Chapter 531

Why Is She Here

John Henry followed up on all their past actions. He looked for any threats or future targets. His search seemed to have hit 'pay-dirt'. He double checked his findings with CamNet. It was a solid lead.

"John, I think we have something." John Henry said.

John was troubled by the trauma which happened to Cameron. He really wanted to lash out at any remnants of the specific group. It was personal to him at this point. He knew Cameron didn't like him going out on operations. He felt in this particular case it was warranted. Someone damaged her and he wanted to return the favor.

"Is it from the group who hurt Cameron?" John asked. "If it is, I'm going myself. I want to get some payback."

John Henry knew a bad idea when he heard one. John should remain in the Command Center where he belonged. What he uncovered was actually older information. It was an operation where they never tied up all the loose ends because they couldn't find them. Cameron faced great danger there as well.

"No, it is from a previous encounter." John Henry said. "You were there when we saw where the HK Tracks were assembled, but we weren't able to track down all the places where the parts were actually made. It's changed. I've uncovered some additional information."

John knew it was also the location where Savannah emerged as a great tactician and solid leader. She stepped up on her own. His mind started to wander with the issue of Savannah.

He knew he needed to stay with John Henry on the briefing and stop dreaming about Savannah. Cameron did everything she could to make them attracted to each other and fall in love. Now it happened. He wasn't sorry for what almost happened in Savannah's bedroom. He knew if it didn't happen, he would lose Cameron forever. Savannah was so beautiful, intelligent, fun, witty and smoking hot….

"…John…." John Henry said.

John was caught off guard. He'd been thinking how much he wanted to take Savannah's virginity. He specifically tried to stay focused on the briefing John Henry laid out, but was unable to do so. He didn't want to seem like he was inattentive. He answered what he thought John Henry discussed. He figured it would be about proceeding with the operation.

"It's fine." John quickly answered.

John Henry looked at John with his head tilted slightly. He was baffled by his answer. He wanted to know more about how John reached his conclusion.

"How is it fine?" John Henry asked.

John was lost in thought earlier and missed whatever John Henry asked him. He pictured Savannah as she would squirm beneath him as he 'broke her in'. He wanted to see the look of discomfort and pleasure on her face. He didn't want to admit to his inattentive behavior. He repeated his earlier answer.

"It's about what you said." John answered. "It's fine."

John Henry was disturbed by John's answer. It seemed he was on board with Cameron's termination now. He wondered why there was a shift. He wondered if John was ready to move on to one of the other females or one of the other cyborgs and wanted Cameron out of the way. He wanted to verify John's position.

"I said Cameron was almost terminated." John Henry said. "How is it fine?"

John thought maybe he should come clean at least to a certain point. He decided to leave out the part about Savannah. It would be better to keep the focus on Cameron.

"I'm sorry. I'm worried about Cameron. I think my mind drifted some." John said. "I know if I won't do what she wants, she'll either leave for another future or the past. If nothing 'happens', I'm afraid she'll seek termination in combat. I don't want her terminated or in a different timeline. It's all very worrisome to me. I apologize for being distracted."

From his observations, it sounded more like water under the bridge to John Henry. It was clear to all of them the 'Natural Order' started to assert itself. He didn't think it made any sense to resist the inevitable.

"John, everyone is aware of what's happening or has happened." John Henry said. "It's no longer - 'What Cameron wants'."

John wasn't sure where the conversation was going.

"What exactly does it mean?" John asked.

John Henry believed it was self evident. Cameron's future was the perfect example. It showed how far Savannah was willing to go.

"It means there is a very lovely young woman who loves you and Cameron. She's sacrificed the most special things a female can do for Cameron and the future." John Henry said. "One of them benefited you in the future because it was no longer possible for you to have a family in the future. Isn't THAT what Cameron keeps telling you? Can you honestly say you don't love Savannah?"

John was a little irritated now. Everything revolved around Cameron's manipulation. He really didn't like how she played with the girl's lives and their hearts. It was supposed to be for his benefit but what was the personal price everyone else needed to pay?

"I do love her. I also love Vanna, Allison, and Jesse." John said. "Cameron made me love all of them, and for them to love me."

John Henry's research into humans and love was quite extensive. He wanted to know if he could 'love' and how what he 'felt' could be defined. He thought a cyborg could be programmed to feel 'love', but he didn't think a human could be 'made' to love someone. It was something which needed to come from within the individual. He knew often one person would love another who didn't have those same feelings. It actually seemed to be quite common from his research. It was something beautiful when two people both loved each other. He was aware there were different degrees and types of love. Love wasn't a 'one size fits all' feeling.

"Nobody can make someone love someone else." John Henry said. "There has to be something there, especially when it's mutual."

John didn't comment on John Henry's specific wording. He was aware of Cameron's manipulation of everyone's lives almost from the day she was reactivated when he was still in the future. Her actions directly or indirectly split up couples and altered their lives. Cameron tried to control the direction those lives went. He was aware later on Cameron split up Vanna and Allison, Derek and Jesse, and Jesse and Riley.

He was pretty sure she split up Claire and Paul Young as well. She did it to 'free up' the females for him. They were more likely to seek him out without a male companion, even if they were with a female companion. It was another thing which Cameron seemed to make sure all of the females were able to share. It was one or more female companions. It was all very cruel if one thought about it. He thought about it a lot.

"Cameron is the 'Queen Of Hearts'." John said. "We ALL know what she's done to EVERYONE."

John Henry watched Cameron carefully as she 'directed' the females. He thought the 'fissures' were already there which Cameron may have widened. He never saw Cameron 'force' anyone. At best, she would hold a door open and allow them to walk through.

"Then you're a 'victim' as well if it's the case." John Henry said. "Cameron's only facilitated the desires and hunger within the people themselves. She never MADE anyone do anything they didn't want to do. She always gave them a choice."

John saw it as 'strong arm' tactics without the physical force. Maybe the lure was Cameron herself. Everyone wanted to be with her and so far she only was with him, at least in the past. Who knew what really happened in the future. Cameron still claimed those files were erased. What if they weren't and it was just what she said? Maybe there was a lot more than anyone knew, including Future John.

"It may be true, but she's sure 'leaned on' them a lot to make the 'right' choice." John said. "Cameron created choices for them which didn't exist before. She narrowed their selection as well. It was never a 'free choice' for any of them, but only the choices Cameron offered."

Cammy boldly entered the Command Center.

John thought she didn't look happy at all. In fact she looked just like Cameron. It was very unlike her. He did remember she was in contact with Cameron's chip recently. Maybe some of it rubbed off.

"That's enough of this nonsense and speculation about Cameron." Cammy said. "It stops now."

She heard them discussing 'things' as she approached. She didn't like their discussion, especially about Savannah. She listened outside a little bit before she entered. She didn't like what either of them said, especially John.

John looked at her and said nothing further. Cammy WAS 'Cameron', her clone anyway. He saw it as further proof to the length Cameron would go to make sure her wishes were enacted. She sent her clones to do the 'dirty work' so she could have her hand out of the 'cookie jar', but still have a cookie.

John Henry speculated CamNet alerted Cameron, or her clones, to the change in the direction of the original conversation. Usually CamNet locked him out of his system to 'punish' him for infractions which involved Cameron or the girls. He didn't want there to be a further escalation of events, especially in the wrong direction.

"We were discussing possible foundry locations for the HK Tracks." John Henry said. "I'm sorry we were side tracked on another subject. Since you're here now, we can return to the original issue. I'll appreciate your input."

Cammy didn't like how Savannah was affected by everything which happened to Cameron in the last week. She knew Savannah was going to step up herself to go on more missions. It was unacceptable to her. She decided to take the missions herself. Cam didn't want Vanna to step up either. They decided they would take Cameron's place.

"I want the information myself." Cammy said. "Cam and I will be doing more in the way of strikes. We're stepping up. Cameron's been doing too much. We're going to share the burden."

It meant Cam and Cammy were really willing to share the damage.

John saw it for what it really was because he felt the same way himself. It was about protecting Cameron, and everyone needed to do more. It was one big crap sandwich and they all needed to take a bite. He wanted to see if they would come clean. He was aware there were certain limitations placed on Cam and Cammy by Cameron.

"What do Savannah and Vanna have to say about it?" John asked.

Cammy looked at John. She decided to tell him the truth. Maybe he would help keep Savannah and Vanna at the base. He knew what the risks were.

"They both said THEY are going to lead the assaults themselves to take the burden off Cameron." Cammy said. "That's what they 'say'."

It was true. John was right, both of them wanted to take some of the heat off of Cameron. Now he looked like the jerk for forcing the issue.

"I'm sorry." John said.

Cammy wanted John to know how deeply ALL the girls were affected, both human and Terminator. Everyone was willing to step up and take the risk.

"Sheila, Ally, and Gail all want to do more as well. Jesse will accompany them." Cammy said. "THEY ALL LOVE CAMERON."

John could see he hit a nerve and it was a bigger problem now. Everything went back to how Cameron MADE everyone love her. John could see the 'Cameron' in Cammy was about to boil over. He resisted the urge to tell her not to 'blow a fuse'. It would have accelerated the 'melt down'. He remembered he made plenty of rude comments to Cameron previously along similar lines.

"Relax." John said.

Cammy didn't like how John looked at her. It looked like he was going to 'mouth off'. Savannah never showed her any disrespect like John did. Why would he treat her with such disrespect? Who did John think she was, Cameron?

"Young Jesse and Camille want to come also." Cammy said. "Claire has Hanna, Holly, and Anna all TRAINING her, by HER choice. It's both Claire and Young Allison."

John swallowed hard. Images from 'the movie' flashed through his mind at the mention of Young Allison. He wondered how bad Cameron manipulated her. He didn't think he really needed to wonder. He was sure it was to the maximum level she could get away without causing a problem at the Young residence. He was sure Cameron could manipulate events to play out the way she wanted them to, no matter what the situation was

"Did Young Allison ASK for this?" John asked.

Cammy was insulted by the question. Cameron never MADE anyone do anything. It was always their own choice. Cameron just made sure they made the correct choice. She was pretty sure John was the wrong choice for Cameron. He seemed like part of the problem, rather than part of the solution. Young Allison was very much part of the solution. Her lack of years didn't hinder her determination.

"Yes, she did. She wishes to fight alongside Savannah." Cammy said. "Both Future Allison and Allison talked to her about everything and the future. They explained EVERYTHING to both Claire and Young Allison. She knows the future and her destiny. She knows and understands what all of her duties and functions will be."

Cammy was certain John wasn't worthy of some of them. It was another subject. It was probably better if she didn't bring up at this time. She figured if Cameron was there she probably would have. She wasn't Cameron, even if she was.

John Henry didn't like Cameron to be blamed for everything John didn't like. It was wrong for John to feel it was.

"It isn't Cameron's doing, John." John Henry said.

John pushed the images from 'the movie' out of his head. Maybe the parallels were too great to do it. Maybe it was why he always thought of them. Cameron stole the girls 'childhood' from them, and 'made' them into hardened adults in younger bodies. They didn't think about girl things, they all thought adult things. They thought about Skynet. Skynet meant death and destruction. It wasn't what young minds needed to think about. They shouldn't have to think about what they would 'need' to do to protect him in a Skynet future. It was all Cameron's doing.

"Isn't it?" John asked. "Young Allison is still young. She shouldn't be looking forward to her 'destiny'. She shouldn't be looking forward to being in combat or warming someone's bed. She shouldn't need to think about any of those things. The only reason she thinks about them, or even knows about them, is because of Cameron. She wouldn't know about any of it if it wasn't for Cameron. Don't say Cameron doesn't force anyone what to do or not to do. She manipulates everything so the choices they need to make are the ones she wants them to make. You can deny it all you want, but it won't change what we all know is the reality."

Cammy wanted to point out it was what happened to all females after Judgment Day. Maybe Vanna and Jesse could remind him. Females became a commodity. They were little more than 'currency' in the future. There were no social morals any longer. The 'animal' in MEN resurfaced and they openly became the animals they really were. It was almost as if nothing changed from the time of Cavemen.

She thought maybe she should put it in simple terms for John and use the very words Young Allison used.

"Young Allison wishes to protect the future for her sister, Summer and YOUR sister, Jan." Cammy said. "She also wants to make sure it will be safer for Allison's baby."

John felt arguing with Cammy was like arguing with Cameron. It was pointless and they never listened to what he said. All it did was create even bigger problems going forward. It seemed to be the destination he was headed with Cammy right now. It was a losing battle for him because everyone else was on Cameron's side.

"It's like everyone is on a different page than me." John said. "They all follow Cameron's wishes."

John was sure they were all on the wrong page. It wasn't him.

Cammy was further insulted by John's ignorance and arrogance. She really wondered how Cameron put up with him. He wasn't part of the solution at all. The business they were in wasn't all fun and games. She wanted John to THINK. She was now visibly angry.

"Why is she here? Why is Cameron HERE?" Cammy asked. "What was the reason YOU sent Cameron here, back in time, to YOU? Was it so you would have a cyborg 'love doll' to USE as a 'Metal Whore'? WHY IS SHE HERE?"

John Henry wanted to try and get John away from Cammy's wrath. He could see she looked very much like Cameron on a 'bad day'. It was clearly a 'bad day' at this point.

"I can answer the question." John Henry said. "Cameron was sent back to prevent the horrors of the future from happening, stop Skynet, and protect John. She was sent back to protect the future."

John looked at John Henry. When he looked back, Cammy was gone. He was surprised at who was there. He hadn't expected to see her there. Based upon the look on her face, he wished she wouldn't have been there. He knew the sparring match wasn't over. He was about to face a heavy hitter. He swallowed hard.

Savannah stood there as she looked at them. She was behind Cammy the whole time. She heard everything which was said or implied. There was a lot of it she didn't agree with as far as interpretation went. There were deeper issues than any of the individuals involved.

"John, it is what it is. Cameron's done ALL those things, mostly by herself." Savannah said. "It's a collective effort we're all a part of. None of it is Cameron's fault. She's the one who's trying to fix things and prevent others from happening. It ends NOW. My love for her is worth more than my life. I'll do anything for her, John, ANYTHING."

John was well aware Savannah PROVED it already. She faced death more than once. He wasn't sure exactly how he would respond to Savannah. The way events played out he wouldn't be able to. Now Savannah was gone as well.

He wasn't sure he was wrong about everything. He was sure he wasn't right about all of it either. There were still certain things which should be done in certain ways. There were certain people who didn't need to engage in certain activities at this time. This was one of the times when he wondered if he missed the boat. It sure seemed like it.

John was pulled back to reality.

"CamNet is asking me to confirm the targets." John Henry said.

John needed to refocus. He needed to think about what they were up to previously. The incident involving Cammy, and Savannah, threw him off track.

"What's happening?" John asked.

John Henry spoke of what Cammy and Savannah indicated.

"Everyone's embracing the future…." John Henry said.

John felt disgusted and left out. It was like he was on a different page than everyone else was on. He didn't mind acknowledging his shortcomings when he felt they were justified.

"Everyone but me…." John said.

John Henry decided not to elaborate. It seemed John already knew the answer.

"Apparently…." John Henry said.

John wanted to act himself now. He needed to know where Cameron was at. As far as he knew, she was in the middle of everything right now.

"Where's Cameron?" John asked.

John Henry checked the security cameras.

"She's in the process of destroying the infant Skynet she captured along with Sarah and Kyle." John Henry said.

John was glad to hear she wasn't out in the field. He also wondered what she was doing exactly with his parents. If anything, it was something to further gain their support. He didn't think it was to control them, but if they supported her, it was more or less the same thing.

"Beautiful." John said. "Absolutely beautiful…."

Holly took over watching Summer so Claire and Young Allison could train. The training was going on for a while, but now it really picked up in intensity. The physical training and dance skills Cameron instructed Young Allison on, gave her great physical agility and strength. A lot of stamina was required to do dance routines. It was a way to conduct 'physical training' which didn't seem like it was physical training.

She wanted Allison to take it easy since she joined in with them to practice. She monitored Allison every fifteen minutes. She was sure Allison was there to prevent them from overdoing it. She didn't raise her voice to put a stop to it. It was clear she understood the better prepared they were for the future, the greater their ability to survive would be. The better they were trained, the fewer men who would be on top of them….

Allison wanted to keep in shape and train with her mother and younger self. She didn't need to be 'mothered' by a cyborg. She didn't expect her current pregnancy to do any better than the others. Why would it? The rest ended in failure. Her body was worthless in her opinion. Skynet destroyed her abilities as a female. She was just a person. It didn't matter if she was male or female. She didn't want Holly to continue to fuss over her.

"Look, Holly, if something's going to go wrong, it's going to go wrong." Allison said. "We both know how this is going to end, again. It's just the way it is."

Holly was with Claire in Cameron's future. The baby was 'Allison's baby' who Cameron 'gave' to Future Allison. There were other options which would be available to Allison. The most obvious choice was Young Allison. She actually believed it was the better choice for Allison. She didn't know what the extent of damage actually was to Allison's genetic material. It would be better if Young Allison provided it for her in the same way Future Allison was provided for. It didn't seem like now was the time to get specific.

"Cameron will fix it." Holly said.

Allison was irritated and on the edge right now. She spoke angrily. She just wanted to get away from it all.

"Everyone expects Cameron to do EVERYTHING." Allison said. "I want to go back to my future. It's where I belong."

Allison knew being in the current timeline disrupted it.

Holly didn't say anything for a long time. Holly was from the same future. It was the future she was created in. She was created as a Restorator by Mrs. Weaver. She wondered if Allison would take her when she left, she doubted it. She didn't want to upset Allison further.

"I'll inform Cameron." Holly said.

Allison saw Holly try to hide her left hand as it began to glitch behind Summer.

The atmosphere in the room was very tense.

Allison felt she may have been a little too harsh. She came to Holly and hugged her.

Holly did what she felt was her job. She scanned her.

"I'm sorry, Holly." Allison said. "I'm so moody and worried about everything. I'm worried about my mother, Allison, and the baby I have, MY baby."

Holly felt very frustrated. All she did was try to help.

"I don't know what else to do." Holly said. "I'm trying my best."

Allison was further disgusted with herself. She could see the anguish she caused Holly to experience. It wasn't her intention.

"I'm sorry, Holly." Allison said again. "It's nothing personal. It's me."

Holly felt defeated. Allison should return to her long time lover. It was a mistake for them to be separated and try and have a scary robot from the future fill in.

"I think you need to go back to the Resistance base and be with Vanna. She's better suited to respond and act on your needs." Holly said. "I'll join combat rotation. I don't want to be the further cause of any anguish or aggravation to you."

Allison felt terrible now. She could see Holly was serious. She didn't want her to feel like she currently did.

"Holly, stop." Allison said. "Please for me, stop."

Holly saw it for what it really was and needed to be.

"No, Allison." Holly said. "You NEED to be with John or Vanna, or BOTH of them. You NEED real people. You need those who can respond better to what you need and are able to share with you on an equal basis."

Allison tried to hug Holly.

"I'm sorry." Allison said.

Holly pulled away.

"I need to put Summer in her room." Holly said.

She was done.

She selected a song on her player and left it for Allison.

'Rhythm Of The Rain' by 'The Cascades', softly drifted around the room.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Why Is She Here

Why is what one has
Never 'good enough'
It seems some can't recognize
When they have the right stuff

Is it because it's the same thing
The same face everyday
Maybe they are tired
Of things the other will say

Toleration becomes the way
As things gel into stagnation
One or both may seek
Some form of variation

Things really only last
Six months to two years
Anything that drags on longer
Is bound to produce grief and tears

You don't need her
Let me make this clear
That's what I'm for
Why is she here

Nobody