Chapter 528

It Didn't Work

Savannah looked at Cammy and Cameron. They both should have rebooted. Nothing happened. It didn't work. They were both still inoperable. Cameron's chip was back in her chassis. Cammy's chassis only contained her chip. Unless Cameron's chip 'infected' Cammy, she should reboot.

She remembered sometimes there was a 'fail safe' mode Cameron entered before. She was reactivated when she received a kiss from John. John wasn't there right now. She was.

She looked at Cameron and Cammy. She decided to try it on Cammy first. She promised Cameron a kiss earlier in the Command Center. She didn't want to take advantage of Cameron in her current condition.

Savannah looked at Cameron again. She kissed Cammy first to see what happened. She wanted to see if she entered 'Sleeping Beauty' mode.

She really wondered if she terminated Cammy and Cameron by her actions. If Cameron's chip was corrupted, she was the one who corrupted Cammy. It didn't matter if Cammy told her to do it. She was still the one who did it. She did it to get Cameron back. She risked Cammy to do it. Maybe she was too selfish.

Savannah silently waited.

Cammy's eyes opened and she sat up.

Savannah felt her heart skip a beat. She was elated.

"Cammy!" Savannah said as she hugged her.

Savannah was very happy Cammy was 'alive'. She would need to wait and see if there was anything 'wrong' with her later on. Based on how Cammy looked right now, it might be a possibility. She looked for her Taser. It was over on a workbench. Cammy was between it and her. She wasn't worried. She trusted her love.

Cammy looked around. She felt slightly confused. She could feel Savannah hug her and see Cameron on the other workbench, she was unmoving.

"Savannah…." Cammy said.

Cammy didn't seem as dazed now.

Savannah thought Cammy was OK.

"Cammy, how are you?" Savannah asked. "How's Cameron?"

Cammy really didn't know what happened. It seemed like nothing happened, but she was out. There was a big blank spot in her files right now.

"I think I'm fine. I don't know for sure." Cammy said. "I was unable to communicate with Cameron. It's possible she terminated. I don't know."

Savannah didn't like the answer at all. It was the last thing she wanted to hear. There needed to be a better explanation.

"I don't believe it." Savannah said. "I refuse to believe it. I'll never believe it."

Cammy was painfully aware how much Savannah loved Cameron. There was also the reality of what she experienced. Everything seemed cleared up right now. She knew exactly what happened.

"When Cameron's chip was installed, it overloaded all my systems. It automatically put me into 'Sleeping Beauty' mode. It's a safety feature. When it occurs, all I can do is repair any of my data which is corrupted or needs to be defragged."

Cammy wasn't sure how long 'Sleeping Beauty' mode would last on its own. Cameron was in 'Sleeping Beauty' mode for a long time once. It appeared DNA contact by someone who was trusted or loved, would end the process and initiate a reboot. It seemed to be another safeguard as well.

Savannah was glad Cammy was back. She didn't want to lose her to be 'Cameron Prime' with Cameron's spare chip. She looked over at Cameron.

"Is Cameron in the same mode?" Savannah asked. "Is she trying to fix herself?"

Cammy was unable to make 'contact' with Cameron. She was shut down almost immediately. Everything was speculation at the current juncture. She didn't think it did much good to guess.

"I really don't know." Cammy said. "I don't know what's wrong with her at this point. I know she 'hurt' Holly when she was plugged into the server earlier. She wouldn't have done it on purpose to Holly. Whatever she did, it started to overload Holly's systems. As soon as Holly spoke up, Cameron backed off. My overload seemed instant."

Cammy looked toward the lab door with concern.

Savannah picked up on her change in demeanor immediately.

"What is it?" Savannah asked. "What's wrong?"

Cammy didn't know yet. There were angry voices.

"It sounds like trouble of some kind." Cammy said.

The noise outside intensified.

There were angry voices and shouting Savannah could hear now.

Cammy immediately got up and moved toward the door.

Savannah followed her.

Cammy opened the door.

Al blocked the path of John from entering the lab. It was obvious John was the one who was shouting.

Vanna stood in back of John off to the side.

"See, I told you so." Vanna said.

John looked angry. Al wouldn't move. This time hadn't worked any better for him than the last time. Angry words only made things worse and increased the tension level for everyone.

Vanna noticed Cammy now. She wanted to see whose side she would take. All the other Terminators refused to assist her once they found out the 'order' was from Savannah. The problem all stemmed from her poor choice of words to Al in the beginning.

Cammy didn't understand what the problem was.

"Al, move over so John can enter." Cammy said.

Al didn't glance back. He needed to control John.

"Negative." Al said. "I must remain at my post. It was Savannah's order no one enter the lab."

Cammy immediately moved up and joined Al. Savannah's order needed to be carried out.

"Sorry, John, Savannah's order stands." Cammy said. "No one will enter the lab."

Vanna already knew how it would play out. She told John as each Terminator found out what the situation was and the fact the 'Chosen One', Savannah issued an order, every Terminator would carry it out.

"I told you so." Vanna said again.

John thought for a moment. He pointed at Vanna. He looked at Al.

"Who's standing next to me?" John asked.

Al wondered why John was confused.

"Vanna is." Al said.

Vanna caught John's drift.

"What's my name?" Vanna asked. "Who am I?"

Cammy quickly saw where things were headed. She knew the difference was in the timeline Vanna was from, even if she was Savannah Weaver. They might be the same person, but they weren't the same individual.

"It's not the same." Cammy said.

John could see they made a point.

"Scan her DNA and tell me who she is." John said. "Both of you can do it separately, and both of you can answer her question. What's her name? Who is she?"

It was clear the answer to the question was Vanna was Savannah Weaver. The DNA would be a hundred percent match and come back as the DNA of 'Savannah Weaver'.

It raised the question as to how much influence Vanna could have as 'Savannah Weaver', even if she wasn't Savannah.

Savannah heard what was said. She knew it was only going to complicate things even more to drag her older self through the wringer. She wanted to get everything cleared up. She didn't intend for what she said earlier to be taken as a strict 'order'. She would need to be careful going forward about some situations. She wanted a diplomatic end to this situation.

Savannah walked forward between Al and Cammy who both now blocked the path into the lab.

John took a few steps back and joined Vanna. He could see Savannah wanted to get everything straightened out.

Savannah touched Al's arm and smiled at him.

"Al, John, and Vanna can come in." Savannah said. "You are free to return to your duties. Thank you for your service. I appreciate your diligence."

Al immediately stepped to the side. Savannah moved with him. She knew the difficult situation he was in.

"John, I'm sorry." Al said. "It was my duty to protect Cameron and Savannah. Cameron is vulnerable in this condition. I followed Savannah's order until she was ready to issue the next one."

John didn't want to make a big deal about it. He was actually glad Cameron or Savannah would be protected if they needed to be. It was clear the Terminators would go to any length to ensure it happened. His inability to enter the lab was proof of it.

"Were you protecting Cameron or Savannah?" John asked.

Savannah gave Al's arm a gentle squeeze.

"I needed to protect both of them." Al said. "Both are of equal importance."

John wondered where he fit into the picture for protection. He wasn't sure if he was going to like the answer or not. He strongly doubted he would.

"Where do I rate?" John asked.

John knew all their Terminators would back Cameron if it ever came down to it. He figured all of the girls would too. He pretty much saw them all do it before, including the Duplicate girls.

Savannah didn't like John's tone. She didn't like the path of the questioning. It seemed to put Al on the spot. She wanted a less aggressive tone. She let him know it.

"John, stop this." Savannah said. "He was only doing his job. It was what I wanted."

Savannah moved around and faced Al. She didn't want him to have second thoughts about what he needed to do.

"Thank you, Al." Savannah said as she reached out and touched Al on the cheek. "You may go. I appreciate what you did. Cameron will too. I'll make sure she knows of your duty and sacrifice. I know this was a difficult situation."

Al smiled at Savannah and left. He didn't like to stand up to John, but he was very pleased at how Savannah treated him. He touched his cheek where Savannah touched him as he went around the corner. Her touch meant something to him. It was 'electric', but it wasn't electric in reality. It just 'felt' like it was to him.

John saw the effect Savannah was able to have with all the Terminators. In fact, she seemed to have the same effect on humans as well, including him.

He decided to drop it. He knew he wasn't going to be able to argue with Savannah any better than he was able to argue with Cameron. His mother warned him of similar situations long ago. She reminded him no one could 'control' her either. It was clear the females he cared for would have great influence over him.

He wanted Cameron and Savannah both protected as well.

Vanna liked how everything played out. She could tell John was still steamed. She moved up next to him and took his arm as she led him into the lab.

"Relax, John, this is about Cameron." Vanna said. "Let's go check on her."

John looked at Vanna. She was right.

They entered the lab behind Cammy and Savannah and headed for Cameron. Vanna released his arm when they arrived at Cameron's side.

"So where are we?" John asked as he looked at Cameron.

Savannah really wished there was an answer for him. There wasn't a good one.

"The same place we were before." Savannah said. "Cammy was forced to shut down when Cameron's chip was installed in her. I thought we lost both of them for a while."

John looked at Cammy. He didn't want her to end up like John Henry or Cameron was earlier. He was a little concerned because Cammy ran Cameron's program. Cameron reverted back to her Skynet programming at one point and attempted to kill him. He wondered if Cammy would ever try to do the same thing.

"Are you OK?" John asked.

Cammy smiled at John. She wanted to play things cool. She was sure his line of questioning was related to Cameron's past episode where she attempted to terminate him. She glanced over at Savannah before she returned her attention back to John. There was no need to create a bigger problem.

"I'm fine." Cammy said. "Thank you for asking."

It was a little more of a response than he expected.

Savannah filled him in on what she observed and Cammy told him of her experience. She didn't mention Cameron was possibly terminated. There was no definitive or conclusive proof she was. She hadn't been able to run her 'final test' yet.

Vanna thought Cammy was a little over animated. She wasn't so sure she was OK. She knew Cameron's clones, like Cam, her cyborg lover, tended to be a little less 'uptight' than Cameron did. Cammy seemed to be a little off to her.

"Are you OK, Cammy?" Vanna asked.

Cammy was pretty sure her time was limited. There was a contingency plan. She drew the short straw. She was the one there.

"I'm still checking." Cammy said. "It's unimportant. I need to have Cameron's spare chip installed. I need to become 'Cameron' - John's Cameron."

Savannah didn't want to hear such talk. She wasn't about to allow Cammy to be terminated. It was way too early to make such a determination.

"NO." Savannah said. "I won't approve it. I won't allow it."

John wondered if Savannah could 'order' it to happen or not happen. It seemed like she could. The Terminators would follow her 'order'. It also meant she could countermand his 'orders' to the Terminators if she chose to do so. He tried to think of a scenario where such an event might occur. Vanna told him Savannah would always do the 'right thing'. It made him a little worried to wonder if he might do the 'wrong thing'.

He watched Savannah grow up under the stewardship of Cameron, as well as his mother and the other Terminators. He never saw her do anything she shouldn't do which would affect others in a negative way. Cameron told him he would need the advice of Savannah and Young Allison going forward. Maybe it was true. It was the same thing as it was now a major influence on Future John.

Cammy liked the fact Savannah stood up for her over 'Cameron' in this case. She needed to remind Savannah what Cameron wanted. It certainly wasn't her continued existence. Cameron made it clear to her she was nothing but a 'placeholder'. She didn't much care for being called a 'cheap imitation' either. She was a hundred percent copy. Just who did Cameron think she was?

"Savannah, you know it's Cameron's order her chip be installed in a clone or Duplicate of her." Cammy said. "Everyone sacrifices for John Connor."

Savannah felt it was way too early to make rash decisions of such magnitude. It was only a few hours since it all started. She knew she could countermand Cameron's order. She didn't think she wanted to test Cameron's order, over her order. She only ever planned to use an order in the most extreme circumstances or to protect others in their group. She planned to protect Cameron in the traditional sense right now. No one was going to sacrifice for John Connor, yet.

"Not today they won't." Savannah said. "I won't allow it to happen. There needs to be a lot more testing before any conclusions are reached. I think it's something we can all agree to, even if we don't want to."

John was disgusted by all of it. Cameron could still 'hurt' people, even when she was deactivated.

He did notice Vanna and Savannah stood on each side of Cammy. All three of them looked Hot. He knew if he listened to Cameron years ago, Vanna and Allison would still be together, and both of them would be with Cameron and him. They would have been a close family and have children by now. Cameron would have seen to it. Everything would be different. Now it was Savannah's 'turn'. He thought about their earlier encounter in Savannah's room. He was so close to what he wanted. Maybe he shouldn't have skipped the foreplay. Then again, he was sure he would come up short on attempting to do what the girls were all experienced at.

"…John…?" Savannah asked.

John blinked his eyes and looked at Savannah. He'd missed her question completely.

"I'm sorry. I was worried about Cameron." John said. "I was thinking about some things…."

Savannah wanted to try a few more things with Cameron. Since John was there, he could try. She would rather have him try first. If she was right, it would work. If not she would give it a try herself. Since they didn't know what was wrong, they didn't know what would work or not. She wondered what John zoned out on, but figured everyone had a lot on their mind right now. It was a very stressful situation which they were all a part of. It was time to stop thinking about what needed to be done and do it.

"John, would you please give Cameron a 'kiss' and see if it brings her out of her maintenance mode." Savannah said. "She may be deep in 'Sleeping Beauty' mode. I don't know."

Cammy, Vanna, and Savannah went to another part of the room to put things away. They wanted to give John some privacy with Cameron. They understood the seriousness of the moment and its implications one way or another.

John was glad the girls left him alone with Cameron. He understood they all loved and cared about each other. He moved up to Cameron and spoke softly with her.

He thought back to the time when he believed she destroyed her chassis when she became Isabel. Isabel was one Hot Terminator. He refused to refer to her by 'Isabel' and continued to call her Cameron. It caused a lot of friction and animosity between them at the time. When he went and saw Cameron's pristine chassis in the storage area, he couldn't help but give her a kiss. He looked at Cameron now on the workbench. He hoped he could do the same thing again. He leaned down and kissed her.

He waited, nothing happened. He didn't think it would. He was sure Cameron 'replaced' him. The issue was getting Cameron back to normal. He wasn't sure what normal was anymore. He wanted Cameron back 'alive'. He didn't care what it took to do it. If he was replaced, he was replaced. Cameron's well being came before his desires.

"Savannah." John called.

Savannah and Vanna returned.

He looked at both of them and then concentrated on Savannah. He wanted Cameron back. He wanted the person she loved more to bring her back.

"It didn't work." John said. "I need your help. Can you please try it?"

Savannah wanted to do so very much. She was self conscious about it, especially in front of the others. She wanted to see if someone else might be able to do it

"No. I can't." Savannah said. "Let Vanna try."

Vanna looked at Savannah and then at John. It didn't seem like her place. She wasn't part of the 'Natural Order', even if she was, sort of.

"John, I can't." Vanna said.

John wasn't sure why the girls were hesitant. Maybe there was something he didn't know. Maybe it was something he didn't want to know. They still needed to do something. What else was left?

"Please." John said. "I need…. WE need Cameron back."

Vanna looked at John and Savannah.

Vanna quickly gave Cameron a kiss.

They waited. Nothing happened.

Vanna looked a little upset. It seemed to be the answer for what Cammy indicated earlier about exactly who she was, regardless of her name or DNA.

"It didn't work." Vanna said. "I don't think it's going to either."

John looked very uneasy. He turned his attention to Savannah.

"Savannah, will you give it a try?" John asked. "Please, for Cameron."

Cammy returned. She assessed the situation. She knew how Savannah felt on several levels. It was her job to protect Savannah. Having an audience, under the current conditions, isn't something Savannah wanted.

"Please, leave Savannah and Cameron alone for a few minutes. We should all wait outside." Cammy said. "Savannah is uncomfortable doing this in front of you. We need to give her some privacy."

Savannah was pleased Cammy took control. Cammy knew her well. She did feel uneasy about doing it in front of John and Vanna.

John thought about protesting, but he could see Savannah was uncomfortable to do it in front of them, no - him. He needed to remember regardless of anything else, she was still a teenager. There was a lot on her plate from several different levels.

"Let's go." John said. "Everyone deserves some privacy."

They all left….

Savannah and Cameron were alone.

John, Vanna, and Cammy waited in the hallway,

They hoped Savannah could 'reach' Cameron.

John knew if Savannah was able to reactivate Cameron, it indicated it really was over between Cameron and him. He knew for a long time it already was. Cameron seemed to tolerate him if nothing else. She would offer to perform her 'wifely duties' for him and leave. It seemed most of the time she no longer took satisfaction or pleasure out of their 'couplings'. It was simply a function to perform. Like washing the dishes, or mowing the lawn. It was a 'job' that needed to be done, so one did it. There were still times when she seemed as enthralled with him as she was on their wedding night. He wasn't one to question those times. He would rather enjoy them than turn them sour.

He knew Cameron operated outside of her original programming for him. He doubted Future John programmed it into her, to be his wife. He tried to ask Future Allison about it. She said Future John would never talk about anything regarding Cameron from 'before'. The next thing he knew Future Allison tried to make a move on him. She was 'all over' him. He made a hasty retreat. He wondered why. She was so desirable and Hot.

"Some things never change." Future Allison laughed as John retreated.

Cameron later told him some more. Future Allison needed to really 'push' to get Future John to touch her at the start of their relationship. She knew what she wanted. Future John was worried about the 'age' difference. He wasn't sure if it was about Future John and Future Allison, or Young Allison and him. It was all related somehow. If nothing else, it seemed the point was, age didn't matter. Because of the jump forward in time, the age difference between Young Allison and him was far less than it was between Future John and Future Allison. It was an indication age didn't matter when love was involved.

The whole encounter made John wonder about the nature of how their relationship was started…. Whatever it was, Future Allison was very dominant. He was sure the near year of time Future Allison spent with Cameron only reinforced it or made it 'worse', that all depended on one's point of view.

As they waited, it was apparent Vanna was unhappy she couldn't reactivate Cameron with her kiss. She knew Cameron loved her, as she did Cameron. If Savannah could do it, it would mean she was 'replaced' in Cameron's heart….

Vanna wondered who was in Cameron's 'heart' now. If she were to make a bet, it would be Savannah. If Cameron didn't reactivate she was going to remove the heart and look. Whoever's photo was next to Cameron's photo was the only one who would be able to reactivate her. She hoped it wasn't River's photo….

There was a lot for everyone to think about. Most of it seemed to center on their own shortcomings.

Vanna looked at John. She wanted to be with him. Now wasn't the time to talk about the 'three way' with Savannah, him, and her. If Cameron remained deactivated, and Savannah wouldn't allow one of the Terminators to give up their chassis, it would improve her chances to be with him. She hoped after the 'three way' he would appreciate her experience over Savannah's youth. She was actually quite pleased Young Jesse was the one who 'popped' Savannah instead of John, or any other male.

John looked at the lab door. Cammy smiled at him a lot. Vanna looked like she was somewhere else. It made him wonder if he wouldn't rather be somewhere else as well.

Savannah waited until they all left. She felt a little more comfortable now. She didn't want anyone looking over her shoulder or making comments which might be done in jest or be rude. She didn't need to hear them either way.

She sat next to Cameron and looked at her. She took Cameron's hand in hers. She gently touched Cameron's cheek with her other hand. It was a gesture of love.

Savannah spoke softly to Cameron. She expressed her concern and love for her. She told Cameron she was needed for the future, for John, for all of them, and for her.

She moved her face in front of Cameron's face now. Her hair fell like a red waterfall around her face and Cameron's face. It enclosed the area between their close faces.

"Cameron." Savannah said. "You're invincible."

Savannah's tears silently fell on Cameron's face.

"Cameron." Savannah said. "You're eternal."

Savannah's tears ran down Cameron's cheeks as if they were Cameron's own tears.

She didn't know what would happen. What if she couldn't bring Cameron back?

Savannah cried for both of them.

"I believe in you, Cameron." Savannah said. "I always say your name when 'we' are together in those 'moments'. It's only you I ever see."

"I love you, Cameron, and you love me." Savannah said.

Their faces drew closer, their lips were about to touch.

Savannah didn't want to kiss Cameron in this condition.

"Please forgive me for this…." Savannah said. "I want to help you if I can."

Savannah gave Cameron a gentle kiss.

"I'm sorry…." Savannah said.

Savannah moved her head back a couple of inches to better observe Cameron's face. Her red hair still enclosed both of their faces. They were only inches apart.

Savannah waited.

She believed with all her heart….

Nothing happened.

It didn't work….

Cameron was - terminated….

Closing monologue by Cameron:

It Didn't Work

Everyone thinks
They give it their all
The bigger the lie
The greater the fall

Exactly how far
Is all of the way
It's really a lot shorter
Than what people say

Everything it seems
Is made to be broken
Words become meaningless
As soon as they're spoken

There's a big jolt
When things slip of the rails
It's an inevitable fact
Sooner or later everything fails

It all boils down
To who was the jerk
When reality strikes
That it didn't work

Nobody