not the way I do things."

The faint smile on Cameron's face grew a little larger.

"Why not?" Cameron asked.

Savannah looked at Cameron and spoke from her heart.

"You already know the answer." Savannah said.

The smile on Cameron's face continued to grow.

"I do know the answer." Cameron said. "Your love is more powerful than any order."

Savannah could feel the love inside of her. It gave her butterflies in her stomach. It caused 'goose bumps' to form on her flesh. It could be felt as physically, as it could emotionally, the way her body responded.

"My love is my love and it's for you, Cameron." Savannah said. "Never forget it."

The smile seemed to touch all of Cameron's face now.

"I haven't." Cameron said.

Savannah looked into Cameron's eyes.

"I'll wait for you forever." Savannah said.

The smile on Cameron's face faded some.

"Forever is a long time." Cameron said.

There was a look of conviction and determination on Savannah's face.

"I'll come for you." Savannah said. "I'll find you."

The smile disappeared from Cameron's face.

"It can be dangerous." Cameron said.

Savannah's resolve and determination was unwavering.

"I'll never leave you." Savannah said. "I'll never abandon you."

The faint smile returned as Cameron nodded.

"It's why I'm still here." Cameron said. "I do know it."

Savannah needed to refocus. She took one more look at Cameron's chip. She gently kissed the back end of it. She then placed Cameron's chip back in her port and sealed the cover.

Nothing.

She looked at Cameron and then at Cammy. They both remained lifeless.

They were both dead - terminated.

It wasn't something she could accept. There were other things she could do. Maybe it was time to talk with CamNet herself. There were solutions. She might end up creating a new timeline. She'd better save the option for now. It was one she was still willing to use if it was necessary.

Savannah silently looked over them. She talked to them and touched them. She talked to both of them for a long time and said EVERYTHING she wanted to say to both of them. She spoke the truth. She spoke what was in her heart.

Nothing.

Savannah knew the only thing to do now was get Cameron's spare chip. It was time to see if it worked. Nothing else seemed to. There was one more thing which popped up in the back of her mind. She would try it….

John received the reports as John Henry processed everything. They were able to take down the facility with minimal effort. It wasn't what they expected. Someone else already did the 'heavy lifting'.

"There's been a Terminator through here before us, maybe two or three days ago." Steve reported.

It sounded like trouble to John. It was possible there was more than one Skynet group involved.

"Was it Skynet?" John asked.

There was a slight pause.

"No. It looks like someone took out everybody here, including some Skynet Terminators." Steve said.

John Henry found the report troubling. None of their operations were involved in the target area. He double checked all of the Resistance reports.

"There've been no operations at the location since we hit it the first time a few weeks ago." John Henry said. "It wasn't us."

John quickly understood the implications of the attack. He hoped CamNet was involved.

"Was it Cameron's Terminators?" John asked.

John Henry was often notified belatedly when things happened from Cameron's base. The target location wasn't one of them.

"I've checked with CamNet. They report no activity in the area. I'm usually notified." John Henry said. "It's seldom a timely procedure."

John hoped for some better coordination. Cameron always maintained 'her operation' operated outside the scope of the Resistance, and any control from Mrs. Weaver. He didn't think it was the right decision. He understood there were certain aspects which weren't part of the Resistance that Cameron's base dealt with. Most of them were various forms of action against criminal activity. He understood the majority of them would be considered future Scavengers. He would have liked a more detailed answer.

"Usually?" John asked.

John Henry was aware of a potential problem.

"Yes. Unless Cameron is conducting an operation on her own." John Henry said. "She doesn't want it advertised."

John looked at the images the team sent out from the location. The area was a mess. It was clear a major battle took place at the location.

"Cameron!" John said. "She must have done this as well. No wonder she was so badly damaged."

John Henry couldn't say Cameron was involved for sure. There was no indication of the operation in the files she shared with him earlier. There were also many blank spots mixed in with it all. He wasn't sure how much was intentional, and how much was just a blank spot.

"It's possible." John Henry said. "There were a lot of blank spaces and missing data when we interfaced."

John needed to know more. He tried to call Savannah. There was no answer. She should have picked up when she saw it was him.

'It can't be good news….' John thought.

John called Vanna and asked her about Cameron.

Vanna wished she knew more. Things looked bleak when she left earlier.

"I don't know John." Vanna said. "It doesn't look good."

Vanna gave him a quick run down on everything up to the point she left, and since he was last there.

John didn't like the fact Cammy was also afflicted by whatever ailed Cameron. It didn't sound good for her either. It was probably why Savannah didn't respond to his call.

"So Cammy's terminated as well at this point?" John asked.

Vanna didn't want it to sound so terminal, even if it was.

"Yes. They're both shut down." Vanna said. "It's hard to say what will or won't happen.

Vanna wanted to ask John about Savannah, and if Cameron 'caught' them in the act of making love. Both Allison and Savannah indicated John was with Savannah a dozen times. She still didn't know it was Savannah and Allison who were with each other so many times, not Savannah and John.

She hoped to get some information out of John. She would try to probe him over accuse him. Direct approach was sure to draw a denial. She wanted to give him an opening to come clean. If nothing else, she hopes to find out a little more.

"Maybe something 'happened', or has been 'happening', which sent Cameron into a 'Death Wish' mode again." Vanna said. "We know there have been other triggers before. I'm personally unaware of any. Is there anything you can think of?"

Silence.

Vanna was worried she may have pushed a little too hard. She wasn't ready to give up yet.

"John?" Vanna asked.

John didn't want to indicate what almost happened. Nothing actually happened. He believed the current issue started a few days ago. Not a few hours ago.

"It all seems to have started several days ago." John said. "I'm unaware of anything at the time which could, or would have, initiated it. Can you get into the lab to check on them?"

Vanna knew he didn't want to talk about whatever he did with Savannah. She was aware Savannah recently asked her about what 'it' was like, or would be like, to be with a male, Translation - John. She didn't sugar coat it or lie. She could only tell Savannah her personal experience. None of them were pleasant. She needed to do things she didn't want to do. She did them to survive.

"I tried to go back to the lab to see Savannah." Vanna said. "Al wouldn't let me in."

She was worried about what she said to Al earlier. She couldn't get back into the lab either. She figured it was worth another try.

"I'll go back again and see if Al will let me in." Vanna said. "I told him to keep everyone out but Savannah. He wouldn't let me back in after I told him."

John wasn't sure he wanted to relate his story. Even as General Connor he wasn't allowed to pass.

"Nice." John said. "I thought it was just for now."

Vanna was still miffed about the encounter.

"Once I told him it was 'Savannah's order', he said only Savannah could change the order." Vanna said. "I asked him if he knew who was in charge and he said 'yes'."

John pondered that question himself. Everyone knew the true story, even if no one spoke of it.

"So who is in charge now?" John asked. "We all know it is supposed to be me, but Cameron really runs things."

Vanna thought there was a real and valid distinction there. She wanted to point it out. It mattered in the overall function of the Resistance.

"When she is around, she may overstep." Vanna said. "You're around all the time, she isn't. She's the one who takes most of the danger."

John wanted to conclude the current operation. He would deal with the lab issue later on.

"Let me get this operation wrapped up and I will come with Bob and Jim and see if Al will let us in." John said. "I think I can be a little more persuasive with some extra muscle."

Vanna thought a warning was in order. When she sought help from any other Terminator, they all said Savannah's orders couldn't be violated.

"You might want to ask them first if they will go against 'Savannah's orders'." Vanna said. "I don't think they will. You might not want to create an even bigger issue if you try to force it. You know Cameron was the one behind it. Cameron is currently incapacitated. It opens a new door."

John thought it was just Al.

"Why?" John asked.

Vanna could see how it all fit together.

"All the Terminators know Savannah speaks for Cameron in her absence." Vanna said. "Cameron told them speaking to Savannah was the same as speaking to her. The same rule applied if Savannah told them something or gave an 'order'. They all know Savannah is the 'Chosen One'."

There was something about the wording which rang a bell in the back of his mind. It was a story about Cameron and Jesse, Future Jesse.

"When did all of this happen?" John asked.

Vanna was able to review the files Cameron made available to the Terminators. She was very traumatized by what she saw. Savannah could have saved herself and she chose to stay with Cameron and what was certain doom.

"Since Savannah saved the mission in Cameron's future to destroy Skynet. Since Savannah stayed with Cameron and faced certain termination and then used her own body to save Cameron and bring her back. Cameron has shared those files with all the Terminators to show them Savannah is the 'Chosen One'. Cameron showed them without Savannah she would have failed. She would have lost." Vanna said. "Cameron told me without Savannah there that day the mission would have remained uncompleted, and she would have been terminated. Savannah was there on her own. Cameron didn't make her come with her. Savannah stayed on her own to perish with Cameron or save her."

John thought back to when he first met Cameron. Everything was different back then. He didn't think he was up to the task at the time. He relied on his mother completely.

"Savannah's a teenager." John said. "When I was her age, I could do very little on my own, let alone everything Savannah's done. I tried to push everything off on my mother. I really didn't want to deal with it. I didn't think I could. I was afraid. I knew my mother was much tougher than I was. I believe she still is. She's the best fighter I know, well, human fighter anyway."

John was also aware Savannah already gave birth to two of his children in the harsh living conditions of the future. It took a lot of courage to do it. He was sure child birth at a young age was hard on a growing body. Then again, it was the age females reproduced at two hundred years ago because almost everyone died at about thirty five years old. It happened all the time in the inner city now. There were grandmothers who were only twenty-five years old.

Vanna knew the big difference between John and Savannah was their mentor. It was just that simple.

"You didn't have Cameron controlling your life for nearly a decade to allow you to become who you were then." Vanna said. "You had Sarah, not Cameron."

John knew without his mother's training, guidance, and protection he'd be dead. He knew he should have listened to her more and taken things more seriously. It might have kept Todd and Janelle alive. They died because of him. He knew it was really Skynet's fault, but he couldn't help but blame himself anyway. A lot more people fell along the way. He tried to push the past out of his mind.

"My mother did a good job." John said. "I should have done better."

Vanna was aware Savannah was very different from her in many regards. It was all Cameron's doing and influence.

"John, Savannah is like no other. The next closest person to her is Future Allison." Vanna said. "You've met her."

Vanna almost mentioned John probably wished he would have done a little more when Future Allison and visited. She knew the opportunity was there.

John remembered there was someone else.

"You forgot to mention another one…." John said.

Vanna knew it was something Cameron thought about. She was glad she never acted on it.

"No, I didn't." Vanna said. "If Cameron could enhance Savannah like River, she would."

John hoped the idea remained in the past.

"Thank goodness Savannah's too old for it now." John said. "I think she's safe from it."

Vanna frowned. She knew no one was safe. There were still two other 'candidates'.

"Young Allison and Summer aren't." Vanna said. "If Cameron ever takes them to River's future…. I believe Summer is most at risk for Cameron's 'enhancements'."

Cameron told John of her desires to 'help' the girls become more than they could be on their own. He'd told her it was a bad idea. He thought it was out of the picture. Maybe it wasn't.

"I've heard talk of Cameron taking them into the past, or future, for a few years before. I didn't think about River's future." John said. "I'm sure there's a lot which goes on I don't know about."

Vanna watched Mrs. Weaver operate for a year. She was always kept in the shadows. She later watched Cameron do the same things. They were both goal oriented. The rules didn't apply or matter to them. Getting the job done did. They would take whatever shortcuts they needed to do to accomplish the task. It didn't matter who got in the way. They didn't remain in the way for very long.

"She's thought about it, John." Vanna said. "She's a machine. I know it is easy to forget sometimes. She'll do whatever she thinks will best protect the future and you no matter what it is. There's little difference between her and my 'mother'. Ethics and morals mean nothing to them. It is about getting the job done. For Cameron it is about 'winning'."

John would like to think of Cameron as being refined by now. Maybe it wasn't the case at all. He knew it was never over for Cameron until she won.

"Would Cameron destroy those two girl's lives if she thought it would help me or save me?" John asked.

Vanna watched Cameron operate for years. She didn't think Cameron would even blink.

"Yes." Vanna said. "In an instant."

John felt it was just cruel. He thought Cameron cared about the girls.

"How could she?" John asked "Why?"

Vanna saw it for what it was. It was always Cameron's mission to protect John.

"To save your life." Vanna said. "Her mission has never changed even if it has taken different directions and approaches."

John didn't talk shop often with Cameron. She didn't like to. He figured it was so she wouldn't reveal to him she would sacrifice everyone to protect him. It seemed Vanna knew a lot.

"Have you talked with her about these things?" John asked.

There was a far off look in Vanna's eyes. She wanted to make sure John understood her position clearly. He wasn't ashamed of it at all. She came close to being with Cameron long before he did.

"Yes, many times." Vanna said. "John, I love Cameron. I love your wife…."

Vanna wanted to say she loved him too.

There was one question which nagged at John for years. He didn't want to ask it, but he did want to know. It was something he long suspected and wasn't sure he really wanted to know the answer. He wondered what was real and what was it. He wondered about the manipulation involved. He wondered about power.

"Did she only marry me to stay close to me or control me?" John asked. "Was she programmed to do it?"

Silence.

John didn't care for the time lag. He pressed the issue.

"Vanna?" John asked.

Vanna knew Terminator love was different from human love. It revolved around closeness and association. It was a matter of importance to them as to how another felt about them and how much time they would spend with them, especially when there was a choice which involved others.

"I don't know, John." Vanna said. "I know she can love and the other Metal girls can as well. It's not programming."

Sarah told John later on how Vanna loved Cameron and how she struggled over what to do about it. Vanna sacrificed her love so Cameron could remain focused on him. It was very touching.

"You were her first friend." John said. "You loved her knowing she was a machine and not real."

Vanna still felt the love and the pain in her heart. It seemed to be love that would never be fulfilled in physical form.

"Yes." Vanna said. "I've never stopped."

John could tell the anguish and heartbreak still stalked Vanna. The love still burned in her. With nowhere to go it slowly burns a hole in a heart.

"Cameron has been able all these years to shape, influence, and guide Savannah, the younger version of the first woman, or first person she may have loved on her own." John said. "Cameron made Savannah into the human female she wanted to be. She made YOU better as she made Savannah better."

Vanna knew Cameron was influenced by the 'Neural Interface' with Future Allison in her future. The whole point was to make her as much like Future Allison as possible.

"I don't know, John. Neither does Cameron. She's afraid she loves who Future Allison loves." Vanna said. "River was the first person she may have actually loved on her own."

John remembered the timeline.

"It was Duplicate Cameron." John said. "Not Cameron Prime."

Vanna almost laughed. There was a lot of speculation on the subject.

"Do we really know who Cameron Prime is?" Vanna asked. "I believe 'The Cameron' who loved River is really Cameron Prime. She went through all three time transfers. Cameron only went through one."

John pondered the idea. Maybe it was the root of so many problems for everyone.

"It means you're a Duplicate, and not the real Vanna then." John said.

Vanna knew the Duplicates were identical in every way. The locket Cameron and Duplicate Cameron carried as their heart was proof of it. There were still things that bothered her.

"I've often felt that." Vanna said. "My love for Allison should never have wavered or been strained. We all know it was due to Cameron's meddling by trying to 'protect' you."

John would rather avoid the subject. He didn't want to feel indirectly responsible for the space between Allison and Vanna. The blame belonged to Cameron, not Him.

"Does River know which one is really Cameron Prime?" John asked.

Vanna let out her breath, she didn't like what she thought.

"Where is 'Duplicate Cameron' now?" Vanna asked.

John was aware River told Cameron, 'You're not MY Cameron.'

"With River." John said. "River would have known Cameron wasn't the 'real' Cameron. It's why River rejected her."

Vanna wondered if life just sucked. Things just happened from time to time.

"I don't know, John." Vanna said. "I don't believe we're ever going to know. We should all be identical. River could tell Cameron wasn't Duplicate Cameron."

John could tell Vanna was deeply depressed now.

"Let me finish here." John said. "…Vanna…."

Vanna wondered what else there was.

"Yes?" Vanna asked.

John appreciated their conversation. It was nice to get some truthful and straight answers for a change.

"Thank you for being honest with me." John said. "I love you, whatever version you are…."

Vanna really wanted the three-way with John and Savannah.

"I love you too, John…." Vanna said. "Please always remember it for whatever happens in the future."

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Mission Unchanged

The world would be beautiful
If everything was in black and white
It's more various shades of gray
With a lot of sleight and slight

The honest and true people
Are the ones often left behind
Many want danger and adventure
They don't like being confined

Those who are proven steady
Don't have appeal to the young
They're brushed off as boring
They're the first to be stung

Some actually say to another
You'd be good when I'm old
What the Hell does that mean
What is the story just told

It only dives those who are focused
Even though it sounds deranged
They continue the pursuit in love
Their heart's mission unchanged

Nobody