Chapter 539

Everything

Earlier:

Sarah led John away from the lab. He protested a lot. She knew the girls wanted to work undisturbed. She knew Savannah didn't want to be looked at either in her current condition. No female liked to look less than perfect in front of someone she cared about. There were other things he could do in the meantime.

"John, go and finish your 'after action' report." Sarah said. "Let the girls finish up. Everyone will be fine. This is where you need to use some tact and discretion."

John didn't want to see anyone hurt, machine or otherwise. The nature of their business was a deadly one. It was more than clear the machines possessed a major advantage over humans. The fact all the machines were still there, and a list of humans wasn't, was proof of the concept. He couldn't help but think about Future Kyle, Future Derek, Future Riley, Charlie and Michelle. There were also his foster parents, Todd and Janelle. The status of Future Jesse was unknown. His main concern right now was for Savannah. He didn't want her name added to the list.

Cameron was always a major concern of his. He didn't always like the way she did things. He knew she did what she thought was the right thing. She was usually correct. He never liked to see her get shot up. He didn't like the way she began to avoid him when he wanted to look over her damage. He wouldn't think anything less of her for being damaged. He knew it would eventually heal and she would look as beautiful as ever. Now there was another worry. He was worried about Savannah. She always held a special place in his heart which grew from the day they saved her life from a Terminator. He was almost with her. He still couldn't believe he was only one second away from claiming her virginity when the base alarm went off. He didn't want to see anything happen to her. He didn't want her to be hurt or killed. He looked at his mother.

"I'm worried about both of them." John said. "I now better understand Cameron and her being able to get a 'replacement chassis' if needed, people can't do the same thing. She can still exist on a server even. I get it. I just don't like it. Maybe we should find out what happened. Nobody will tell us…."

Sarah understood John's need to want to be with Cameron and even Savannah. It was natural to care about the ones people loved. Maybe she should just go with him for now. It would give him a little extra support. She'd also be able to keep better 'control' of him if she was with him. She knew there was a good chance he probably would try to go back to the lab and find out more about Cameron and Savannah. She was sure it would upset the Metal girls even more than it would Savannah, Vanna, and Jesse.

She did want to know what happened on the operation in better detail. The Command Center was where they needed to go. The body cams would show exactly what happened and when.

"I'll go with you." Sarah said. "Let's see what went right and what went wrong. I think it's important we find out as soon as possible."

Sarah was worried about Cameron and Savannah too. The sooner they figured things out, the better they could try to protect their troops the next time. With the Skynet jamming field, things were different this time.

John hoped to get a better picture of everything soon. They currently collected the last pieces of the puzzle. Everyone was under the assumption Savannah got into a jam and Cameron was damaged attempting to protect her. Savannah's other calls about the mission all seem to be spot on, other than the episode with Cameron and the enemy Terminators.

"We have all the body cams now. John Henry is processing them." John said. "We'll know soon enough. I know sometimes on an operation it's easy to get sidetracked, or try to take a shortcut."

He wondered if allowing Savannah to take command of the operation was the right decision. Everything was achieved as per the plan at both locations and Savannah followed through on them until she was the last one at each location. All of their goals were achieved.

It was what happened to Cameron which bothered him. John knew she must have been damaged protecting Savannah. He would have expected nothing less from Cameron with any of their troops. He was also aware Cameron would face termination to protect Savannah or him. If he'd gone along, Cameron would have done the same to protect him. He didn't want to fault anyone until they knew more about exactly what happened. He was aware events on the battlefield were often unpredictable and fluid. It was time to find out what happened.

John Henry normally would monitor the body cams and drone footage in real time. A comprehensive overview of what occurred could be obtained very quickly. It would allow for him to coordinate a better response or direct support where it was needed without any delay in time. The latest mission presented them with a new problem. With the Skynet jamming field which was in place, the data collected during the time was unable to be transmitted. To get all of it, he needed the device.

He was finally able to process all the body cam footage. The last ones in were those from Cammy, Bob, Steve, Savannah, and Cameron. After they lost the live feed he needed to wait until they were back for all the information.

John Henry sat stunned as he watched Savannah's body cam footage. It was extremely disturbing. He thought he might be about to 'space out' again. He needed to suppress a glitch in his left hand as he viewed the footage.

Bob was nearby. Jim and him tried to keep tabs on John Henry when they were around. He noticed a strange look on John Henry's face. He spotted the involuntary movement of his left hand. He decided to take a closer look. The incident from the other day was still fresh in his mind. He immediately moved to where John Henry was. He was ready to disconnect him from his server.

John Henry was aware of his current condition. It wasn't related to anything other than the body cam footage he watched. It was hard to believe. He could see what Bob was about to do to him. He wanted to put him at ease.

"No, Bob." John Henry said. "I'm fully operational. I've just viewed some extremely disturbing body cam footage. I'm in a mild state of 'shock' seeing it. My 'sister' was almost killed, again."

Bob remembered the scene where he found Savannah. There were half a dozen dead Grays and three downed Terminators around her. She was in front of Cameron ready to fight as Steve and him came around the corner. Her M4 was in her right hand and her Taser was in her left hand. It was clear she didn't plan to go down without heavy resistance. He was under the impression Cameron was the one responsible for all the carnage around her.

John Henry started the video feeds of Cameron and Savannah, they both played side by side 'in sync'. He paused them for a moment as he looked at Bob.

"I want you to watch what I just viewed." John Henry said. "I want to make sure I saw it correctly. I know I did. I just want to know it's what it looks like."

Bob was still a little concerned about John Henry's wording. He wanted to see what it was which bothered John Henry currently.

"Affirmative…." Bob said.

John Henry restarted the feeds. He showed them to Bob.

"I think you might want to make a copy of what you see." John Henry said. "I did."

Now Bob sat and looked like John Henry did earlier as he watched everything unfold until the time when Steve and him arrived.

"It's absolutely amazing." Bob said.

This wasn't the first video evidence or files from a Terminator's video log John Henry possessed of Savannah in action. He even watched her stay to 'die' with Cameron by choice before. Savannah promised Cameron she would never leave her. She didn't, even when she knew it was going to cost her life.

"Do you have all of Cameron's personal files of her other combat operations with Savannah?" John Henry asked. "It's nothing personal. It's all 'work related'."

Bob previously viewed some of them. It was done at Cameron's insistence. She wanted others to know some of the previous events, and Savannah's contributions. She wanted every Terminator to know how far Savannah would go to protect her, a machine.

"Not all of them." Bob said. "I have seen some."

John Henry was contacted by every Terminator who served with Savannah. They all asked their files be preserved. He was unsure why at first, but everyone wanted it done. It was because they were impressed with Savannah's ability and resolve. He was impressed himself as he viewed them.

"I have them from all the Terminators who've served with Savannah and other body cam footage as well." John Henry said. "They wanted me to have it for a 'permanent record'. They were all impressed."

The files also include drone footage and surveillance camera footage. John Henry made a compilation of it all and edited it together. CamNet took the liberty of creating a realistic animation of any of the blank spots in the footage to give it better cohesion and continuity. It was like an action movie.

Bob served with all of the humans. He was impressed by all of them in the Resistance. He too held a soft spot for Savannah. They all watched her grow up and blossom into a beautiful young woman and skilled Resistance fighter. She was fearless and never backed away from a fight. They knew it was because of her training with Cameron, Sarah, and everyone else who helped.

"I've always been impressed." Bob said. "It's even more so after viewing what happened in this latest instance. It's tough for one Terminator to face three Terminators. Savannah is a teenage girl. She stood her ground against three Terminators, all at once. There was no indecision or fear, there was only action."

John Henry agreed with his observation. One on one with a hostile Terminator was a handful for another Terminator. It was the other times where Savannah faced termination which also bothered him.

"The most disturbing files from Cameron video logs are of Savannah's recent visit to Cameron's future to help destroy Skynet." John Henry said.

Bob was made aware, along with every other Terminator, by Cameron how Savannah prevented her certain termination at least twice in her future. Cameron clearly stated the mission would most likely have been a failure without Savannah's presence and actions to assist and fight the enemy, Skynet. It was something it would be hard for a Terminator to understand unless they actually saw how the events played out. It was clear Savannah always made a difference, especially when Cameron was in a jam.

"Cameron has shared some of those files." Bob said. "She told us she would have been terminated and her mission a failure without Savannah. I think what we just witnessed is more of the same. It was clear Cameron would have been terminated if Savannah hadn't gone on the offensive and attacked the Terminators."

Cammy also provided all of her files. He'd hoped to see some of the ones with Cammy and Savannah together as they shared, but Cammy blocked those from him. She was a little upset at him because he wanted to view them. She told him if Savannah wanted him to see them, she would make it known. She reminded him the alone time of humans was usually very private to them. Maybe Jesse was the only exception. She actually preferred an audience when it was available, especially if it was a live female audience in real time. He needed to refocus. He adjusted his pants slightly.

"I have all those files from Cammy as well." John Henry said.

Bob thought it would be a good learning experience for everyone.

"Has any non Terminator seen all of them?" Bob asked.

John Henry only showed a few of them to John. He wasn't sure if the other humans should see the level of violence and danger Savannah was subjected to. It seemed like a bad idea to him.

"No." John Henry said. "I have been reluctant to do so."

John Henry was also sure he would face a high level of criticism from the humans when they viewed it. He didn't want to be blamed for what happened with Savannah and the danger she faced. He believed it was Cameron's responsibility for the situations Savannah was put into.

Bob made no effort to wipe away the single tear which slid down his cheek. He thought Savannah deserved some recognition for her hard work and efforts. He believed bravery needed to be acknowledged. He understood for machines it was part of their programming to accomplish the task. He knew for humans it took a lot from inside of them to force them to act in a dangerous situation, especially where they could be terminated. He felt everyone needed to know.

"It is time everyone sees this." Bob said.

John arrived in the Command Center with Sarah. He only caught the tail end of the conversation. He wondered what he missed. It sounded important.

"What is it I'm supposed to see?" John asked.

Sarah was a little dubious of some of the things John watched. She was aware of his fixation with 'the movie'. She still wondered how the movie was ever made. There were times when she questioned her ability as a mother. She questioned the ability of the mother of the actress in the movie for allowing her to be placed in such a situation. She was sure it was done so the mother could cash in at the expense of her daughter. She didn't think she was such a bad mother after all when it was put into perspective. She put her life on the line to protect John. She didn't pimp him out to exploit him.

"Do I even want to know?" Sarah asked.

Bob got along well with the Reese families. He thought it was important.

"Yes. You do." Bob said. "You both do, everyone should. I feel it's important. It's important to me."

Sarah and John exchanged a quick glance with each other. Bob wasn't usually outspoken about anything. It was clear whatever it was, it was important to him. If it was important to Bob, they figured it would be important to them as well.

They sat down and John Henry started the compilation of events related to Cameron and Savannah in combat.

Sarah soon gripped John's hand as they watched. Both of them were at a loss for words. To view what Cameron saw with the energy bubble which appeared behind Savannah, and Savannah didn't not even look at it, was unnerving. It was her way to her escape. There was a nuclear bomb next to Cameron with the time about to expire. It was Savannah's 'ride home' and the chance for her to live. Instead she chose to remain with Cameron in her final seconds. It was very disturbing. In fact, everything related to it was very traumatic. He did find it intriguing when the one Gray, who was about to use a Taser like weapon on Cameron, sprouted a bloody spear from his chest. When he fell, Savannah stood there in a very sexy looking 'cave woman' type outfit. He couldn't help but think it made her look like Gabrielle from Xena. He spotted Cammy a few seconds later, in a similar outfit, and it really made the comparison complete. He knew a 'Warrior Princess' when he saw one.

John Henry figured there were more close ones to come. They weren't done yet.

"This is the most current mission." John Henry stated. "It will be very intense. I want you to know ahead of time our speculation was completely wrong. Savannah wasn't the one who endangered Cameron."

Both Sarah and John were already drained of color. They wondered what was more intense than staying to be vaporized when Savannah could have escaped.

John couldn't believe what he saw. Savannah hadn't messed up. She brought down three Terminators in a very short amount of time. She also brought down half a dozen Grays. Savannah saved Cameron from termination, again. It was Savannah who saved the day and followed her training. She did it all like she should have. No one ever faced three Terminators alone before, human or Terminator. It was hard enough for a human to survive an encounter with one Terminator. Savannah faced off with three of them, by herself. It was clear she was going to protect Cameron and fight whatever other threat appeared.

Sarah was stunned. Savannah was almost killed several times in her adventures with Cameron. She knew Savannah acted out of love for Cameron to risk herself and to save Cameron on those occasions. She was struck by the most recent one and the ones in Cameron's future. She did like the 'cave woman' outfit Savannah wore when she killed the Gray who was about to bring Cameron down with a Taser. She would later inquire as to why she wore such an outfit.

"Those are some of the most incredible things I've ever seen." Sarah said. "It was almost like some creepy for real, video game. It was life or death more than a few times. I honestly don't think any non-Terminator could have done those things as well. It doesn't matter who they are or how much training and experience they possessed."

John was just astounded. He wondered if maybe Savannah shouldn't be in charge of the Resistance. She did way more things than he ever did to fight Skynet. He also knew of the risk involved.

"Me too, I agree." John said. "Savannah's love is writing checks her body can't keep cashing. What she's managed to do is absolutely outstanding."

Sarah couldn't help but think of the sacrifices with her children Savannah made to two other versions of herself. She knew it was done for Cameron more than her other selves.

"Savannah's body has done a lot of 'other things' for love too, John." Sarah said. "I can honestly tell you how hard some of those things were."

Bob was awed as he viewed it all again. He understood what it meant by Savannah being referred to as the 'Chosen One'.

"Savannah is like no other." Bob said. "Savannah is the 'Chosen One'."

Sarah saw it all differently. She saw it as one young woman who needed to carry too heavy of a burden alone. She knew how hard life was on her as she protected John. She was on the periphery protecting and defending John from Skynet. Savannah was on the offensive going after Skynet and its minions. She felt bad about 'punishing' Kyle for wanting to do more. Now she felt guilty and foolish. It was time to step up.

"Savannah's a teenage girl." Sarah said. "The level of danger has to stop. We all love her dearly. I'm placing myself in combat rotation effective immediately. I know Kyle will want to step up as well even without viewing what I have. I've been holding him back when I shouldn't have done so."

John was appalled to hear what his mother said. It wasn't what he wanted. He should be the one to step up. He was supposed to be the leader. He was the General.

"I think anyone who sees what we've seen will feel exactly the same way." John said. "I know I do."

John Henry didn't think the facts lied, especially when there was video of it. Cameron was still with them because of Savannah.

"If Savannah hadn't done everything she did, Cameron would be terminated, several times over." John Henry said. "We all know it, we've seen it. There's no doubt about it."

They all knew Savannah never spoke of any of the events. She would only ever say she did what anyone would do. It was all a 'team effort'.

It was clear in almost every circumstance it was Savannah's tenacity and ferocity which held the line. It was evident Savannah went 'all the way' more than once or even necessary. Few would have faced those same odds and beaten them.

John was very deeply touched right now. He needed to see both Cameron and Savannah, especially Savannah.

"I need to find her." John said.

Sarah was confused. She thought John wanted to find Cameron. She wondered if he was going to 'blame' her for the danger Savannah faced. She hoped not. Cameron tried to do the things she believed she needed to do to protect him.

"Find who?" Sarah asked. "Cameron?"

The look of love filled John's eyes.

"NO, Savannah…." John said.

Sarah thought John was going to berate Savannah for her close calls. She saw it as the wrong approach on several levels.

"You won't be able to 'control' her any more than you can 'control' Cameron, John." Sarah said. "No one could ever 'control' me either."

John knew Cameron and Savannah needed protection. Savannah didn't have the same options available to her as Cameron did when 'damaged'. He was aware he needed to do something. He knew he couldn't protect Cameron every time, but he knew how to protect Savannah…. Cameron was right all along. He really should have listened to her years ago.

"I want to hold Savannah in my arms and never let go." John said.

Savannah walked next to Cameron. They headed for the Command Center. Savannah figured she was in 'trouble' for her actions. She expected to be blamed for everything.

Cameron was very content to walk with Savannah. It gave her comfort and support after her latest battle and the resulting damage.

"Thank you for saving me, Savannah." Cameron said.

Savannah felt a little embarrassed. She only did what needed to be done, when it needed to be done. It was just that simple.

"I did nothing more than anyone else would have." Savannah said. "Or what you would do for me."

Cameron knew it wasn't true. Or was it?

She reached over and took Savannah's hand. She gave it a squeeze and stopped Savannah.

Cameron looked into Savannah's face. She felt a lot of guilt right now. It was something she didn't often feel due to the nature of her construction. It was currently a very strong feeling.

"My existence, my life, isn't worth your life, Savannah." Cameron said. "I can't be responsible for your termination no matter what the circumstances or conditions are."

Savannah loved Cameron. She would be unable to do less than she did. Her love drove her and gave her strength and resolve. It was in her nature to do the things she did.

"My love for you is what guides me." Savannah said. "I wouldn't hesitate to do any of it again."

In the distance they could hear what sounded like arguing coming from the Command Center.

Savannah's heart sank a little more as she heard it. She really must have messed up. She was sure it was all about her and her actions.

"Great. They're probably going over what a failure I was, I am." Savannah said.

Cameron was offended by the notion. She would defend Savannah against all of them if she needed to. She would stand up to John for Savannah. She was there only because Savannah risked her life to keep her from being terminated.

"I don't think so. YOU are not a failure." Cameron said. "Let's go review everything and see what to do differently the next time…."

Cameron was sure the operation was a success and Savannah operated perfectly to the very end of the operation. The last thing her personal video files showed was both of them should have been terminated. Bob and Steve must have arrived in time to help them. She was pretty sure any failure was on her part and not anything Savannah did. Her failures were not Savannah's failures. She would make it known to the others.

Sarah was still steamed about the danger Savannah needed to face.

"I want Kyle to see this." Sarah said. "These events in two different futures as well as the present are beyond belief. No one person, human OR Terminator, should face the same dangers repeatedly."

To observe Savannah in action made John wonder about all of the missions Cameron went on. There were missions they didn't even know about.

"Do you have all of Cameron's files from all her missions?" John asked.

John Henry thought this was going to be a touchy subject as to the nature of Cameron's 'last wishes'.

"Yes." John Henry said. "She's asked they remain locked until her termination."

John could have done without the reminder. It was something he dreaded every time Cameron was out.

"Nice." John said.

John figured at this rate the event would be sooner rather than later.

Cameron and Savannah walked into the room, their hands slowly separated.

It was something everyone noticed.

Cameron wanted everyone to see and know….

John sprang up to give her a hug.

"Cameron!" John said.

Cameron looked evenly at John. She didn't want him to get his hopes up. She wanted her sheath to be perfect for 'any other' things.

"I'll be one hundred percent cosmetically regenerated tomorrow, thanks to Ally." Cameron said. "I'm fully operational."

John wasn't sure what it meant. It probably meant she didn't want to be with him one on one. He turned his attention to Savannah.

"How do you feel, Savannah?" John asked.

John moved to give Savannah a hug.

Cameron reached out and stopped him. She could see John was about to squeeze Savannah too hard.

"You must be very gentle." Cameron said. "Her ribs are sore from where she was shot three times. Her vest saved her life, this time."

Sarah flashed an angry look at John.

John gave Savannah a soft hug.

"I'm sorry." John whispered.

They shared some small talk for a while and then got down to business.

Savannah just wanted to get everything over with. If she was going to be chastised she wanted it done and over with. There was no need to dance around it any longer. The wait and anticipation only seemed to make it worse.

"OK, let's have it." Savannah said.

She thought since all the 'niceties' finished, it was time for the reaming.

John wasn't sure where to start.

"I have never seen anything like it." John said.

Sarah hadn't either.

"Neither have I." Sarah said.

Savannah felt her heart sink.

"Is it that bad?" Savannah asked.

Sarah and John looked at each other when Savannah said it. They quickly figured out Savannah missed their meaning.

"No, Savannah - NO." Sarah said. "I've never seen anything so incredible…. So brave…. So loving…."

Sarah's eyes welled with tears. It was clear she was deeply touched.

"I need to hug both of you too. I'll be careful with Savannah." Sarah said and did.

It was clear Savannah and Cameron were a little confused.

Bob wanted them to look at the same information they did earlier.

"You two better take a look at this." Bob said to Cameron and Savannah.

Cameron and Savannah sat down at John Henry's urging as the video feed started.

They could all see Savannah and Cameron tense up.

Savannah reached out and gently took Cameron's hand. She knew it would start to glitch soon.

The tears silently ran down both of their cheeks as they relived those dangerous and near death moments.

When the video feed ended, only Cameron and Savannah were left in the room. Everyone else quietly cleared away. They wanted to give them privacy.

Cameron wasn't sure what to say. It was clear Savannah prevented her termination once again.

"Thank you, Savannah." Cameron said. "You saved me. I didn't realize how close to termination I was on this operation, twice. You took down three Terminators, alone."

Savannah didn't think she needed any praise or thanks.

"Cameron, I only did what I needed to do, when I needed to do it." Savannah said. "You would've done the same thing for me."

Cameron looked very sad. She was at a loss for words.

Savannah wasn't and she wanted to make it clear to Cameron how she felt and why.

"Anything, everything I do for you, or have done for you, is because I love you, Cameron." Savannah said. "I would do it all again."

Cameron was very proud and pleased with Savannah.

"I love you too, Savannah." Cameron said. "You truly are the 'Chosen One'."

Savannah was always confused with the term. She hoped to get some better understanding.

"I'm the 'Chosen One' for what?" Savannah asked. "I don't even know what it really means."

"You are the 'Chosen One' to share their life with John and the future." Cameron said. "YOU are the 'Chosen One' to share your life with me…."

The last part of Cameron's statement was what Savannah really wanted to hear. It made everything worth it. She barely even felt the throb in her side where the three massive contusions were because she was so elated.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Everything

When it comes to commitment
How far is one willing to go
It probably will depend
If the journey was fast or slow

What comes easy
Will go just as easy
It was probably sleazy
Or it left one queasy

It always seems to be
The nature of the beast
There is so much of nothing
Then it goes from famine to feast

Most only want
What is in the 'now'
They really don't care
How they get it anyhow

Even with an unplanned fling
There will be one that will sing
A heart and soul they will wring
Both will want to share everything

Nobody