Chapter 768
Chill Out
John arrived in the Command Center. He and Cameron spent a close time together earlier. Things seemed a little different now. They were both 'sure' of what the other must have 'done'. They at least knew what the other one wanted to do. Everyone wanted the same thing. It shouldn't really be a big deal. In reality, it really wasn't. The open lifestyle seemed to work for all the girls.
He was a little surprised Cameron didn't shower with him. He was sure she would. She seemed to be in a hurry for some reason. He expected to find her in the Command Center. He figured she would search for the information on whatever happened or was uncovered last night so she could go and deal with it herself. It was how she normally rolled anyway. She wasn't there. Maybe he would check to see where she went.
John and John Henry greeted each other.
It was time to get to work. There must have been more than a few things happen since last night. He expected to get an earful.
"Did I miss much?" John asked.
John Henry really didn't want to get into any of the personal issues. He wasn't supposed to anyway. He needed to worry about Cameron and CamNet. Strangely enough, CamNet seemed 'absent' for a few hours earlier. He wondered if she was down for maintenance. He didn't ask. Maybe it was best not to know.
"So far it's been the usual drama." John Henry said. "A few leads have turned up Skynet wise."
John Henry filled John in on everything. He thought John seemed a little more distracted than usual.
"Is everything OK?" John Henry asked.
John wondered where Cameron needed to go in such a hurry. He needed to refocus.
"Yes." John said. "Everything is fine."
John Henry wasn't so sure.
"You seem 'different'." John Henry said.
John and Cameron said the same thing to each other earlier. They were both sure they knew why.
"I do?" John asked. "I just got here."
John Henry thought Cameron seemed 'different' too. Now He wondered what the files Savannah erased were. He didn't have any idea. He wondered if something happened with John or Cameron. Maybe something happened with both of them at different times. Maybe it was both of them together. Maybe it was nothing and he should concentrate on his job like he was supposed to do.
Now he began to wonder what happened. He knew it was best not to speculate.
Somehow the more he tried not to speculate, the more he actually did.
John was pleased to learn Cammy's team looked like they found a solid lead. He didn't know all the details as to how the information was obtained. He only knew the Grays were questioned until they provided answers. If Sheila was involved, it seemed to make everyone else 'uncomfortable'.
He didn't know they didn't mind what she did. It was the fact she seemed to enjoy it so much was what bothered everyone. They didn't see how anyone human, and especially a Terminator, could derive satisfaction and pleasure from it. It seemed half of the pain happened in the mind of the victim as to what was being done to them, rather than what the actual physical pain was of what was actually done. It was the emotional trauma which seemed to be what Sheila thrived on.
Cammy was ready to go into the building. She wanted to get permission to get started. She wanted to move in and hit the target. If it is what they were looking for, there was no need to delay. She didn't like Bob's apprehension or John Henry's delays. Now John was there and she hoped things would get started. What was the point in waiting?
"John, I think we can move in on the target." Cammy said. "I'm ready to go in now."
John went over all the information. There were still too many unknowns. They needed to know more about the force inside the building. They suspected there were Terminators there based on the two homeless men's descriptions, and their reaction to Bob.
"We don't know what we are dealing with yet." John said.
Cammy saw it as straightforward. They were dealing with Skynet in some form. What else was there to consider? They knew who the enemy was and where some of them were at. She decided to 'sugar coat' the report. Since she was in contact with the homeless men longer than Sheila and Bob were, she thought she could embellish the report slightly.
"Until I go in there we won't know. I'm ready to act." Cammy said. "We're looking for the trucks. One was reported hidden there for two days. Let's get in there and find out what we have or don't have. If we have a chance to score on one of the targets now, we should take it. The longer we wait the greater the chance it will be moved, or if it's at a different location it'll be moved before we can reach it after we interrogate those inside the building. Every delay will only compound our inability to track down the errant equipment."
Cammy knew it wasn't quite true. One big rig was reported in the area, but where it ended up at wasn't known. The two men saw one, but they didn't know where it went. It could have been anything. It might have been unrelated. It probably was as far as she knew.
John wasn't sure if Cammy indicated the reason why where they were at, was because they didn't take what was in the boxcars at the time. The decision not to do so was his. Either directly, or indirectly, the finger was pointed at him. He didn't think they possessed enough solid intelligence yet. He wasn't sure how reliable the two homeless men actually were.
"What you indicate is only if the intel was good." John said. "We don't know. You don't know for sure."
Sheila was sure of her methods. The fact the homeless men actually saw a truck only reinforced her belief.
"It is, love." Sheila said. "I can personally guarantee it. The information we received on this location is good. What's actually inside is what we need to find out."
John was sure he didn't want to know what happened to get Sheila's guarantee. Now he wondered what actually did happen. He didn't approve of Sheila's methods. He thought Sheila inherited the evil streak from Jesse. Savannah was supposed to work with Sheila on alternate methods of interrogation. It didn't seem to work. Then again, Sheila did show restraint at the motel in Avila Beach. He didn't see a drop of blood on the female Gray when she was in the bathtub. He did see a few bruises, but those were most likely from blows.
He watched Terminators interrogate others before. He tried not to be around when they did. He didn't like what he saw. He didn't like what he heard. Maybe he figured one day it would be him facing the same type of interrogation. He knew how it ended.
He didn't know after Cameron, Cammy, Savannah, and he left, Sheila tried to resuscitate the female Gray. She wanted to finish what she wanted to do all along. She only wanted to do it if the female was alive so she would know what was done to her. Sheila was very disappointed she couldn't revive her. If Cameron wouldn't have kept her hands on top of Savannah's for so long, she probably would have been able to revive her. Cameron made sure Savannah terminated her.
Bob didn't like Cammy to jump the gun, but if they wanted to move the operation along, they needed to get started. If where they were was a dead end, they should find out and move on.
"We don't know what we're facing, but Cammy is right." Bob said. "Out here we know no more than we did. If we want the trucks, we need to act. Their cargo is deadly. It is better to face it while it is inactive. We can always question any survivors and hopefully make them tell us where what we're looking for is at. If these people become spooked too much, they're going to activate all the equipment. It will be a lot harder for us to deal with. We won't be able to capture any of it intact either. It will all need to be destroyed."
John could hear the logic, but it was hours until it would be dark. If this was a bust, they needed to move on to other targets. He wanted some planning. It was mainly for if things turned bad. He needed to have some contingencies or some type of backup to turn to if the Skynet forces somehow started to gain the upper hand. If the plan was withdrawal, even if it was only temporary, he wanted everyone to be on the same page so it could be enacted.
"I want to know what everyone thinks from what they can view." John said. "Let's work out some kind of a plan…."
John didn't want his people to get shot up or walk into an ambush. He was still miffed at getting played, but wanted to go back to using caution. When any of them acted impulsively, the risk of mistakes grew many times over. He already made enough mistakes on this one. He didn't want to make one more, but he did want those other two trucks. He wanted to get his hands on the equipment he let slip through his fingers before.
Vanna went to see Allison.
Allison left to collect Summer and returned a minute later.
Vanna was in the studio. She looked at some drawings. They were very good and looked new.
"Are these your fathers?" Vanna asked. "I've never seen them before."
Allison was proud of them. She worked very hard on them. Holly oversaw her work, but only commented if she saw something which was questionable. She didn't tell her outright, but it made her go back and double check her work.
"No. I made those. I drew them." Allison said. "I planned and conceived them myself. I'm trying to better myself. Cameron has encouraged me. My father is an architect. I think I have some of his ability."
She didn't know there were two others who looked over her work as well. Young Allison would check over them after the others were asleep. Unbeknownst to everyone, Summer would look over them as well. There were a lot of things she did the others were unaware of, including the Terminators.
Vanna was pleased at what she saw and heard. It was clear Allison possessed the skill to actually do it. She knew Allison felt she became useless to the Resistance the last few years. She was a Resistance fighter, but she wasn't in any fights for a long time. It was what everyone wanted for her, but Allison herself. This line of work was a good alternative. She wondered why Allison never mentioned it. She was sure there were a lot of things both of them didn't mention anymore. Some of it seemed best if they didn't. It didn't really matter anyway, nor did it change anything. Life still went on. They still both loved each other. What else really mattered?
"It's very impressive work, Allison." Vanna said. "It's clearly at a professional level. You never told me you were doing this."
Allison wanted to be useful when she was in the future. She wanted to be more than a parasite and a bed warmer for Future John. She would take over all of Future Allison's 'duties'. She thought it might take her some time to get acclimated to an 'activity' she wasn't used to. It wasn't something she desired. Maybe if the circumstances were different and her feelings could grow, things might be different. Her previous experiences were best not remembered. Unfortunately, she could never forget them.
"I didn't think it was a big deal. I wanted to do more. You do more all the time and always have." Allison said. "I've studied to do this and now I'm practicing. When we get to the future, we will be able to help rebuild things. I want to help rebuild. I want to fix things. It seemed like all we ever did was destroy things."
Vanna knew Allison talked about going into Cameron's future. She wasn't so sure it was a good idea. She still planned to go wherever Allison went. She would need to take over Future Savannah's 'duties'. She knew what to do for Future John by being forced to do it by others in her future. There were things she needed to do to stay alive. She did them. Evidently she did them well. It wasn't her choice, but she didn't want to die.
She could put up with it again. It wasn't written in stone. If this was really going to happen, she would need to talk to Cameron and ask if John could break her back into the same type of sexual activity. She didn't want to see it as a job. If she was going to do it, she wanted it to be for real.
She let out her breath in a long slow manner as she thought about it. She tried to tell herself it's what everybody else did. How hard could it be? Riley, Sarah, and Jesse didn't seem to have a problem when they did it. Jesse was a little rusty since she hadn't been with a male since Cameron split Derek and her up. Maybe Jesse would step in and take over the bed duties for both Allison and her. It was a possibility. Jesse asked if she could go with them. She didn't see why not. She didn't want to get ahead of themselves.
"We aren't there yet." Vanna said. "We're not in the future, any future yet. We're not even in our future. We're still in the past. There hasn't been a Judgment Day yet either."
Allison didn't believe there was stopping any of it. She knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to be useful again. She knew Cameron believed all he would be able to do was delay Judgment Day. The future would arrive soon enough, one way or the other. Maybe it was better to be in a future where Judgment Day already occurred.
"We will be in the future, soon." Allison said. "We all know it. As far as my work goes, I have Holly check everything and all my calculations. I've made no structural errors. It's something very important. Things need to be built strong enough, without being overbuilt. I know a lot of the problems people face, especially in third world countries, are the builders cutting corners, using inferior materials, or just plain sloppy work. I will need to oversee my work carried out when it's done, to make sure it's done correctly."
Vanna did know good work when she saw it. It appeared Allison really could do the work on her own. It was really all mathematics anyway. It still took some foresight and planning to put it all together. It had to happen in someone's head before it ended up on the paper.
"I think it's amazing." Vanna said.
Allison was tasked by Cameron to work on a specific project. It was unusual in how they were going to build it for the future in the past. It was a good idea. She understood Cameron's reasoning.
"Cameron asked me to design an entire base addition which is family and children friendly." Allison said. "Cameron will build it in the past and make it available to Future Allison. It will be there all this time, but Nobody will know. It will be the same way we've 'sent' supplies to Future Allison. They were actually there all along but Nobody knew."
Vanna went to Allison and held her. She knew Cameron was really doing it for Allison if she went into the future. She knew Cameron wanted to provide Allison with everything she could. Cameron wouldn't stop Allison from leaving if it's what she really wanted. Cameron would build the complex and it would be waiting for Allison to 'find' once she arrived in Cameron's future. It was a very loving gesture. She personally never intended to 'lose' Allison again.
"We will always be together." Vanna said.
Allison loved Vanna dearly, but she also liked the variety. There was no shortage of females available to her now, and all of them were pristine. It was all except Savannah. She bore the 'markings' of the 'future' in the past. It always disturbed her. Savannah was the only human in the Resistance who saw combat on a regular basis. The Reese brothers saw some, but Cameron kept the brakes on them as much as she could. She wondered where Savannah was at right now.
"I know we are eternal lovers, but I want to keep it 'open'." Allison said. "I think you do as well."
Vanna was always open to the concept. She was with dozens of females when she was with Allison full time in their future. She was with every female who would have her. It was all of them. She especially tried to reach out to the females who were hurt, disfigured, or even older. She sought out any she knew escaped from a Scavenger camp. She told Allison it was just something she needed to do. She needed to let all the females know they still mattered, no matter what happened to them. She didn't want to get into the past, and what would probably be the future, right now.
"So it's meat and potatoes, which is us, but dessert every now and then." Vanna said.
Allison thought of all the females they were with now. They didn't even have to ask. There were plenty of people who would be there for them. She did notice they all tried to be with her mother first if they could. Her mother was the busiest female of them all. She even passed Jesse. There were always a handful of Metal girls waiting to be with her. They would settle for her when her mother's schedule was too full.
She wasn't really sure if she liked second place. Why was her mother better than she was? How was her mother better than she was? Maybe it was because she didn't have all the baggage of the future hanging over her. Maybe it was because she was no longer trapped in a lifestyle which was killing her. She must have a lot of sexual frustration she needed to work out. The variety available to them now was very wonderful
"Isn't it what we have now?" Allison asked.
Vanna knew it was. She hoped to get a crack at Claire later on herself. She didn't think she should mention it before she was with Allison. Besides, the dessert always came after the main course. She might want to throw a little foreshadowing out there.
"Yes, it is." Vanna said. "Your mother is having dessert right now."
Allison didn't like to hear about her mother and her sexual exploits, but she literally watched them all day long, everyday. She thought her mother should get all the enjoyment she could out of life. In her future, her mother died years ago. It made her feel very good inside to know her mother could derive so much pleasure instead of being dead. She knew from personal experience life could get pretty rough at times.
"Please, don't remind me." Allison said. "If it makes both of them happy, who are we to judge?"
Vanna was well aware everything could come crashing to an end in an instant. She already experienced it once in her life.
"Nobody…." Vanna said. "If Skynet blows up the world, there is no more happiness."
Vanna knew it was mostly hurt, for everyone.
Allison wanted to do something about the future.
"I want to help fix what Skynet took from us." Allison said.
Vanna wasn't sure another future was the place to do it.
"It's not our future." Vanna said.
Allison's daughter Destiny was there. She wanted to be with her daughter if she couldn't have a baby here.
"Does it matter?" Allison asked. "My Destiny is there."
Vanna knew Allison's statement said several things. In fact, it said them all.
"My destiny is with yours." Vanna said.
Cameron didn't like the developments with CamNet. She knew what it was like to be stuck in a server. It was really little more than a metal coffin. At least when she got the neck port and tether, she was able to move around and was back in her newly repaired chassis. It was her 'home' and she liked it. She didn't like to dwell on what all of it meant. She never could get away from it. It was always there to remind her.
John Henry was plugged into his server almost all the time, so it wasn't an issue for him or his server. He could unplug and walk away at any time to do other things, or go anywhere he needed to go. He always returned to his station whenever his other tasks were accomplished. She understood he needed to take care of other duties and responsibilities. There were many obligations to fulfill.
CamNet didn't tell her where Savannah was specifically at but she knew. It was a new problem she created and something which caused Savannah a lot of grief. It was all very unintentional and not what she expected at all.
Cameron knew where to find Savannah. She headed down to where Savannah's 'parents' were at.
Ally waited outside.
Cameron could see Ally didn't look very pleased.
"How's she doing?" Cameron asked.
Ally looked very uneasy. She looked upset.
"I don't know." Ally said. "Savannah was very serious when she went in there. She didn't tell me, and I didn't ask. It appeared she needed to deal with a lot of emotions. She looked very hurt."
Ally didn't want to leave Savannah alone like she was. She decided to wait outside. She knew she wasn't allowed in the room and knew whatever was in there hurt Savannah deeply inside. She could see it was very important for Savannah to go in there, even if it seemed like she didn't want to. She really wondered what madness Cameron was up to this time.
Cameron knew it was her fault. She knew all of it was her fault. She didn't know if she should disturb Savannah or not. The more she thought about it, the more it bothered her. She was the one responsible for what was in there. She needed to own up to her failures.
"I hurt her." Cameron said. "I'm going to go in."
Ally thought Savannah wanted privacy. She looked at the metal door into the room.
"Is there some way you can knock first?" Ally asked. "I think she wants to be alone. It seemed very important to her."
Cameron felt a glitch impulse. She felt the need to be closer to Savannah.
"I could call her." Cameron said. "No. I need to be with her in person. I need to be there for her."
Ally thought she saw something late last night. She was by Savannah's room as well.
"I thought you were earlier." Ally said.
Cameron quickly looked at Ally. She didn't know she was observed.
"Don't concern yourself with it." Cameron said.
Ally didn't like Cameron's sudden change in demeanor.
"Chill out." Ally said. "I didn't do anything wrong."
Cameron didn't think Ally was needed any longer. She was there now.
"I'm sorry." Cameron said. "Thank You for watching over her and helping her. You're free to go now. I appreciate your assistance."
Ally looked at the closed door. She felt she needed to say something to Savannah before she left. It appeared Cameron wanted her to leave now.
"You know we all love her." Ally said. "Please make sure she knows I was here until you sent me away. I feel like I should stay anyway until she comes out."
Cameron never felt bothered by all the females Savannah shared with. She wanted Savannah to have as much love as possible. She believed she was able to provide it to her.
"I do know." Cameron said. "All Savannah has ever felt is love for her, and love around her. It's a gift I've helped provide for her."
Cameron was very pleased and proud of the atmosphere of love she was able to surround Savannah with. It was something she felt no one ever tried to do for her. If anything, it seemed most of the people tried to do just the opposite at the beginning.
She was always worried about the loss Savannah suffered with her parents as a small child. She tried very hard to fill the void as did everyone else. She was aware they could never replace them. Now she was worried she may have gone too far.
Ally found it somewhat perplexing Cameron wasn't bothered by all of Savannah's sexual activity, the same way she was bothered by John's infractions.
"I would think it would bother you." Ally said.
Ally thought of John and Riley, the dead one.
Cameron only wanted the best for Savannah.
"When she takes her place in the 'Natural Order' it might." Cameron said. "Until then, I want her to know love, feel love, experience love, and share love. I never want her to feel like I did, like I do."
Ally knew Cameron still felt the same way. She sure hoped when Savannah and Young Allison were with Cameron it would change. Now she wondered if it even could change. Maybe Cameron was so scared at this point, she could never fix herself.
"Good luck." Ally said. "If you need me or Savannah does, call me. I'll be close by. If Cammy is busy and no one else is available, call me and I will come to her."
Cameron hoped she hadn't been too harsh with Ally.
"Thank You." Cameron said as she gave Ally a hug before she left.
Cameron debated what to do. She knew the best thing to do was face the problem head on. When it was time for battle, one forged ahead. Still, she was very unsure what to do at this point.
Cameron stood at the door for a few more minutes before she entered the code….
Young Allison saw Holly and Hanna wanted to be alone. Holly carried a tether.
"Anna and I will watch over Summer." Young Allison said.
Hanna and Holly looked at each other.
Young Allison didn't want anyone to seem surprised. She knew everything everyone did and the way they reacted to everything. She knew every sound they made when something specific was done. She was pretty sure they knew she saw it all. She briefly wondered if it was something Cameron programmed into them to leave the door ajar and not be cognizant of the fact she was there to watch them. It would explain a lot.
"Relax." Young Allison said. "I keep TELLING all of you. I know what happens around here. I have for a long time too. I've seen it. I've seen everything…."
She actually wouldn't mind seeing a little more, especially close up. She thought it might be a little too presumptuous to ask. Issues ever offered the chance to watch, she wasn't about to turn it down. If she was lucky, she might even end up as a participant.
Holly was informed by Allison how Young Allison 'spied' on her and Vanna together. She figured Young Allison 'spied' on her and Allison too. Allison told her since it was 'herself' she really didn't mind. She actually hoped Young Allison would be able to learn a few things and know her way around a female body a little bit better when she was actually with one. She figured it would actually benefit Savannah in the long run. Savannah told her Future Alison and her liked many of the same things. She figured the knowledge would benefit Young Allison one day.
Holly and Hanna wordlessly disappeared into the back of the bunker complex.
Young Allison got Summer started on a project on one of the computer monitors. She worked with Summer and showed her how to do a few more things. Summer was a quick learner. She was pretty sure Summer could show her a few things.
Young Allison returned to Anna.
"Summer is highly intelligent." Anna said. "She's able to learn everything at an accelerated rate without anyone having to 'push' her. It's almost like she already knows how to do everything. She seems to know what will happen next, especially around other people."
Young Allison often wondered about it. Sometimes she wondered if Summer didn't actually hold back on what she could really do. There was a lot of speculation as to what actually may or may not have occurred in regards to it.
"Did Cameron take Summer to River's future?" Young Allison asked.
Anna verified the information on her chip since she ran Cameron's program several times.
"It's not on my chip if she did." Anna said.
Young Allison hoped for some clarification.
"Did Cameron ever take Savannah or me there?" Young Allison asked.
It was something else Anna checked as well.
"I have no knowledge of it." Anna said.
Young Allison looked at Summer. She wanted to feel a little jealous, but instead she felt proud for her sister.
"Great, so Summer will be smarter than me, and look prettier than me." Young Allison said.
Anna was 'sweet' on Young Allison. She wanted to make a few things clear about beauty, or what was perceived as beauty. She wanted Young Allison to know how she felt about her.
"Beauty is subjective and transitory." Anna said. "You're beautiful. You will always be beautiful."
Anna wanted to get a little more specific, but knew it wasn't the right time or place, especially after the incident with CamNet.
Young Allison remembered her limited exposure to Cameron in Summer's chassis.
"We all saw 'teenage' Metal Summer." Young Allison said. "She was better looking than Cameron, and Nobody is better looking than Cameron."
Anna knew Cameron's beauty came from Young Allison. It was where the DNA came from Cameron currently used.
"Your beauty will be equal or better than Cameron's." Anna said. "Her beauty is actually your beauty. Never forget it. You are the one who provided Cameron with her appearance."
Young Allison was sure Summer would be more beautiful than her.
"Maybe, until Summer gets a little older." Young Allison said. "She's not very far behind me physically, sometimes I wonder if she's ahead of me academically."
Anna didn't think it was anything Young Allison needed to worry about, especially at this time.
"Things will happen when they're supposed to happen." Anna said.
Young Allison knew Cameron's plans for her. It was what she wanted as well. She wanted to speed up the process in this timeline by visiting the past. She figured something like it would happen to Summer as well.
"Promise me it's how things will be." Young Allison said.
Anna said nothing.
The lack of a promise confirmed Young Allison's suspicions as to what may be in store for Summer.
"You can't make such a promise can you?" Young Allison asked.
Anna didn't know what Cameron would do later on. Everything would revolve around whatever Cameron did or wanted to have done.
"No. I can't." Anna said. "Nobody can."
Young Allison looked at the security camera.
"How about you, CamNet, can you promise me how things will be?" Young Allison asked.
'No.' Appeared on Young Allison's computer screen. 'The future must be protected. Nobody knows what will happen.'
Young Allison wanted to see if she could get some answers out of Anna or CamNet.
"Is Summer, John and River's child, or from their genetic material?" Young Allison asked. "Or a human clone of River?"
Anna could find no files which supported any of those claims.
"No." Anna said. "I have no knowledge of it or any of those things."
Young Allison hoped CamNet was in a talkative mood and might actually reveal something.
"CamNet, is she?" Young Allison asked.
The response was immediate.
'Unknown.' CamNet responded. 'DNA samples show she has the same parents as you.'
Young Allison was aware Cameron could have manipulated quite a few things in her temporal travels.
There was no Summer in Allison's future, or Future Allison's future. She only existed in the current timeline….
Young Allison really wondered about it….
She knew ethics and moral constraints were not Terminator strong points.
She was aware they weren't being stressed in her Terminator oriented upbringing either.
It appeared Cameron wanted to offer a lot of moral 'wiggle room' going into the future. Savannah was the counterbalance to it.
Closing monologue by Cameron:
You And I Talk About It A Lot
I know many times
I've pulled a foolish stunt
I'm not sure if it's because
I don't know what I really want
Sometimes we think we know
When we usually don't
We say we can't
And can't means won't
It seems that we run
When we should converse
It's almost as if
We live in our own universe
We move forward
We move back
We want to share
Instead each other we attack
We each speak of loneliness
Even feel like a misfit
What are we waiting for
You and I talk about it
Nobody