Chapter 605

Disorientated

The ambush and take down went as Cameron planned it. It was all quickly put together with additional elements added in as they drove. Cam spotted a similar looking box truck alongside of a gardening store. They didn't think the Skynet forces possessed anything more than a description of what the truck looked like in general, rather than in detail. They decided to use the other truck as bait to set up the 'Sucker Play' and spring an ambush. The other truck would be the 'Pied Piper'. It worked.

"Everything is clear here." Bob reported. "All of the targets are neutralized."

The silver sedan and black SUV went around the side of the building and stopped, their occupants headed to where Bob and Gail were. They were waiting where the box truck would stop. Cameron and Cam joined them. It was all planned only minutes before it happened.

John didn't like Cameron to do operations like this without planning, but sometimes she needed to do it this way. In fact it was most of the time, at least it seemed like it was. She didn't want to let a target slip away from her, especially if it was a target of opportunity.

The box truck with the crates in it arrived a few minutes later, once the all clear was sounded. Cammy and Savannah were there now with them.

Savannah looked at the new pile of dead bodies. There were additional dead Gray's in the black SUV and the trunk of the silver sedan. There was another group from the first van 'take down' by the ambush crew. They were on their way to join them.

"There are a lot of bodies here and in the captured vehicles." Savannah said. "We need to clean this up some to avoid questions by anyone. Most of the bodies have snapped necks. It's going to look suspicious if anyone finds them and starts putting it together."

Cameron knew Savannah was correct. The only bodies with bullet wounds were the three she inflicted with Savannah's silence pistol. The three Grays were all shot in the left eye.

The other white van with the bodies from the earlier ambush arrived a short while later.

Cameron didn't want to waste any more time.

"The crew from the ambush team will deal with the bodies and vehicles." Cameron said. "We need to get these crates delivered to one of my facilities. I want to get moving."

Cameron wanted her prize away and secure. She would feel better about it once they arrived at the secure location for a complete inspection.

She climbed back in the box truck next to Savannah and Cammy. Cam went with Bob and Gail again. The team headed out.

John Henry reported no further suspicious activity in the air or on the ground. The other drone with the 'tracker' arrived and let it off at an ambush site they established. They would keep it set up for a few days and see what happened. It would later turn out nothing ever did. They weren't sure if it was a sign they cleaned the group out, or the Grays decided to cut their losses.

Cameron gave Cammy a new destination and they headed off.

Savannah wondered about the destination. It wasn't where she thought it was going to be. She wondered if Cameron changed her mind somewhere along the way.

"It's a long way from where we were headed." Savannah said. "Is it a secondary location from the original one?"

Cameron wanted to make sure whoever followed them was way off on their tracking. All their reports would always point Skynet in the wrong direction if they somehow attempted to continue the search. The more they looked in the wrong area, the safer the actual location would remain.

"I don't like to take chances." Cameron said. "Things may have turned out quite differently if it wasn't for your concern about the tracking device locator. It was very good thinking on your part. Our response forced the Skynet group to react and give themselves away."

Cammy and Savannah looked at each other. They weren't sure what Cameron thought 'chances' were, because it seemed she took a lot of them anyway.

Savannah was on the verge of sleep when the idea came to her. It just popped into her head. She figured if anything, it was simply a lucky break. Luck wasn't something to count on when dealing with the enemy.

"Chances usually aren't a good thing." Savannah said. "A chance is a gamble. Games of chance and gambling usually don't end well for the person who involves themselves in them. Odds always favor the house. It's something to think about. As far as the tracker went, we got lucky. Luck and chance aren't two things to depend on for anything.

Cameron disengaged from the Command Center and relied on CamNet for all of their updates and tracking control.

Savannah noticed the change. She wasn't sure why it was necessary. They were working in conjunction with both of them earlier. She wasn't sure why one of them needed to be shut out. It must be about the cargo.

"I take it you don't want John and John Henry to know where you'll end up at." Savannah said.

Cameron didn't like problems. They irritated her. People who asked questions were problematic. They didn't know when to stop. What she did, where she did it, or when she did it, were her business. If she wanted someone to know about it, she would tell them. It was something she ran into ever since her activation.

"They don't always like the way I do things." Cameron said.

Savannah wasn't sure if it was a good enough answer. She was in the same vehicle with Cameron and the captured Skynet equipment.

"I'm going to know where everything is at." Savannah said.

Cameron looked over at Savannah and smiled. She was very grateful Savannah was with her. She knew she could always depend on her.

"It's how I want it." Cameron said. "I trust you more than anyone and it includes me."

There were many things Cameron questioned herself about. She didn't always know if she would do the right thing. She did know Savannah would.

Savannah knew it was more responsibility going forward into the future. She couldn't help but think about what Cameron told her before. She knew Cameron was worried about becoming Skynet. If she knew the location of where any of the supercomputers were located, she could destroy them herself and stop Cameron. It wasn't something she really wanted to think about. She would never want to hurt Cameron. It didn't matter in what form she would be.

"Somehow it will all work out in the end." Savannah said. "It always does."

Savannah sure hoped so. She knew there was no guarantee.

They eventually arrived at the secure location. It was miles from where it appeared they were originally headed. It was a very isolated area.

There was a team waiting for Cameron. They rapidly unloaded the box truck. One of Cameron's Terminators took it and drove away with it. It would end up a hundred miles away from where they actually went. It would be more in the direction where they originally headed. If anyone somehow were to track the box truck, it would be very hard for them to know where the cargo was offloaded.

Cam, Cammy, and Bob would inspect the contents of the crates. They would try to determine what they actually possessed and later report back to Cameron. Since Cammy and Cam ran her program they would know what she wanted done.

Cameron wanted to get Savannah back to the base. It turned into a very long day for Savannah with a lot of activity.

Savannah wanted to stay and help with the inventory, but Cameron said 'no'. She wanted to stay mainly because she knew what they captured was important to Cameron.

Gail offered to stay in Cammy's place, but Cammy said she should go back to see Jesse.

Cammy knew Gail was 'sweet' on Savannah and watched over her. She also wanted to give Savannah and Cameron some time together. She knew Savannah was sticking her neck out for Cameron a lot more than she should be.

Gail drove while Savannah and Cameron sat in the back seat.

Savannah wanted to thank Gail for everything. She was there for her when she needed it several times now. It was unexpected assistance in a few close situations. She wanted Gail to understand what she did for her at the old helicopter base was just part of the job. It was what they would all do for each other.

"Thank you, Gail, for watching over me today and the other days." Savannah said. "I really appreciate it. If you weren't there for me, things might not have played out so favorable for me. All you need to remember is we all help each other. One hand washes the other. You need to think about Jesse as well. She loves you very much."

Gail didn't like Cameron to need to take all the heat and she liked it less when Savannah was with Cameron when she took the heat. Savannah saved her from termination. She realized Savannah saved Cameron from termination multiple times. It was more than just being saved from termination by Savannah which made her special to her. She did feel the need to do more when she could.

"I need to help out when I can." Gail said. "I wanted to do it. Jesse wanted me to do it."

Cameron tilted her head slightly. She wanted to know more about why Jesse wanted Gail to watch over Savannah.

"Did Jesse want you to help Savannah for herself, or for Young Jesse?" Cameron asked.

Gail turned slightly to look at Cameron.

"She wanted it for both of them. They want the same things because they're the same person." Gail said. "You know everyone loves Savannah as much as they love you."

Cameron knew Savannah loved her more than anything. It was love strong, pure, and true. It was the only love she wished she knew. It also worried her because it was love to die for. Savannah almost terminated several times because of her love for her. She took chances and did things she shouldn't have. She did them anyway.

She could still see the image of the energy bubble appear behind Savannah when they were in Skynet's bunker in her future. Savannah could have simply stepped into it and saved herself. She didn't. Savannah never turned around and looked at it. She embraced her instead and would have vaporized with her when the nuclear warhead detonated.

She gently pulled Savannah down to lay her head on her lap and encouraged her to sleep. She gently stroked Savannah's cheek and hair. Savannah adjusted Cameron's hand to be able to scan her as she drifted off.

Cameron felt so peaceful and content….

Gail watched Cameron in the rear view mirror. Her eyes glowed bright blue. She wasn't sure she saw anything quite like it before. She could only imagine how much in love Cameron was with Savannah.

She wondered if Cameron was able to 'get away from it all'. It looked like it. The earlier operations all turned out to be a success. Now it looked like Cameron was a million miles away as she held Savannah. She hoped it was a peaceful place for Cameron for all the suffering she needed to endure.

Gail was sure of one thing. When Cameron and Savannah finally shared, Cameron was never going to let Savannah go. She knew Savannah already proved she would never let Cameron go, even if it meant her own termination.

Later on:

Cameron looked around.

They were in the carpool area at the Resistance base.

Cameron blinked her eyes several times. It seemed she incurred a time loss. Gail was still in the driver's seat. Maybe they just arrived.

"How long have we been here?" Cameron quietly asked as she checked her files.

Gail still looked ahead. She didn't wanted to intrude on Cameron's private time. She didn't want to disturb either of them by getting out of the vehicle.

"It's been two hours and three minutes." Gail softly said. "Four minutes…."

Cameron seemed to have been unaware of most of the journey home, let alone sitting for over two hours. She wondered where the time went and what she must have been thinking about.

Gail wanted both of them to rest. Everything seemed so peaceful for both of them.

"You both looked so tranquil 'dreaming'." Gail said. "I didn't want to disturb you."

Cameron tilted her head slightly. She didn't sleep. She didn't dream. She was sure she experienced nightmares when she received a continuous electrical charge before. Could she daydream? It seemed to be something she did more often. There were certain thoughts which seemed to be her focus when they didn't need to be.

Gail watched them for hours. They were both so beautiful….

Cameron tried to see what she was doing all the time. She wondered if she was 'dreaming'. She only experienced a 'peaceful feeling' she could remember, a sense of 'love'. Were there some pleasant thoughts she created somewhere inside of her head now and she couldn't remember? She knew dreams were fleeting for most humans. They usually only remembered a small part of them.

She remembered she asked John about dreams before and he told her they seemed very real. She wanted to know how he could tell if they were a dream or were real. John told her sometimes he couldn't. It made her think about the times when she thought she was Future Allison. There was never any trace on her chip of what she actually did when she thought she was. Maybe those were the times when she actually was able to 'get away from it all'.

She looked at Savannah asleep on her lap. It reminded her of when Savannah was little and she did the same thing. It seemed like a long time ago, even if it really wasn't. She went to carry Savannah to her room but she woke up.

Savannah felt she was a little more tired than she thought. She was as surprised as Cameron was they were back at the base for a while.

"I can walk, Cameron, thanks." Savannah said. "Thank you too, Gail."

Savannah was awake and heard the conversation between Gail and Cameron.

She walked in with the two Metal girls. She thanked Gail again and they left her off at Jesse's room.

Cameron escorted Savannah to her room.

Savannah went in. She left the door open.

Cameron stood in the doorway.

Savannah thought the invitation was clear. She decided to confirm it.

"Do you want to come in?" Savannah asked.

Cameron looked both directions down the hall.

"Yes." Cameron said.

Cameron didn't move.

Savannah wanted to offer Cameron more.

"Do you want to stay?" Savannah asked.

Cameron still hadn't moved.

"Yes." Cameron said.

Savannah moved back to Cameron. She was more than a little worried at this point.

"Cameron, what's wrong?" Savannah asked.

Cameron looked a little uneasy.

"I don't know." Cameron said.

Now Savannah was really worried.

"Do you want to go to your room?" Savannah asked.

Cameron looked a little confused.

"I don't know." Cameron said.

Savannah wondered if Cameron wanted someone else.

"Do you want me to get John?" Savannah asked.

Cameron frowned some. It sounded like a problem. She didn't like problems. She liked to be around happy people. Happy people didn't cause problems. Sometimes John wasn't a happy person, especially with her.

"I don't think so." Cameron said.

Savannah looked but Cameron's hand wasn't glitching. She hoped Cameron would tell her what was wrong or what she wanted.

"Is there some problem?" Savannah asked.

Cameron shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know." Cameron said.

Savannah knew there needed to be some further resolution to what was happening right now.

"Do you want to go to the lab?" Savannah asked.

Cameron looked at the clock on Savannah's night stand.

"I don't want to disturb anyone." Cameron said. "Everyone is asleep now."

Savannah moved her hand from her head down to her waist. It was a gesture to indicate she was right in front of Cameron.

"I'm not." Savannah said.

Cameron frowned again. Savannah was up because of her. She didn't like being disruptive to Savannah's comfort and well being.

"You should be." Cameron said.

Savannah wanted to offer Cameron some options of things to do. She should want to do at least one of them.

"We can sit and talk." Savannah said. "We can watch a movie, or go over the operations from today, or plan a new strike. We can do whatever you want."

Cameron looked at Savannah.

"I don't know." Cameron said. "I don't know what I want."

Savannah couldn't help but moisten her lips slightly and swallow hard.

'I do.' Savannah thought.

Savannah was about to make some further suggestions.

Cameron interrupted her thoughts.

"You need to rest." Cameron said. "I've abused you and abused your love."

Savannah didn't want to hear words like that. She didn't think either was true in any way.

"No, Cameron, you've done neither." Savannah said.

Cameron still hadn't moved. She still stood in the doorway.

"I should go." Cameron said.

Savannah wasn't about to let her walk away on her own. She didn't know what would happen. Cameron might go back out to the carpool and leave for all she knew.

"Let me take you to your room." Savannah said.

Cameron frowned again. It sounded like a problem.

"John will be asleep." Cameron said. "I don't want to wake him."

Savannah hoped Cameron would do something.

"Do you want to stay here and watch me sleep?" Savannah asked.

Cameron frowned and then tilted her head slightly.

"I don't know." Cameron said.

'Yes, I do.' Cameron thought.

Savannah was filthy from the long day's activity.

"I need to get cleaned up." Savannah said.

Cameron thought maybe she could get cleaned up too with Savannah. She worried maybe it was pushing things too much.

"I can go into standby." Cameron said.

Savannah wondered how long it would take John Henry to realize Cameron was having some kind of a 'problem'. She hoped he would notice Cameron just standing in her doorway. She also knew Cameron didn't want to go into standby again if she didn't have to. It was based on her earlier past bad experience in the vault with the electrical wire tangled in her hair.

Cameron told her some of the 'events' she' experienced but didn't want to talk about most of them. They were very traumatic for her to recall.

Savannah really hoped someone else showed up soon.

John Henry did notice something was off. He decided to call John. He worried about what would happen, but thought John should deal with it.

"John, I'm sorry to disturb you." John Henry said.

John went to bed earlier. He was startled some as his phone rang. It took him a few seconds to get his bearings. He wasn't sure it would be good news. Good news didn't happen in the middle of the night.

"What is it?" John asked. "Is it trouble with Cameron or Savannah?"

John was instantly alert as he thought about his own question.

John Henry didn't want to alarm John too much or turn the whole thing into more than it probably was.

"I don't know." John Henry said. "It's not something catastrophic or anything similar. I'm really not sure what it is. Something is off."

John Henry filled John in on what he witnessed, and the two hour wait in the SUV upon Cameron's return. Now Cameron was just standing in Savannah's doorway. He thought she looked like she was lost and didn't know where to go.

Savannah wanted Cameron to do something. She wanted her to do anything at this point.

"Will you come in?" Savannah asked. "I need to take a shower. I want to close the door."

Cameron still stood there and didn't move.

Savannah knew she needed to get ahead of whatever was happening. It was time to get firm and make the decisions for Cameron.

"Cameron, we're going to the lab now." Savannah said.

Savannah knew Cameron hadn't been checked for damage from the days 'activity'.

Cameron frowned slightly. She looked over at Savannah's bed.

"I guess we can." Cameron said.

Savannah took Cameron's hand and led her away to the lab. She needed to give Cameron's hand a couple of firm pulls to get her to go inside. She took Cameron over to the work area.

"I need you to take off your clothes." Savannah said.

Cameron looked down the front of her torso.

"Can you help me?" Cameron asked.

Savannah was really worried now.

"Sure." Savannah said.

John came into the lab.

Cameron spun around. She moved in front of Savannah. It seemed as offensive of a move as it did defensive. It was clear she didn't want John to get too close to Savannah.

John wasn't sure what he was about to walk into. He would try to put a positive spin on it. John Henry already told him there might be some type of problem or issue. He didn't want to start out by exasperating it.

"Hello, Cameron, Savannah." John said. "I'm glad you're back and everything turned out OK."

Savannah was sure Cameron was damaged at this point. She knew how Cameron felt about John seeing her damaged. She didn't want to make the situation worse.

"I need to inspect Cameron for damage." Savannah said. "She's a little disorientated."

John was afraid it was something related to it. He wanted to help.

"Cameron, relax." John said. "We're only here to help you."

John and Savannah exchanged quick glances. The tension of love was in the air.

John came over and hugged Cameron. She neither resisted nor participated.

Savannah didn't want Cameron to get 'worse'. She also realized Cameron wasn't wearing the clothes she wore earlier. She wanted John to cut both of them a little slack.

"John, maybe Cameron has some damage she would rather you not see." Savannah said. "These aren't the same clothes she started out with today. I don't know when she changed either. It was probably during the big battle. There was a lot going on then."

They both knew it meant Cameron was damaged, and was trying to hide it so they wouldn't worry about her.

John was worried about Cameron on every mission. Now it appeared she was once again damaged. He wanted to bring in some more female assistance.

"I can call Ally and Sheila to come and help." John said.

Savannah thought she should see where they were at first with Cameron. The last she heard, Sheila and Ally were on their own assignment to gather information.

"Let me inspect her first." Savannah said.

John gave Cameron another hug. Cameron hugged him back. She held him close.

"John, I'm sorry." Cameron said.

Cameron still held him, she looked over at Savannah and moved one arm open for Savannah to join them.

Savannah looked at John and he nodded.

Savannah moved up and all three silently hugged each other for the longest time….

Earlier:

Ally and Sheila ran down the leads they got from the terminated Gray.

Sheila wanted to do more to the Gray before Ally snapped his neck.

"I wanted to finish him off." Sheila said.

At the time, Ally and Sheila discussed it in tones so low only a Terminator could have heard them.

"You were already cleaned up and dressed." Ally said. "My hands were still bloody."

They arrived at the first location.

Sheila was still a little miffed she wasn't the one to terminate the Gray. She looked over the location.

"This place looks like a bust." Sheila said.

Ally thought so too.

"I thought you were going to show me your bust." Ally said.

Sheila pulled her top to the side and her right breast popped out.

"Here, you can look at this one." Sheila said. "I thought you got a long enough look while I worked on the Gray. Don't think I didn't see you with your eyes glued to me. You know I have what you want and desire more than anything."

Sheila was nude when she'd 'worked' on the Gray. It would have ruined her clothes otherwise.

Ally did check Sheila out continuously when she was nude. How couldn't she?

They quieted down as they approached the building. They listened outside and it was silent. There were cars parked in the back. None of them looked dusty or abandoned.

They found what looked like a restroom window. It was open slightly.

"Let me stand on your back." Sheila said.

Ally looked at Sheila's shoes.

"Why? Did you step in some canine excrement?" Ally asked.

Sheila frowned.

"No. But I'll be sure to do it when I can." Sheila said.

Ally pointed at a wooden crate.

"Let's use it." Ally said.

They picked it up and placed it below the window. They were able to remove the window and enter the building. They began to look around in the darkness. There were a few night lights. They found sleeping quarters and a kitchen area. The trash can overflowed with used paper plates. They noticed there wasn't any food thrown away. It was something they noticed with most of the individuals they dealt with.

"People from the future don't waste food, even when they can." Ally said. "They never throw any of it away."

Sheila knew why. They all remembered not having anything to eat. It was one reason some people became Grays.

They went through the building a second time. It was empty.

"Everyone must be out." Sheila said.

Ally hoped it was something different. She thought of the big battle earlier.

"Maybe they're all dead." Ally said.

They monitored Cameron's exploits with the box truck. There were more dead to add to the total.

"It's possible." Sheila said. "I don't like it."

Sheila pointed at one bunk. There was rope at all four corners. It was obviously a 'comfort bunk'.

"This is why I look the other way when you go 'Scavenger' on the Grays." Ally said.

Sheila thought otherwise. She knew there was a certain fascination to the things she did, especially to future Scavengers.

"You watch everything I do." Sheila said. "I know you get off too."

Ally frowned at Sheila.

"I do not." Ally said.

Sheila felt otherwise.

"It's what they all say." Sheila said. "You like to see things come off as much as I do. It's their reaction which drives me over the top."

Ally didn't think it was anything to brag about.

'Insane is, as insane does.' Ally thought.

They left some surveillance cameras. They carefully put the window back in place the way they found it. They moved the crate back to where it was. They made sure there were no footprints on top of it. They left. There were other places to run down.

They all proved as useless as the first location. Everyone was gone. Every address was good too. The Gray was truthful. He really did want his suffering to end.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Disorientated

To recognize one's own feelings
It was too long they'd waited
What could have been beautiful
Is now warped and faded

Everything in life is not absolute
Nothing is preordained and fated
It's only with one's own self
That they've needlessly debated

They need to recognize the one
Once they've been located
Without them close at hand
The ride through life is serrated

Don't wait for the other's love
To be spelled out and translated
If both don't respond and act
The love will soon be vacated

Confusion will set it and stay
Only one's own self will be hated
As they are left feeling deflated
Leaving them forever disorientated

Nobody