Chapter 660

Dirty Look

Cammy was at the upper terminal for the aerial cable car line. She took two groups of Grays under observation. There was at least one Terminator with them. There was also someone who appeared to be a hostage. The Terminator was a 'Metal Bitch'. She seemed to be the one in charge of the female hostage.

It wasn't the only issue Cammy thought she needed to deal with. She spotted another couple who appeared to observe the two groups of Grays. Who were these people? It was possible they might have to deal with two different groups of Grays, or perhaps the anti-Metal faction as well. The anti-Metal faction was as big of a threat to the Resistance as was Skynet. They wanted to terminate John Connor and Cameron.

The new couple moved off. Maybe they weren't watching them. They may have been 'checking out' the girl and the 'Metal Bitch'. She wondered why they took a video of them with their phone. It wasn't a good development. They made no attempt to follow the Grays as they departed. It may be nothing, or it may be they knew where the Grays were headed.

Cammy noted they began to check her out in detail. One of them started to take some video of her now. They attempted to make it look like they weren't actually doing it, but she spotted them. It was very disturbing to her. She didn't know if it was an innocent move or not. It couldn't be allowed to go unanswered. She couldn't take any chances about being identified.

She was about to walk over and crush the phone. She started over in their direction when she thought about how things might play out. A direct confrontation might provoke a further incident. If they thought she was a Terminator, she didn't want to prove it to them. Instead she contacted CamNet. She gave CamNet her exact position and the position of the man with the phone. In thirty seconds, the man taking the video dropped his phone to the floor. The battery in his phone was now overloaded and produced a massive amount of heat. The phone burst into flames as it lay on the ground.

The burning phone caused a mini panic around the area. Some people scattered to get away from it, others moved in to crowd around it and look. One of the shopkeepers came out with a little fire extinguisher and put out the small fire. The only damage appeared to be to the phone itself. It was a total wreck. The images were destroyed.

Cammy smiled. She took the opportunity to disappear in the confusion. She headed out after the departing Grays. She took one look back before she headed up, but off of the main trail. There was no further sign of the voyeur couple.

She took to the obscurity of the trees to reverse her coat to the white side. Steve still carried her light gray sweatpants in the backpack. She would need to meet up with him to retrieve them.

Cammy and Steve were in contact with each other and with John Henry. Everyone was updated. Steve was ahead of where they thought the group of Grays was headed. She was behind them.

She didn't know what all they stumbled onto, or who the other group was which seemed interested in the Skynet forces. She was pretty sure things were going to get a lot bigger before it got smaller. She knew it was going to get smaller, one way or another.

Young Allison was a little worried about how she would act when she got back to the house. She wanted to see Savannah, but she knew where Savannah was earlier. She didn't know if she would be mad at Savannah for being with 'her', even though it wasn't her, but the older version of her. She was also aware Savannah was with all the Metal girls, and her mother. Savannah told her before nobody owned anybody else and everybody should be free to pick their sexual partners and do whatever they wanted to do with them.

Even though everybody thought she wasn't ready to participate in such activity, she didn't feel the same way herself. When she became active, she was determined to be with all the same females Savannah was with. She wanted the same experiences Savannah experienced and shared with. Maybe it was one of the reasons why she couldn't be mad at Savannah or feel jealous for very long based upon what Savannah did. She planned to do everything the same herself.

She didn't think she was going to be able to be with the females Savannah was with in the two futures. It might not be such a bad thing to skip those. She wasn't sure what her being out of the timeline would do. It didn't seem to do anything when Savannah was out of it. Maybe it was because she wasn't actually out of it for very long, or the fact Vanna was still there may have made a difference. She thought the best way for her to do any type of time travel would be to arrive back before she left. She already thought about it several times. It really seemed like the way to do it and not change anything. She would technically never be out of the timeline if she did it using such a method. There would also be two of her for a brief period of time. She thought of some interesting possibilities.

It made her wonder what would happen if she were to go to the alternate future and bring John back into the present before he left with Mrs. Weaver. He would never be out of the timeline either. There shouldn't be an alternate future then. What would happen to Allison and Vanna? What would happen to Kyle, Derek, Riley, and Jesse? Technically they would never exist. Maybe it was better not to play around with time. Temporal forces might be unpredictable. She needed to clear her mind up.

She always paid attention to where they were at whenever they drove or went anywhere. She was familiar with the map of the surrounding area and where there would be places to try to avoid or evade a problem. They were almost home and on the final stretch. The protection Detail with them, passed by them to make sure everything was clear back at the house for their arrival. Her heart and mind both told her she wanted to see Savannah and share whatever she could with her. It was Savannah she loved. The feeling was for as long as she could remember. Maybe it was love at first sight. She was very young when Savannah would come and spend time with her. She couldn't remember when Savannah wasn't in her life.

As soon as the SUV pulled up in front of the house, Young Allison ran to see Savannah when she got back and gave her a hug. She wanted to 'remind' Savannah she was there.

Allison was sure Young Allison glared at her and gave her a 'dirty look'. She knew at an even younger age than Young Allison's age now what was 'happening' around her…. She knew she would need to have a talk with Young Allison and remind her that SHE was HER. She didn't feel guilty at all about sharing with Savannah and with Vanna.

Claire motioned for Young Allison to rejoin her. They needed to take care of some business.

Young Allison seemed a little reluctant to leave Savannah.

Savannah nodded at Young Allison to assist her mother.

Young Allison and Claire handed out the treats they brought back for all of them.

When Hanna set Summer down, she went to Savannah to greet her.

Claire noted the only other person her daughters seemed so enthralled with was Cameron. She still held Summer's malt since she didn't want it right now.

Savannah previously received the alert prior to the arrival of the group from the malt shop. She waited for their arrival because they were almost back to the house. She wanted to see Young Allison before she left. Cameron was on her way into a danger zone. She knew her duty and function. She knew she needed to leave. She didn't want her early departure to cause a problem for Young Allison.

"I'm going to have to go now." Savannah said.

The look of happiness and joy on Young Allison's face quickly evaporated. It was replaced with heaviness in her heart. Somehow she felt cheated. There were things she wanted to do and share with Savannah.

"But we just got back." Young Allison said. "I have some projects to show you."

Savannah didn't want it to be a problem.

"I'm sorry but there's something which just developed." Savannah said. "I'm going to need to go. Cameron will need me…."

As soon as Savannah said it, Claire gripped Hanna. She knew what it meant. It meant danger and maybe death. How could they do this to such a beautiful teenager? She looked at Young Allison and knew she would be next. The thought alone started to make her physically ill. The girls shouldn't need to risk their lives. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair.

Claire didn't know the full extent of the danger and near death experiences Savannah faced in the mine. There were actually multiple events, some more traumatic than the others. It would have caused her even more worry.

Young Allison wasn't pleased with the latest development. She looked at all the Terminators who were there. She let her anger get the best of her. She was very worried for Savannah.

"All of you should be going instead of Savannah." Young Allison said. "You were all constructed for combat, Savannah wasn't. You can all take damage and continue to function and fight, Savannah can't."

The Terminators all look back and forth at each other. It wasn't their decision or choice. Cameron assigned them other duties she felt were more important than combat. They were there to protect the other human females.

Savannah knew the rules and how things were set up. She knew why they were set up the way Cameron set them up. She didn't see a problem with it. She knew it was her function to be with Cameron whenever she could. It always put a human face with a Terminator face. It may not matter as much now as it would going forward, but it still mattered. She needed to watch over Cameron and make sure she didn't take things too far.

"Everyone has their purpose and function." Savannah said. "I really appreciate your concern and caring, but some things just have to be the way they are."

Savannah lovingly touched Young Allison and whispered in her ear. She promised Young Allison she would be back. She gave Young Allison a long close hug.

Young Allison held the close hug as long as she could.

"I need to go." Savannah said.

Savannah hugged both Vanna and Allison together. Allison gave her a quick kiss.

Anna knew it was her duty to take control of Young Allison. She led her down into the bunker to monitor the developing operation.

"I'll go with you." Holly, Cam, and Hanna said all at the same time.

Savannah looked at each of the Metal girls. She knew they were serious in what they offered. She also needed to think about what they were supposed to do.

"You all have something more important to protect." Savannah said.

Savannah gave Summer a hug. She picked her up and handed her to Hanna.

"Never forget your responsibilities and what Cameron wants." Savannah said. "Protecting the future is very important to her. It's your purpose and function. Protecting Cameron is mine."

Bob handed Summer one last origami figure. She smiled and wanted him to hug her.

He did. He was more than a little surprised. He really liked his interaction with Summer.

It was time to go.

Bob departed with Savannah.

The girls at the Young residence watched them go. They were all deeply troubled.

"We can't let this continue." Allison said.

Vanna felt guilty as she watched Savannah leave.

"I should be going in her place." Vanna said.

Anna reappeared from the bunker. She wanted to keep some control and put everything in perspective. She knew it was easy to get sidetracked.

"You both have other duties." Anna said.

Allison was already on edge. She snapped at Anna because she was disgusted with her own body.

"They don't WORK." Allison nearly shouted.

Anna knew more than any of them did and what was going to happen. She glanced quickly at Claire and then faced Vanna and Allison.

"They will." Anna said. "Believe in Cameron. She'll never fail."

Anna Looked in the direction Bob and Savannah left from. She looked back towards the entrance to the bunker and saw Young Allison standing there. She knew those closest to Cameron would make sure she never failed, no matter what it took. They would all protect each other going forward.

Claire didn't want to seem like she was a problem. She didn't like the way things were, but she did understand them. She saw how they played out in the future. She can only do so much to protect Young Allison and Summer. She would do everything she could to do so. She would have Hanna increase her training. She would go instead when it was time for Young Allison to join the fight.

John followed the rapidly developing situation. He saw Cameron was on her way to the mountain. It meant things were going to heat up fast. He knew if there was some version of Skynet there, Cameron would personally terminate it.

"This operation isn't going to stay as recon or surveillance much longer." John said.

John Henry was aware the Grays were in two groups and there was a possible third group which was unassociated with the first two. CamNet already delivered them a blow by causing their phone to overheat and melt down. He knew the action usually picked up soon after Cameron arrived. He didn't think the current operation would be any different.

"Indeed." John Henry said. "She will make a personal assessment of the situation."

John looked over the various locations Cammy and Steve identified and wondered about the status of the vans which were tagged. If they went anywhere, they should have some type of record or indication.

"Have you traced any of the vans?" John asked. "Do we know where any of the other vehicles are going or where they've been?"

John Henry kept track where all the vans were currently at.

"Two of them are at the aerial tramway, one is still at the restaurant location Cammy tagged them. The other has gone to the old packing house. It is where all the others Cammy tagged last night remain." John Henry said. "You can see the video feeds around the old packing house from the surveillance cameras."

John previously looked at the security camera footage and didn't spot anything out of the ordinary.

"It looks like nothing's happening." John said. "We know it does when it's night."

They noted some activity.

"There's a group moving out now." John Henry said.

John sat up in his chair. Maybe something was about to happen. The Grays could be sending reinforcements to the aerial tramway. It was possible Cammy and Steve may have been identified. It might take some action on their part to prevent it.

"Let's see what they're up to." John said.

John Henry already set some precautions into place.

"I have a team of Terminators standing by with the Blackhawk." John Henry said. "They can be on site in less than forty minutes from the moment we scramble them."

John thought about how they set up a 'forward base of operations' in the gravel quarry by the mine in the recent operation. He thought maybe they could do something similar for this scenario. He wanted to take the travel time out of the equation as much as possible. He wanted to keep the troops out of danger, but still have them close by.

"It's not good enough." John said. "I think we should move them closer and have them ready to go. I would rather have them be able to get there in five minutes instead of forty minutes."

John Henry was pleased with John's suggestion. Cameron was one step ahead of him though. He called up a satellite image on John's monitor.

"Cameron sent two drones to this location early this morning." John Henry said as he pointed at the image. "She did it after she was done working on the manned drone and went over Cammy's initial report. She felt Cammy uncovered enough already to warrant the ability to have a quicker response. We know for a fact there are HK drones in two of those packing houses. What we don't know is how many of them there are. There were three which were spotted. There most likely are more. We don't know what else is located there either."

The implication was there could be other types of HK equipment stored there. It could include HK Tracks or HK Treads.

John studied the location and the distance from a suspected target area where the drones were staged.

"It's secluded and it looks like they can be to the mountain top in less than five minutes." John said. "Five minutes may be too long if they get into a jam."

John Henry thought it could be a little quicker, but five minutes was close enough.

"You're correct." John Henry said. "They can also arrive at the location of the packing houses in a similar amount of time. If we spot anything out of the ordinary we can have them in the air to intercept any HK drones which leave from the packing houses."

John liked the idea of their drones being close to the target location. However it was daylight and he didn't want them to be seen or spotted by anyone. If it was night he wouldn't be as concerned. He wanted the helicopter moved in closer along with the Metal Strike Team or MST.

"Have the MST ready to move to the 'temporary base'." John said. "I'll discuss it with Cameron first."

John thought it was good to move some of their resources closer to their potential need. Two drones were a start, but he wanted more Terminators there to back up Cammy's team, and Cameron once she arrived. He would have been even more concerned if he knew Savannah was on her way there and ready to enter the danger zone.

Cameron headed to the low desert. There was a lot happening there. She went over the reports. CamNet brought her up to speed on everything.

She thought about how she 'punished' Cammy and left her in the dark about Savannah and what she was up to. She wanted her to think something happened which actually didn't. She knew it would cause Cammy quite a bit of grief. Cammy was a source of irritation to her on several levels. She felt she made her point.

Cameron's phone rang, it was Savannah.

Savannah got right to the immediate business.

"I'm on my way to the Palm Springs area. Where can I meet you?" Savannah asked. "I'm with Bob."

Cameron already knew Savannah was coming. CamNet informed her earlier. Young Allison's concern and plea was also noted. Of special interest was Young Allison's suggestion to commit the Metal girls there at the Young residence to the operation.

Right now she needed to worry about Savannah. It wasn't the message Cameron wanted to hear from Savannah, even if it was. She wanted to try to prevent her from coming.

"It's unnecessary." Cameron said. "You need to rest up and protect Vanna's baby."

Savannah knew they would go through the usual 'dance' about an operation. She was ready for it. It wasn't something she wanted to stretch out or prolong.

"I'm rested and I have my body armor." Savannah said. "Bob will shield me. He just said so."

Cameron was pleased Savannah was with Bob. She knew Bob would protect Savannah very well if the need arose. She smiled. She knew Savannah was coming no matter what. She told Savannah where to meet her. She would have time to check out the packing house herself first before Bob and Savannah arrived. She wanted to see if there was anything else she could spot on her own in the daylight.

She knew Savannah tried to contact Cammy several different times. She now felt a little guilty about it. She thought Savannah would ask her about it, but she didn't. It seemed to emphasize the point about it, without the issue ever being raised. She wanted to rectify the situation and get everybody back on the same page.

"Call Cammy when you get a chance." Cameron said. "There were some communication problems earlier. Everything is functioning again."

Savannah wondered what was wrong previously and her inability to contact Cammy. There were a few things she speculated about. It wasn't the setting she wanted to address them in. She wanted to know if anything else could be involved first.

"Was it a jamming field of some kind?" Savannah asked.

Cameron realized it was going to turn into a problem for her at some point. She would deal with it later on and just keep things simple for now.

"It was something similar." Cameron said. "Cammy's out in the field, she's tracking six Grays, a 'Metal Bitch', and a detainee of some type."

Savannah didn't want to bother Cammy in the middle of an operation. Her personal desire to speak with Cammy would need to take it back seat.

"I don't know if I should disturb her." Savannah said.

Cameron's sense of guilt bothered her. She wanted them to contact each other before things got too serious later on, which they were sure to do.

"Now will be a better time than later on." Cameron said. "Things may heat up. We may experience some type of jamming field when they are near the top of the mountain. Cammy isn't too close yet. I think now is a good time to call."

Savannah knew they were going to heat up for sure with a hostile 'Metal Bitch' being spotted. The fact there was some type of detainee was troublesome as well. She really wanted to touch base with Cammy before the action started.

"OK." Savannah said. "Thanks for looking out for Cammy. I saw you moved some drones closer to support her if necessary. I appreciate it."

Cameron knew Cammy was important to Savannah. She did look out for her in case there was a problem which got out of hand. She knew her actions weren't very considerate to Cammy or Savannah. She let Cammy's negative attitude get the best of her when she placed John and Savannah together.

"We all look out for each other." Cameron said. "As long as everyone remembers their function and place, everything is beautiful."

Savannah reflected on her earlier conversation with Young Allison. She knew certain things needed to be done a certain way.

"I needed to remind a few people of it myself, earlier." Savannah said. "The future will be painful."

Cameron felt a sense of joy Savannah was coming, as much as she felt a sense of dread. She liked having Savannah near her whenever there was trouble. They were sure to be trouble where they were at. It was probably going to be in multiple locations when it occurred.

"I know I can always count on you." Cameron said. "I'll see you when you get here."

Cameron ended the conversation. She wondered if Cammy would 'tell on her' to Savannah. Savannah would know why CamNet did it, if she did. She was pretty sure the finger would end up being pointed at her at some point. She was sure Cammy would point a different finger at her when she saw her again. She wondered if she should call Cammy first and make some type of apology. It wasn't what she wanted to do. What was done was done. She would need to see how things played out and take it from there.

She knew those who forgot the future were destined to be left out of it. She only hoped John would embrace the future so he wasn't left behind. She really hoped he would have pretended she was 'Savannah' the last time they were together. She really didn't see what the big deal was, especially since he did it before, and even admitted to it. He needed to fulfill his duty and prepare himself for the future.

The report CamNet gave her about Young Allison also troubled her. Not only did she want to send the Metal girls in place of Savannah, she wanted to go herself. There was a personal issue which needed to be addressed in some way. The nature of the problem rested squarely on her shoulders. Savannah should focus her 'personal attention' on Young Allison to build and strengthen their relationship. The things she facilitated seemed to work in the opposite direction of allowing it to happen.

She needed to take Young Allison on a temporal mission. She didn't plan to have it last very long either. Young Allison's dimensions were almost identical to hers. As soon as they were, they could say they were in the past for several years and there would be no way for anyone else to know the difference. She knew Young Allison would 'play ball' to get in the game as quickly as possible. It was something she wanted to happen. She really wanted Savannah and Young Allison as a pair before they needed to be with John. She was fairly certain at this point Young Allison would be with John before Savannah was. She didn't have a problem with it. She actually believed it would make it easier for Savannah to make the move herself if Young Allison went first.

Cammy knew the situation was probably going to go critical before they were done up at the mountain top. She was still miffed she couldn't get a hold of Savannah. She wondered if Savannah experienced the same trouble getting a hold of her. It caused a slight glitch in her left hand as she thought maybe Savannah wasn't trying to contact her. Maybe she was already 'replaced'.

Savannah went to see Allison after all. Who did Allison look like? Allison looked like her. No. It's not how it was. She looked like Allison. The difference there was Allison was real. No matter what, she was still a machine. She didn't want to enter combat like this. It wasn't the right frame of mind to worry about things she couldn't control. She was bound to make mistakes if she did.

Cammy's phone vibrated. She looked at her phone. It was Savannah. She felt a rush of something inside of her when she saw it was Savannah. She wasn't sure what it was, but it was certainly a relief of some type.

She moved further off of the trail as she answered it and got the small talk out of the way.

Savannah got down to business. She wanted to offer some explanation as to why they were out of contact for so long.

"Cameron said I'd better call you now before the operation got too involved." Savannah said. "I tried multiple times to reach you earlier. She told me not to disturb you. I didn't want to compromise your operation. I'm sorry I needed to wait so long."

Cammy didn't think now was the time to get into it and what actually happened. She was just relieved she could speak with Savannah. She was a little concerned about what would follow. She tried to brush the lack of communication off.

"I was tied up." Cammy said. "Everything is fine now."

Cammy didn't tell Savannah she was 'punished' earlier. She didn't want to have to tell Savannah what she was punished for. She was worried Savannah would feel she was somehow responsible, even if it was Cameron who made everything happen the way she wanted it to happen.

Savannah wanted to reassure Cammy assistance was on the way.

"I'm coming with Cameron and Bob." Savannah said.

Cammy was as pleased as she was displeased to hear it. She figured as much would happen anyway. She did want to remind Savannah of her other duties. She doubted it would go over very well. It was still something she needed to do. She was responsible for Savannah. She couldn't let anything happen to her.

"You should stay out of this." Cammy said. "You have more than Cameron to think about…."

Savannah figured Cammy already knew where she was but she didn't want any surprises if she didn't. She was unaware of the images Cameron asked CamNet to have Cammy view of her standing at John's door and turning the handle.

"I'm aware of it." Savannah said. "I'm returning from Palmdale…."

Savannah knew Cammy would know what it meant….

"I'm sure everything worked out fine." Cammy said.

Savannah didn't want the 'Cameron' In Cammy to assert itself unnecessarily. She was worried Cammy might try to rush things to get them over with before she arrived.

"Don't act on your own unless you're forced to." Savannah said. "Help is on the way. I'm coming. We're coming."

Cammy was aware Savannah would risk herself as much for her if she would for Cameron.

"I know." Cammy said. "Please be extra careful yourself."

Cammy knew Savannah cared for her and loved her, even if Cameron didn't 'like' it. She smiled and put her phone away. Maybe today wouldn't be such a bad day after all. She decided to use more caution as she followed the Skynet group up the mountain. She didn't want to be damaged in case she was with Savannah later on. She knew Savannah wouldn't care, but she would. She only wanted the best for Savannah. Besides, she wanted to look at least as good as Allison did.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Dirty Look

Silence can say a lot
For it can mask a thought
Joy and happiness are things
That can never be bought

Not everyone is content
With the status quo
One will find out soon enough
Who don't think so

Change is always hard
It can meet a lot of resistance
Maybe victory will go
To one with a lot of persistence

Some can't see the warning signs
Of events as they transpire
They think all is rosy and dandy
As things are about to expire

Some play things by the book
Others become love's crook
They seem somewhat surprised
When all that's left is a dirty look

Nobody