Chapter 566

Favorite Skirt

Cameron didn't like leaving Savannah behind when there was a threat. She planned to protect her from a bigger threat. Cammy was there to watch over Savannah now. It would have to do. Cammy could do whatever she could do.

She crossed the street. She took in her surroundings as she moved towards the door of the bank. She didn't spy any additional threats outside of the building. It didn't mean there weren't any. She opened the door and walked into the bank. She looked around for the threats she spotted earlier. She moved into the middle of the room. There were several ways she could play things out.

Cameron spotted the three men. One moved toward the counter, one hung back by the door. The third was near the middle. They just 'ushered' everyone into the vault.

"Get in the vault." The middle man said.

Cameron glanced back as Cammy came in. She made the same assessment. She was upset at first because Cammy left Savannah alone. Savannah came over her com and said Gail was there with her.

She briefly wondered about it. Gail acted very differently towards Savannah since the last raid. She was sure something was up. She would demand to see Gail's video files to determine what really happened. Without the facts, a valid assessment would be elusive. Someone wasn't getting all the information out as it actually was.

It reminded Cameron of something she might do. If Savannah was involved, It was why. Savannah would have learned what to do from her. Savannah indicated everything was fine as well. It made no sense to her, the operation turned out to be a success. She would need to worry about all of it later.

Cammy moved closer to the man by the door.

Cameron stayed by the man in the middle. She ignored his earlier order.

They were both latecomers to the 'party'.

The man in the middle pointed a gun at Cameron. He wasn't sure why she didn't follow the instructions. She was pretty Hot looking. Maybe they could bring her with them when they left. They could say she was a hostage to ensure their safe escape. He could think of a few things he could do with her in the back of the van. No. He figured he better stick to the plan. All the employees and customers were to be put into the vault.

"Get in the vault." The middle man said again. "You heard the order."

Cameron didn't move. She didn't like orders, unless she gave them. She couldn't see any bank employees or customers left out on the floor. They were all in the vault. She knew the firearm the man held could damage her sheath. It could do little else to her. She boldly faced the middle man.

"No." Cameron said.

She wanted to throw the thugs' plans off.

"Get in the vault - NOW." The middle man screamed.

He pointed the gun at Cameron's face.

The man near the vault already forced the workers and patrons inside the vault. He threatened to kill anyone who tried anything or didn't cooperate.

Cammy was near the man at the door. She stood there and looked at him. He now pointed a gun at her.

"You heard the man." The thug said.

Cammy looked across the street. Gail was ready to make her move.

Everyone in the bank was in the vault except Cameron, Cammy, and the three robbers.

"Don't make me shoot you." The man said to Cameron again. "Get in the vault."

He moved the gun closer to her head.

Cameron could see the veins in his neck all bulged out and his face was bright red. He looked like he was about to have a stroke. She decided to resist his commands and 'push his buttons'.

"No." Cameron said again.

The thug pointed his gun at her left eye.

"WHAT?" The man asked.

Cameron could see he was highly agitated and prone to making a mistake. She pushed him further. She wanted him to move a little closer. The closer he was, the less damage he could do once he started shooting. She should be able to grab him and subdue him if he moved just a little closer.

"No. I'm claustrophobic." Cameron said. "I can't go into tight spaces. It's not happening."

The middle man didn't care for the newcomer. The Hot chick really upset him. He didn't want to have to shoot her, but he would. He really wanted to bring her with them when they left. He could teach her some manners and obedience. He liked how short her skirt was. He pictured pulling her underwear down and off. Maybe he would keep it as a souvenir. He decided it was what he would do. She was going with them. He would have her in the back of the van as they drove away. He was sure the others would all want to turn as well. She would be easier to bring with them if she wasn't in the vault with the others.

"Get down on the floor then." The man said.

The thug in the middle continued to point his gun at Cameron. She wanted to keep him distracted.

"No." Cameron said yet again.

The thug wasn't used to any female giving him backtalk. He really wanted to teach her a lesson once she was in the back of the van.

"WHAT?" The man asked.

Cameron could see all three thugs were distracted.

"I said - NO." Cameron said as she spelled it out. "N - O."

The man pushed the gun in her face until it touched her cheek. It made an indent. How could this nutty broad not listen? She didn't even seem to react to the obvious. He began to wonder if there was something 'wrong' with her. He knew there were a lot of people out on the street who shouldn't be. He wanted her to do as he demanded.

"Do you know who you're talking to?" The man asked.

Cameron faced him head on. She leaned forward slightly. The gun was still pressed into her cheek.

"I'm talking to you." Cameron said.

He wanted to shoot her. He really wanted to 'do' her first and then shoot her. He wanted to hear her scream and beg him to stop. The cumulative effect of the events began to push him. No one ever disrespected him in such a bold manner before. The nutty broad wasn't scared of him. Everyone else was. She wasn't scared of him even with a gun pushed into her cheek. The thug lost it.

"Get down NOW." The man screamed.

Cameron reached down with her hand and lifted the material on the side of her skirt. The side of her skimpy underwear didn't show. It appeared as if she didn't have any on. She saw the thug noticed. She could see he developed some other thoughts right now. It was exactly what she wanted. She allowed one eye to glance it over towards the vault. She wanted the individual there to move away from it before she acted. She turned her attention to the man in front of her.

"But this is my favorite skirt." Cameron said. "I don't want to wrinkle it. I'm not about to get down on the floor."

The thug wasn't sure he heard her correctly. He was about to waste her and she was worried about a wrinkled dress? He really planned to see a couple of other things once she was in the back of the van. Her defiance actually excited him. He would make her cry when he took her in the back of the van. It would make his dominance even sweeter. Everyone feared a gun pointed at them. There must be something wrong with her.

"WHAT?" The man asked. "Are you crazy?"

Cameron glanced over at Cammy and listened to her com. The man's question did resonate with her. She answered him truthfully based upon the thoughts in her mind, and the way she felt most of the time.

"Probably…." Cameron said.

She hoped to provoke a reaction. It worked.

The man in the middle fired one round into the ceiling. His actions triggered everything which would follow.

Gail followed Savannah's recommendation. She moved closer to van. She would be able to reach it in a second. The driver looked around every now and then, most of the time he looked over towards the bank. She heard the shot and moved up alongside of the van. The driver looked over towards the bank and the sound of the gunfire. In one quick motion, she bent down and lifted the van on the passenger side. She flipped it on its other side, the driver's side.

It landed with a loud 'crash'.

It all happened less than a second after the shot was heard from inside the bank.

Moments ago:

The man by the door was having a similar conversation with Cammy about going into the vault. She pretty much said the same things Cameron did and produced the same results. The man's firearm was now pressed against her neck.

He was highly agitated by the non-responsiveness of the Hot looking chick. When they left with the loot, he planned to take her with them. He already pictured what it would be like as she cried in terror when he took her in the back of the van.

Cammy listened to Cameron's conversation with the man in the middle. It was clear things were about to escalate.

The shot rang out through the interior of the bank.

Inside the bank they heard the loud 'crash' sound.

The man by the door looked away from Cammy and across the street. His mouth dropped open slightly.

"The van just flipped over." The man by the door said.

Cammy reached out and grabbed his gun arm and crushed it as she yanked him down. The pistol fell from his severely damaged arm. The scream was unnerving. The impact with the floor ended the scream forever. Bones could clearly be heard to break.

The man by the vault started to come over to see about their 'getaway' vehicle being disabled. He wondered how it could flip over. How where they going to get away?

The distraction was what Cameron wanted. The man from the vault was close enough to her now to act. She grabbed both of the men and slammed them together. She flung them to the ground. She could hear bones break. She quickly collected their firearms, as did Cammy, and they headed out the door. They didn't think anyone would look out of the vault for a few seconds because of the gunshot. They would be gone.

Moments ago:

Everyone in the bank was still in the vault. They heard the arguing. There was a single gunshot. It was immediately followed by a loud noise. The collective thought was - what just happened? The bank manager waited thirty seconds. He went to look. One female teller reached out to stop him. He smiled at her and gently pushed her hand down. He peeked out and observed the three robbers lying on the floor unmoving. He didn't see anyone else or any weapons on the floor. He wondered who they were arguing with. It appeared to him as if they lost the argument.

He watched again for a short time to see if anything else was happening before he ventured out for a closer look. It wasn't his first robbery. It was the strangest one for sure. He indicated for the rest of the employees and patrons to remain where they were.

Cameron and Cammy headed back outside to rejoin Savannah. Gail was with her.

As they passed the van, Cameron flipped it upright. Cammy stabilized it to make sure it didn't flip over onto its other side. They both noted the dead man inside with the 'rag doll' neck.

Savannah was in the SUV with the engine running. Cameron climbed in and they drove off. Cammy and Gail entered their vehicles and followed them out.

She listened to the conversations Cameron and Cammy conducted with the men. She knew they did it to distract the men and buy time. It almost would have been comical to see them do it. There were now three dead men so there was nothing comical about it. They could have hurt the others in the bank if they weren't stopped. The men chose to bring weapons and try to take from others by force. It was their actions which led to their terminations.

Cameron looked back as they drove away. It seemed like a good idea to put some distance between them and the incident. She wanted to change the subject.

"We can come back another day to shop." Cameron said. "I think we're done here for today."

Savannah agreed about leaving the area. She wanted to know more about what exactly happened. She would have liked to have been there to help.

"It sounded like it was pretty wild inside the bank." Savannah said. "I know you deal with a lot of it with your off the books operations. The drug trade, sex trade, and crime in general doesn't appear it will go away anytime soon."

Cameron could see Savannah was excited about the prospect of action. She was worried Savannah would want her to conduct one of those operations now. She wouldn't have a problem doing it with Cammy and Gail with her. She wasn't going to take Savannah. It wasn't something Savannah should even think about. She wanted to quell her desire.

"It's a 'Terminator only' thing." Cameron said. "There aren't any exceptions. It's very dangerous. It's outside the scope of the Resistance. There's already enough danger for you when we need to deal with Skynet or any of its illegitimate offshoots."

Savannah frowned. She knew Cameron was right. She didn't want to make a big deal about it. She was the one who wanted them to act. She checked her side view mirror. Cammy and Gail were in trail of them. After what just happened, it was obvious they weren't going anywhere until she was back at the base. It was a guarantee. Several thoughts popped into her head. Maybe they could do something together. With three Terminators, they should feel she was safe enough.

"I understand." Savannah said. "I do appreciate you taking action when you did. I know I put you in danger to do so. It was the right thing to do. Do you want to watch a movie instead? It can be the four of us."

Cameron wanted to spend time alone with Savannah. She knew Cammy and Gail weren't going anywhere. Not after what just happened. She understood why Savannah wanted to include them. She didn't want to overdo it.

"Hasn't there been enough excitement for one day?" Cameron asked.

Savannah touched her torso. The three welts were only bruises now. It was a rough week last week.

"After what we did last week?" Savannah asked. "Hardly."

Cameron thought about why Gail was there. It wasn't something which would normally happen, nor happened in the past. She wanted to know more about Gail.

"What happened to Gail when you were with her?" Cameron asked.

Savannah knew where the conversation was headed. She made a promise to Gail. She intended to keep it. She didn't want to lie to Cameron so she was going to be honest about what she could or couldn't say. She thought the best course of action would be to drop the subject.

"Cameron, I'm asking you to leave it alone." Savannah said. "Please, for me."

Cameron asked CamNet to check the security logs. It confirmed her suspicions.

"Gail's been acting differently since then." Cameron said. "Especially towards you. She's watched you non stop."

Savannah looked over at Cameron at the next red light.

"Please, Cameron, I want you to drop it." Savannah said. "I don't ask for much. I've told you all I can. What I said before was what I saw."

Cameron was well aware of 'half truths'. They weren't lies, but sometimes information was left out. She did it all the time. It was clear where Savannah learned it from. She was sure Savannah made a promise. She knew Savannah always kept her promises. There was no need to create an issue, especially about something which wouldn't change. She needed to respect Savannah for being true to her word.

"OK, Savannah, it's dropped." Cameron said. "What movie do you want to see?"

Savannah didn't really care. It was more about the experience of the big screen. It was a shared event with friends, and even some strangers. She thought the type of movie would make a difference.

"I don't really care. Anyone is good as long as it's NOT an action movie." Savannah said. "We live those."

Cameron tilted her head slightly. She knew it was true.

Savannah didn't know if Cameron was going to really 'drop it' or not about Gail. She didn't think so. She might not continue to ask her, but she was sure she would look into it further. She could 'order' Cameron to 'drop it'. It wasn't how she wanted to use her authority. She looked back at the two vehicles following them. It seemed like a good idea to consolidate their group.

"We can all ride together." Savannah said. "I think it would be better if we did."

It caught Cameron off guard. She liked having the extra vehicles for ramming or blocking 'weapons' in a jam. She could see Savannah wanted to include everyone. It was just in her nature.

"Sure, we can carpool." Cameron said.

They drove a dozen blocks away and headed into a grocery store parking lot.

Cammy pulled up on Cameron's side and Gail came around headed the other direction on Savannah's side.

Savannah still wanted it to be a day with some fun for all four of them. Gail was thrilled Savannah wanted her to be part of it.

Cameron and Cammy exchanged glances but said nothing. They thought part of it was based upon the nature of the relationship between Gail and Jesse. What they did in their off time wasn't the same as what everyone else did. It was their own time so they were entitled to do what they wanted.

Cammy noticed Gail's recent infatuation as well. Gail didn't make 'a move' so she hadn't said anything. Now it was apparent there was some other issue. She called Ally to see who Gail asked to watch Jesse. Ally said she was because Gail needed to tend to some important assignment. Ally asked if they could keep Gail out as long as possible. It was because Jesse could last a long time. She wanted as much 'Jesse' as she could get.

Gail thought about Jesse and Duplicate Jesse before her. They went out but they didn't do things like other people. They hunted future Scavengers, but no one was to know. Jesse was supposed to be 'reformed'. Refined might be a better description. Her efforts were much more precise and calculated than they once were. Both Jesse and Duplicate Jesse did the same thing. There was a lot of sex too. Jesse could never get enough. She always wanted to be pushed past the brink. It was very disturbing. Jesse told her once it was the only time she could forget about the past. It was when she was on the 'other side'. She heard about all the things the other girls did with their Metal girls, their lovers. It sounded like they had fun. She wanted to have some fun.

"I never went to the arcade on the pier, or bowling, or miniature golfing, or did a walk on the beach at night before." Gail said. "I've heard all the stories. They all sounded like - fun."

Savannah looked at Cameron and Cammy, they both nodded. She wanted their approval first. It was clear whatever they did was going to make Gail more attracted to her on a different level.

"Pick one or two and we can do them." Savannah said. "You can pick which ones. Maybe we can do more. We want you to have fun too."

Cameron could see Gail and Savannah needed to work out some issues. She understood where Gail was at as a Terminator. It was a place of much confusion and self questioning. It wasn't a good place for a Terminator to get stuck in. Once they questioned their worth, they questioned their existence. She was very familiar with the feeling.

"I can go back with Cammy if you want." Cameron said to Gail and Savannah.

Savannah wanted all of them to share. Nothing was going to happen. This wasn't about sex. It was about sharing and fellowship. It was about their friendship. She felt it was important to have friends as well as lovers. If her friends were also her lovers, it was even better.

"No. I want all of us to go together." Savannah said. "I want everyone to be happy. I want our association to be more than death and destruction whenever we can. We need to do other things as well."

Savannah wondered what Gail and Jesse did when they went out. It wasn't often, but they did go out. Maybe Jesse would be upset. She didn't want it to be a new problem.

"Will Jesse be OK with it?" Savannah asked. "I don't want to cause any trouble."

Gail was aware how much Jesse loved Savannah. It caused Jesse tears sometimes. Jesse wanted to share with Savannah so much, but not cause problems with Vanna, Cameron, Cammy, and her.

"Believe me, YOU could never cause a problem with Jesse." Gail said. "She adores you to no end."

Cameron wondered if Jesse followed up on her 'suggestion' to be 'closer' to Savannah. It was what she wanted for Savannah. She knew Savannah wanted 'Jesse' in her arms. Young Jesse was unavailable. Jesse was available. It was the same person. Even though they were a different individual, the same things could be shared in the same ways.

Savannah knew how she wanted to play it. She needed to make everyone happy and everyone understand. It would be better if they were all together.

"Let's park a couple of vehicles and all go in one." Savannah said. "Cammy can drive."

They parked two of the SUVs and piled into the one Cammy was in. Cameron looked at Savannah and Gail. She understood what Gail needed. She then sat in the front seat next to Cammy. Cammy looked at Cameron when she got in the front but said nothing. She expected Savannah to sit there. Cameron called for some of her Terminators to come retrieve the two SUVs. It appeared CamNet already directed some of them to go there. It was because of the earlier incident at the bank. It seemed prudent to have a little extra muscle around the girls. She wanted to look out for Savannah as well.

Gail and Savannah sat in the back.

Cammy and Cameron knew Savannah needed to reach out to Gail because of her 'different' behavior the last week. Savannah needed to reassure Gail everything was 'normal' and everything was OK.

Soon Gail seemed like herself again. Her 'troubles' were gone for now and hopefully for good. It was too soon to tell.

They headed for the coast. They would do the arcade on the pier and walk in the surf and sand. It didn't all need to be done at the same time.

It always gave Cameron a little trepidation to visit the pier. She remembered back to John's encounter with one Terminator, Cromartie. It was the chassis which became John Henry's. She found the more often she visited there, the less traumatic it was. She wondered if it would be for John too. She never went back there with him.

She was there with Savannah more than a few times. She brought Riley there too. She thought maybe who she was with made a difference. To take Savannah anywhere was a pleasure. Riley was very nice as well. She went to other places with Vanna, Allison, and Jesse before. Sarah even went on a few of those. She was very pleased with her current relationship with Sarah. She didn't understand why it needed to be so difficult in the beginning. Any of the past events weren't associated with her, even if others like her were involved. They still weren't her.

Cameron took Savannah on many excursions, but refrained from any 'extra' activity. She started out on 'camping trips' which were really 'survival training'. She knew to a young girl to go 'camping', sounded a lot more fun than 'survival training'.

At the arcade, the attendants were impressed at Savannah ability and skill. She told them her friends were twice as good. They said it was impossible. She looked over at Cameron. She sensed a challenge. Cameron was always up for one of those.

Cameron asked them to 'up the prizes' for money in return. It was a bet in other words if she couldn't deliver on Savannah's boast.

Gail played too and watched the whole thing. Savannah and Cameron were amazing. Cammy hung back and kept an eye out for any trouble. There was always the potential for 'riff raff' in a public area. Entertainment venues seemed to attract them.

When they left, the entire back of the SUV was full of prizes and stuffed animals. Cameron asked Cammy to stop by the 'battered women's' shelter. They left everything off for the children there. They could see a few of the females appeared to have been beaten. Their faces were bruised.

Savannah asked Gail if she wanted to keep anything. Gail only kept one small token. She said it was all she wanted. Her memories of the day would last forever.

Gail said it was enough for tonight after the visit to the shelter. She saw the condition of some of the females. She thought she should go there and speak with the females alone. Maybe she could 'help' them with their 'problem'. Jesse told her of people who liked to hurt females, just because they were females. She wanted to hurt those people, just to hurt them. She would ask Sheila to go with her. She wanted to see them hurt in every way possible before their termination.

On the way home Savannah laid her head in Gail's lap and drifted off to sleep.

Gail gently touched her face and hair. She knew Cammy was a very lucky Terminator. She knew one day Cameron would be too.

Right now, Gail was in love….

Savannah was more than the 'Chosen One' to her.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Isolation's Total Depth

Is any form of self punishment
So different from any other form
Personal abuse or self indulgence
Are just different forms of escape

As our minds overload with problems
We must find some way to survive
We choose these different forms
Even if they can kill us just the same

Judge me not for what I am not
Judge me for the person I am
When, if ever, have you 'seen' another
Who is so alike as yourself inside

It is not wrong to want to reach out
To want to redeem yourself still
Do you not quest to improve yourself
You do not know isolation's total depth

Please share with me now
Your thoughts and ideas are enough
I see my 'life' collapsing very soon
I do not want to end solitary like this

Nobody