Chapter 522

Just In Case

Previously:

Jesse left a body behind along the trail in the park. She killed a man who stalked an Asian female. She was able to act before he did. A Scavenger was a Scavenger in any timeline. They would all suffer the same fate.

Gail led the way back toward their SUV. She never heard a shot fired so she knew Jesse used her knife on the man. She wondered if she did anything else. It was an old habit of hers. She didn't want to ask. It might give Jesse some ideas if they needed to stop somewhere else along the way before they returned to the base. She didn't see anything in plain sight. There were no bulges in her pockets.

Jesse could see how Gail looked her over. She knew what was on her mind. She didn't think what happened was a big deal. There was no need to make it one.

"He was after the female. Now he isn't." Jesse said. "I just wanted the female to make it through the park. We both know what happened there several times, as well as the surrounding area. I took care of it, well, we took care of what the authorities chose not to do. The DA might give sexual predators a pass, I don't."

Gail was glad to hear it. She didn't see everything Jesse saw.

"How did you know he was the perpetrator?" Gail asked.

Jesse quickly glanced at Gail.

"He carried a knife in his hand, a dirty rag which was crusted with dried body fluids, and half a dozen zip ties." Jesse said. "He also carried this."

She took out the revolver she removed from the dead future Scavenger. She didn't want to leave it there for another future Scavenger to find. If the Asian female would have heard her and returned to see what the noise was, she would have given it to her. The operation of a revolver was very easy. It was simply pointed at the target, and the trigger pulled. It was just that simple.

She killed him because she remembered what happened to her. The man stalked the female. She wanted revenge for what was done to her. No matter how many men she killed, the desire was never satisfied. There was one less future Scavenger now. It was the only thing which mattered. It was time to move on to the next target.

Gail looked at the revolver. She figured they could plant it on another future Scavenger. They would end up getting blamed for whatever crimes were committed with it. It was an effective strategy.

"Where are we off to next?" Gail asked. "The night is still young."

Jesse liked to stay out through the 'Witching Hour' when they were out.

"I want to look for the local gang around the theater." Jesse said. "We know they jumped one of the females after the future Scavenger was done with her several weeks ago. She really experienced a rough go. I know what it's like."

Gail didn't want Jesse to dwell on the past, the future. She knew there were several gangs in the neighborhood.

"We might have trouble finding the right one." Gail said.

Jesse didn't think it would be a problem.

"We'll take all of them down." Jesse said. "The future will be safer without them, so will the females in the neighborhood."

Gail thought they should employ Cameron's strategy of having the gangs fight each other, then finish off the survivors. It was an effective strategy. She was just about to suggest it to Jesse. She was sure CamNet would assist them with any of the details to make it work. It would be like one of Cameron's 'off the books' operations. They could become quite messy. Her thoughts were interrupted before she could speak.

A phone rang.

Gail looked at Jesse. It wasn't either of their phones. She knew the ring tones.

It rang again.

Jesse pulled a phone out of her pocket.

"I took his phone." Jesse said. "I wanted to see what was on it."

Gail took it and looked at it. She figured it would be a little bit more involved than just looking. She knew Jesse planned to go to the man's residence and see what else she could find. Usually it was a collection of female underwear or bras. They were kept as a 'trophy' from their act of violence. For this man it was a series of photos. The man photographed them several times. There was a 'crying face' of each of them. Evidently their pain and misery excited him. She knew each photo was of a ruined life for a young lady. There was a voice mail message on his phone so she knew what he sounded like. She put the phone on 'speaker'.

"Yeah…." Gail said in a male voice.

"Did you get one?" The male voice asked.

Gail glanced over at Jesse.

Jesse understood the 'offer'. She nodded.

"Yeah…." Gail said in a male voice.

"Is she pretty?" The male voice asked.

"She's prettier than the last one." Gail said in a male voice.

"Is it a blonde?" The male voice asked.

Gail looked at Jesse.

"It's an Asian girl." Gail said in a male voice.

"It's fine. They always look ten years younger than they are." The male voice said. "I like it."

Jesse touched the hilt of her knife. The action wasn't lost on Gail.

"She's a tough little devil." Gail said in a male voice.

The man on the other end of the phone laughed sadistically.

"You know I beat the spunk out of them." The male voice said. "You know I like the fighters. I work on them good, real good. I'll enjoy busting her up before I get started."

Gail noticed Jesse held her knife in her hand now.

"Yeah…." Gail said in a male voice.

The man on the other end of the phone laughed even more sadistically.

"I can hardly wait." The male voice said. "You know what I like. You know where to bring her. I have your money."

The line went dead.

Gail was angered by what she heard. She better understood Jesse's actions, and Sheila's by extension. There were certain crimes which needed some type of 'punishment'. Prison wasn't good enough. Termination alone would be too swift.

"We'll track him down." Gail said. "You can do as you please with him. I'll assist you in this case. We will do whatever you determine is the appropriate punishment. I think we probably should have done it on the last future Scavenger as well."

Jesse touched her knife again. It was what she wanted to do. She tried to be a better individual and just to do the termination. Gail was right. there needed to be some type of punishment appropriate for the act. Based upon the conversation he seemed to be a repeat abuser of Asian females. His reference about age bothered her greatly. Her abuse started when she was young.

They went back to their SUV. They would use CamNet to come up with a location for the man on the other end of the phone. They would have a complete profile of him.

Gail just started the SUV when the alert from the Resistance base sounded. They immediately searched around them for any impending threat. None was apparent. The next thing was to determine the nature of the threat. The man would need to wait. Their safety was in jeopardy. They needed to find out more, but the information was unavailable.

Was Judgment Day about to happen? Was the Resistance base, or a Detail house under an actual attack? Was someone attacked or terminated? Was anyone captured?

There were so many questions with no time to think or react. Maybe it was one of them. Maybe it was all of them. Hopefully it was none of them.

The only information they received was there was an 'attack imminent'. If it was Judgment Day, they needed to seek cover. If the base was under assault, they needed to return to launch a counter attack or a rescue mission.

Jesse told Gail they needed to return to the base. She was worried about her friends, her FAMILY. Gail reminded her they needed to use caution. They didn't have any idea what specifically was wrong. They only knew it wasn't a drill. They didn't want to get caught up in it before they could properly respond. Based upon their earlier activity, they didn't think they were targeted by anyone. They would double check anyway.

They always traveled with firepower. They would be able to do a lot of damage if an enemy attack force could be identified. They sought out any other Resistance personnel who were outside or near the base. They would link up if possible to coordinate the best response.

They were able to contact Holly and Allison. They left the base not too long ago. Holly needed to restrain Allison from rushing back immediately. Both groups were headed for the base and would link up two blocks outside of the base. They would decide what to do then.

Ed and Frank were also out in the field. They would coordinate with them from the opposite side. They would all be in position soon. Everyone was in a hurry to do something. The trouble was, none of them knew what the something would be.

CamNet fed them what she knew. There seemed to be a lot of confusion in the Command Center at the Resistance base.

Gail and Holly both saw the women they loved were worried to no end about Cameron. They both knew the girls loved Cameron more than them, even though they were in physical relationships with the girls and Cameron wasn't, nor ever was. It was the purest form of love. It was true emotional love which remained unclouded by any physical aspect.

Jesse and Allison made it clear to Gail and Holly before things ever happened, who they loved. It was no surprise. The girls loved each other and they all loved Cameron. It is the way it was. Everyone knew the rules going in. The girls were free to be with anyone who they desired, at any time.

The Metal girls were encouraged to do the same thing. They all started out a little slower but soon understood the beauty involved with sharing. It was something Sheila and Ally were very robust at. Hanna needed to put the brakes on a little when she was assigned to Claire. It didn't take long for everything to expand in their relationship. Claire was now the most sought after of all of the human females.

Jesse spotted the other SUV and pointed.

"There they are." Jesse said.

Gail already spotted them several seconds ago.

"I see them." Gail said.

The two SUVs pulled up alongside of each other.

The 'stand down' order was issued by this point. Everyone was able to relax a little, but not much. They were still on high alert. The event made it all real. The ever present threat from Skynet loomed over them along with the never ending threat of Judgment Day. It would be the world they knew destroyed, and billions dead when Skynet acted.

Sometimes it was easy for them to forget the future and the Hell they grew up in. It seemed like a good thing most of the time. The future was best left forgotten.

Jesse went through a little reminder earlier in the park. She stopped an Asian female from being abused. The act seemed to give her some personal validation. She was able to help someone without them ever knowing. It seemed as if it was real help. Nothing was expected in return. It was about doing the right thing.

She always hoped it would make her forget the past, the future. It never did. It only reminded her it happened, and it was a terrible place.

All four girls piled into one SUV to talk better and be closer. They all sought the comfort of each other. Jesse and Allison were pleased to be in the company of each other right now. It was just different than being with the Metal girls. There was a deeper connection as to what they both could feel. They could even just touch the other one's hand. It would say a lot without a word being spoken.

Gail was updated by Jim. It said a lot in itself since John Henry was inoperable at this point. They received the full scoop.

"OK." Gail said. "There's no attack or assault at present at any of our facilities or with the Details. No one in the field has been targeted either."

Holly and Allison shared a long look over the last part. It meant Young Allison, Summer, and Claire weren't being attacked. It was a relief for both of them.

Jesse was worried by what triggered it all. Something very different must be at play.

"Do we know why the alert was issued?" Jesse asked. "Something must have happened. It wasn't a drill."

Gail was apprised of some of the details. The nature of the attack appeared to reek of Skynet.

"John Henry and Cameron are both incapacitated. They were possibly attacked themselves somehow." Gail said. "It wasn't a physical attack on them. The attack itself is still a mystery. It may not have occurred either. Something else may have triggered the event based on previous events."

Allison was very aware Cameron experienced 'problems' over the years. Not all of them were physical. They ranged over many different issues. She didn't want to discount the possibilities of an outside incursion. There were still a few questions which needed answers.

"So we don't know if it was a glitch, or a cyber attack." Allison said.

It seemed pretty straight forward to Holly. Cameron was damaged in a gun battle and was patched up. It was why they were just at the Resistance base. She shared time on the server with Cameron. It must be related to the event.

"Cameron was shot up and acting strangely." Holly said. "John Henry was in contact with her through the server."

Allison already mulled over the fact. It also pointed out another possible problem. She hadn't wanted to address it head on, but maybe it needed to be. Holly could be 'corrupted' as well. She didn't want Holly to become inoperable either.

"So were you." Allison said. "Are you OK?"

Holly didn't want it to come out like this. It made her feel inadequate. She didn't like to seem like 'less' to Allison. She also didn't want to do anything beyond her control which could hurt Allison or anyone else. She took the necessary precautions.

"I think so." Holly said. "I don't feel different. I'm running diagnostics currently."

Holly wasn't sure if she was corrupted. Everything seemed normal to her. She knew of the pain and anguish Cameron always felt. Maybe this was a manifestation of her grief. She hadn't detected anything 'different' in Cameron. She did know Cameron blocked a lot of information from her. She hadn't gone near it since it seemed to upset Cameron if she did. Maybe it was where the 'problem' was. She knew Cameron carried a lot on her plate.

Gail looked at Allison and Jesse. They all knew they would need to keep an eye on Holly, at least for a while. It wasn't spoken out loud, but they knew how things worked.

Holly picked up on their apprehension as soon as Allison made her remarks. She knew she would rather terminate than ever hurt Allison. She could see and feel their trepidations.

"If I do anything to endanger anyone, you need to immediately deactivate me." Holly said.

Holly handed Allison her Taser. It was 'hot'. It was ready to use in a moment's notice.

Allison was reluctant to take it. She was bothered by the implications of bringing her lover down. It didn't matter if she was a cyborg or not.

"I don't think I could use it on you." Allison said.

Holly didn't want to be responsible for hurting any of the girls. Allison needed to step up and do her job. Now wasn't the time to become complacent or lax.

"I don't want to hurt you or anyone else either." Holly said. "Please, Allison, for me…."

Allison frowned but knew the danger. Death and destruction were always the mistresses of Skynet. They could manifest themselves in many different ways.

"OK, Holly." Allison said. "We will all look out for each other."

Allison wondered how she was supposed to Taser Holly and deactivate her. They loved each other. How do you 'kill' the person you love? Maybe Holly wasn't infected by whatever happened to Cameron and John Henry. Maybe she was. All the guess work caused her even more stress and worry.

Gail handed Jesse her Taser as well.

"This is for 'just in case'." Gail said.

Jesse felt just as unsure as Allison, and just as worried. It would be hard to take down someone you care about.

"Sure, love." Jesse said.

Jesse wasn't sure if Gail wanted her to use the Taser on her or Holly. She hoped she didn't need to use one on anyone. Jesse knew Gail shouldn't be affected by anything. Maybe Gail did it so Allison didn't feel so bad about needing to Taser Holly if it became necessary. Either way, the Taser was 'hot' when it was handed to her.

All it did was add to the 'sick' feeling Jesse and Allison felt. They were both worried about Cameron, and the possibility of an attack still. It was a reminder of the future, which both of them wanted to keep in their past.

John coordinated the different groups out in the field. He was now in contact with Holly, Gail, Allison, and Jesse. He knew they wanted to 'come in' and 'see' Cameron. It was being dealt with. It was out of his hands for the moment on several levels.

Allison asked about the Young Detail. John already checked with them. Everyone was secure in the bunker. Hanna and Anna were with Young Allison, Summer, and Claire. The Terminators from the Detail were there as well, but still outside the bunker. They would engage any threat. So far there was none.

John thought it would be best if the four of them, along with Ed and Frank, went there. Ed took Gail and Jesse's SUV. He would lead the trio of SUVs. Gail and Jesse would stay with Holly and Allison. It was in case anything happened to Holly. Gail would drive. Frank would bring up the rear and follow them. Either the front or rear SUV could be used as a ramming vehicle if it became necessary. The vehicle with the girls would flee the scene of an incident until they could get the advantage to launch a counter attack.

John decided to go to the lab. Everything was under control for now. Derek and Kyle remained in the Command Center with Jim. No further threats or incidents were identified or materialized. So far there was no indication of any type of attack, even a cyber attack. Neither JH nor CamNet could detect any trace of one.

He decided to take the long way to go to the lab. It allowed him to inspect the base at the same time. He passed by the commissary and his quarters. He passed by all of the living quarters. He paused outside of Savannah's room.

John thought about what almost happened. He was one second away from making love to Savannah. He really wanted to claim her virginity too. He wanted to know for sure he was the first. With Savannah he knew it. Cameron made sure Savannah was unspoiled for him. He was certain if Savannah didn't have such easy access to the other females, something would have happened by now. He also needed to realize Savannah possessed such easy access to the females, so she wouldn't need to be with him. He knew who was behind everything which went on, especially behind the scenes.

He didn't know Cameron was outside the room as he was about to make 'entry'. He didn't know her eyes glowed bright red as she blamed him for trying to 'steal' Savannah from her.

He moved on past the other girl's rooms. He thought about the girls moving around naked in the hall as they 'room hopped' at night. He saw plenty of it over the years. He really regretted not taking advantage of the bounty of booty Cameron made available for him. What was he thinking? Wait. He knew exactly what he was thinking. It was about Future Riley and everything which transpired associated with her. It was one big crap sandwich and he needed to keep eating it, over and over.

John reached the lab. He reached for the door handle and paused. He decided to look in the little window first and see what he could. He saw John Henry move his arms in some kind of a test. He entered the lab. He didn't care for the dirty looks the girls gave him. He didn't think any of what occurred was his fault. He didn't know Cameron was outside Savannah's room earlier. Even if he did, he wouldn't have seen it as the problem it turned into.

"How are they doing?" John asked.

Cammy looked at John.

"Cameron is still offline." Cammy reported. "John Henry is active."

John Henry sat up and then stood. He was a little embarrassed about what happened. He didn't think he should be, but it was what he 'felt'. He'd run several internal scans as well.

"I think I'm fine now." John Henry said.

John was surprised to see him up and moving around like nothing happened. Maybe it was a good thing. What went wrong?

John Henry stood before John.

"What happened?" John asked.

John Henry wished he could give an accurate answer to the question. He still wasn't really sure. It was all very unsettling. He wondered how Cameron dealt with such issues on many occasions. It was very disappointing. He was left with a very uncomfortable feeling.

"I was overwhelmed as I thought about what could've happened if Cameron was captured and the information was gleaned from her chip." John Henry said. "I was in contact with Cameron earlier on the server. Somehow I experienced an 'episode' like she's experienced before. I apologize for all the trouble I've caused. I thought I could deal with the issue as it started to develop. I couldn't. I couldn't stop it from taking control. I don't know how Cameron manages to do it. I know she experiences feelings much like it quite often."

John could see how uneasy John Henry looked. It wasn't like him at all. He was nominally confident and sure of himself. Now he looked a little lost. Perhaps it was best to spin everything as a 'test'.

"Don't worry about it. It was more like a real 'test' to see how we performed." John said. "We will evaluate all of it as well. Sometimes it's good to have our cage rattled to see how we hold up and what we would do."

John wanted a full report from everyone as to where they were and what they did. If it was a real attack or worse, if it was Judgment Day, where each member of the Resistance was at could determine what the future would be. It was doubtful they would all survive. They would lose power to run the TDE and be unable to 'fix' anything through its use. It was another reminder there was no easy 'fix' to anything.

Vanna and Savannah both looked over Cameron.

John wanted to rush there first, but he needed to be a leader and not caught up in his own love interests. He still needed to ask the question. He still needed to have some answers.

"What's wrong with Cameron then?" John asked.

Savannah smiled at John. She wanted the moment which almost happened earlier as much as he did. She was ready to become a 'woman'. The concern over what nearly occurred reminded her she didn't want to die a virgin. She at least needed to be with a male one time, just to see what it was like, if for no other reason. The issue wasn't her. The issue was Cameron.

"We don't know yet, John." Savannah said.

She was dressed now and returned Cammy's shirt back to her. She used the extra set of clothes they always kept for Cameron in the lab. The clothes were for Cameron to change into if she was shot up. Her other ones would always be ruined.

Savannah looked Hot.

John looked down and realized he was only wearing his pants and shirt. His underwear and shoes were still next to Savannah's bed. He wondered why he didn't collect them when he passed by there earlier. It was probably because he let his mind wander. He was worried about John Henry and Cameron.

Cam and Vanna weren't sure what 'happened' with John and Savannah and how it was related to Cameron's current 'condition'. It most likely didn't help. If it wasn't the trigger, it was surely an accelerant.

Vanna went to check in on Savannah after the alarm sounded and saw John's shoes and underwear, along with the wedding dress, and Savannah's bra scattered about the floor. She also noted the open and messed up bed. It was clear someone 'used' it. John's things in the room seemed to indicate what must have happened. She resisted the urge to look for a 'wet spot' on the sheet, but was pretty sure something did happen. All the evidence was there anyway. She wasn't happy about Savannah becoming 'woman', but it was going to happen at some point. To share with John was better than being held down as the men lined up to take a turn.

She mentioned what she saw to Cam. Cam reassured her IF anything happened, it was what Cameron wanted. It would restore the 'Natural Order'.

Vanna wasn't so sure about it. She honestly believed what Cameron said she wanted, and what she really wanted, were two vastly different things.

"You can finish getting dressed." Vanna said to John. "Maybe we will know more by then when you come back."

Vanna and John held a long look.

John left.

He knew she knew….

He was sure she 'read' more into it than actually happened. He hoped it wasn't going to be a problem. It seemed like there were more than enough of them already.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Just In Case

All who play the game
Hope to draw an ace
Chances are better than even
They'll get slapped in the face

People tend to get grabby
They invade personal space
Much too quickly for most
They try to speed up the pace

Time seems to be the enemy
In life's trudging daily race
If things are not thought out
One may soon feel disgrace

It's better to take things slowly
And stop at every base
Or every misstep forward
Will the previous ones erase

Things will work out fine
If everyone remembers their place
Many still keep a foot in the chase
That's for - just in case

Nobody