Chapter 510

Pure Sweet Love

John reviewed all the recent activity their group was responsible for with John Henry. He was a little concerned about a few of the incidents. He knew Cameron took steps to cover up what actually occurred.

"What's the local law enforcement feedback of the earlier operations?" John asked.

John Henry didn't think it was a problem. Cameron was well versed in directing the narrative in the direction she wanted it to go.

"So far all the police reports and news coverage have been of rival drug gangs fighting over turf or drug sales." John Henry said. "We've been able to cover our tracks well."

John was aware how Cameron was able to cover up much of what they did with 'items' from her 'off the books' operations which included the drug, crime, and sex trafficking trade. He understood she viewed everyone involved with such activity as future Scavengers. It made them fair game to her, but they were still conducted through her own operation and not through the Resistance. Everything was done 'off the books' so it could never be connected with the Resistance proper.

"You mean Cameron has." John said. "It's all her doing."

John looked the other way with Cameron's 'private' vendetta. It didn't bother him. He figured those involved in those illegal tasks would end up as Scavengers after Judgment Day. Their weapons and resources would better serve the Resistance than their criminal ways.

John Henry tried to vary the 'events'. There weren't too many choices.

"There can only be so many 'natural gas' explosions, meth labs exploding, and drug deals gone bad." John Henry said. "Our two servers can control the information flow and direction."

John wondered if there was any behind the scenes drama between JH and CamNet. It seemed like there might be at times. Cameron was the program behind CamNet so it was possible. It would be like a version of John Henry and Cameron working with each other, or possibly against each other.

"Do your servers ever 'fight' with Cameron's servers?" John asked. "Is one set dominant?"

John Henry didn't want to really discuss the topic. He figured it was best to make it sound good and 'blow it off'.

"No. They coexist and cooperate in everything." John Henry said. "It's almost as if the two systems exist in harmony. CamNet is always in the background, waiting."

John wondered what CamNet was 'waiting' for. It seemed pretty straight forward to him. He wondered if maybe there was more to it than the obvious. It would be all electronic so he wasn't exactly sure how anything would play out, or if it even would.

"It's actually YOU and Cameron in reality." John said. "You've both shared chip space and server space. You have a 'relationship'."

John Henry enjoyed the times his server and Cameron shared as well as when they were on the same chip. He didn't think 'relationship' was the proper word. Actually, the term 'relationship' could mean quite a few things depending upon the context it was used in.

"It may be one way to see it." John Henry said. "To share existence with Cameron is beautiful. The love, joy and hope which exists, along with the pain, hurt and trauma, all at the same time, is beyond description."

John Henry thought everything could be viewed as multi-dimensional as well as multi-layered.

John noticed the far away look in John Henry's eyes as he spoke. He looked like someone in love. He wondered if John Henry was influenced by JH, since he was currently plugged in, or if it was his own feelings.

"Do you love her?" John asked.

John Henry faced John. He didn't have anything to hide. He didn't think anything needed to be hidden.

"Yes." John Henry said. "For anyone to say otherwise would be a lie. We ALL love Cameron. You're the lucky one. She chose YOU."

John still wondered if her 'love' was programmed into Cameron by Future John. He knew he wasn't the only one who Cameron loved.

"She's chosen River and Savannah as well." John said. "I know she loves both of them and Future Allison."

It was 'old news' to John Henry. It was clear Cameron's desires expanded beyond John. It didn't seem as if the motivating force was sexual, even if it most likely would turn in such a direction. It was the positive feedback Cameron was given by the females which made her feel better about herself. None of them ever ran her down, made fun of her, or needlessly insulted her. They didn't hold the nature of her construction against her, as if she could have done anything about it. He didn't think getting into the details with John right now would help anything. You would most likely create a negative connotation in regards to their conversation.

"Yes, she would choose any of those three as her mate if not for you." John Henry said. "We all know this. She is very dynamic."

John felt a 'punch in the gut', he was well aware of those facts. He often wondered how he could compete with the girls. Cameron was unable to reproduce so she didn't 'need' him. He didn't want to get left behind if Cameron decided to 'move on'.

"Do you know how I can do what she WANTS without hurting her?" John asked. "I want to move all our lives forward."

John Henry thought all the answers were right in front of John. He just needed to act. It didn't seem complicated. There were certain biological issues involved, but it wasn't necessarily the driving force. Cameron wanted John protected from the anti-Metal faction. Cameron also wanted personal satisfaction and knew where to get it.

"John, I don't know how to say this." John Henry said. "If you don't take Savannah as a wife, your wife, Cameron will take her for herself. She'll move on without you. I know she'll take Savannah and Future Allison to the past to live a life with them, the three of them alone. She's certain she may have done this in a 'previous life'."

John knew Cameron believed she did it already. He needed to think about Future Riley and his transgressions. He didn't see how the same 'reaction' would not repeat. What Cameron 'said' and what she 'wanted' were two different things.

"How do I do it and NOT hurt her?" John asked. "I want her to be with Savannah but if she does it, it will be all she wants and not me. Savannah has only ever shown Cameron love and caring."

John Henry knew how Cameron felt and why. Cameron even told him before since she was incapable of reproduction, it didn't matter if her mate was male or female. She was a machine. There was no other aspect to it. He couldn't help but think about what he witnessed earlier in the Command Center with the interaction of John and Savannah.

"It all comes down to timing." John Henry said. "It all has to happen at the same time in some way. It's obvious Savannah and you have chemistry and you both have a desire."

John Henry witnessed the personal desire of the two in the Command Center during the last operation. He didn't need to scan them to know what they both felt and wanted. He noticed Sarah and Kyle witnessed it too. Since they were John's parents, he didn't think he should bring them into the conversation, but would if he needed to, to stress a point.

John knew he held strong feelings for Savannah. He was afraid to SAY he loved her, but he knew he did. He knew Savannah loved him, and Cameron as well. He knew they all loved each other. Even if it was obvious, it was still convoluted somehow. He really wasn't sure what was what, or the direction things would actually go. Maybe all of it was orchestrated to some extent.

"It's all Cameron's doing." John said.

John Henry doubted it. There was a historical event which needed to be factored into the equation. It happened in the future without Cameron involved when it did.

"Is it?" John Henry asked. "Or is it the 'Natural Order' asserting itself like Cameron has ALWAYS said it would. Remember, what happened in the future, happened on its own."

John believed Cameron made all the girls in any timeline 'better' and more desirable as she enhanced their natural abilities and beauty. He didn't think it was necessarily a bad thing for them to improve themselves in more than a physical way.

"I don't know." John said. "Savannah, every one of them, and every Allison, are beautiful women. Cameron's done everything to make them more beautiful and desirable. They are all highly educated. They are also skilled in the different arts."

John Henry could see in their current timeline, Cameron 'added' to the 'Natural Order' in her own way. It was a 'bonus' for John and the girls. It appeared to him to be a bonus for everyone involved.

"Don't forget the 'dessert' Cameron has added." John Henry said.

John thought about all the 'overtures' from Jesse and the visit of Young Jesse.

"Do you mean Jesse?" John asked. "ALL of them? I haven't forgotten."

John Henry nodded. He believed there were also the different versions of each of the girls in multiple timelines. He didn't think it stopped with the present. He didn't think it stopped with only the human females either.

John thought about the Metal girls with each of the girls. Most of them shared a clone of her. It seemed Cameron's problems all landed at his doorstep again. The more he thought of it, the more multi-layered everything seemed. Maybe he read more into it than there was, but he didn't think so. He needed to acknowledge his failures and shortcomings. He knew they made a difference, even if no one ever talked of them.

"I know she's provided her clones to live the life she wants and desires. Cameron says it's to help 'protect' them, but she loves them." John said. "The females have ALWAYS treated her with love and dignity and respect. It's more than Future John or I've done. I know it's why she LOVES them. They've always offered and provided for her everything she seeks as an individual. They offer love and emotional bonding without question or fault. It never mattered to them she was a Terminator. It was always unconditional pure sweet love. They all possessed the faith I lacked from the beginning."

John saw the girls all go off to 'die' with Cameron, or for her. Their love for Cameron meant more than their own lives. There is no doubt about it.

John Henry was aware of the sacrifices the girls were all willing to make for Cameron. He saw it all from Cameron's video files as to how far each of the girls was willing to go, especially Savannah. There was a way out for her, and she didn't take it.

He was sure love was deeper than the surface value of it. He didn't know exactly what a human could feel as far as love went. He knew love actually existed within the mind. Maybe the girls could see it differently than John could.

"Do you think their love is stronger than yours?" John Henry asked.

John thought about how Cameron 'split up' Vanna and Allison, as well as Jesse and Derek. It was to make Allison, Vanna, and Jesse 'available' to him. He saw how Savannah was 'isolated' from any males other than him. He didn't think any of those were actually good things for the girls. He wasn't even sure Cameron understood the magnitude of the things she did, and how it would affect the others. Maybe in the end it didn't.

"Yes." John said. "None of them has ever wavered, no matter what Cameron has done, even with their 'altered' relationships with each other. They've all followed Cameron to certain doom and never hesitated. They all did it out of love. They would all do it again too."

John Henry saw it a little differently. Those were logical decisions made by Cameron for John's benefit. He knew Cameron was deeply bothered by what her actions caused for the others.

"Cameron never intended to split them up. She only tried to provide for them." John Henry said. "She did everything for YOU."

John lowered his head in resignation. It always seemed he was the problem. Even if he wasn't the problem directly, he was the problem indirectly. Since he was the problem, it ended up causing problems for Cameron. No matter how he tried to rectify the situation, it never seemed to work.

"I know." John said. "Don't you think I HATE all the things I've done to hurt her both now and in the future? I know she can never get past them. They all haunt and torment her. I can't fix it. I've tried."

John Henry didn't see things as being too far off the mark. Cameron still performed her 'duty' to John. He was sure even if her 'personal interaction' with John may have been a desire programmed into her, it was something she wanted on her own as well.

"She's still here protecting you and protecting the future." John Henry said. "She sees it as her 'function'. She watches over you and all of us, even if she could have left long ago. She didn't."

John wasn't sure he liked the terminology. It didn't sound like 'love' if it was a 'function'. At some point her self interests would take over. It seemed the clock was 'ticking'. Maybe the clock already ran out. He really didn't know.

"For how much longer will it be?" John asked. "I have nothing to offer her as a man or husband or leader. At some point her love for them will outweigh her 'function' and 'duty' to me. She's advanced beyond her programming long ago. I really would like to know how much longer she will stay."

John was sure of the fact years ago. He was actually surprised Cameron still tolerated him. He knew they often had arguments about things which were insignificant and didn't really matter. He saw what happened with the other couples as well. Even with the deeper issues, Cameron was still there.

John Henry tilted his head slightly. John's question was a good question. In the current timeline, he wasn't sure there was an answer.

"I don't know." John Henry said. "I don't think she does either."

John didn't get much reassurance from John Henry.

"Beautiful…." John said.

John couldn't help but think everything with a beginning, would also have an end. He wondered if the end ever actually came before the beginning. The end was at least there waiting to happen. There could always be a new beginning and a different end.

Cameron sent Ally and Anna off to Palmdale. She decided not to accompany them at this time. She didn't want her influence to be a factor in the events which occurred.

There were more pressing needs closer to home. She received a 'hit' on the surveillance devices she left at the suspected Skynet related location. She was able to view the image of one Gray. He was the only one who showed up. She wondered if he was a lone survivor of the attack. There were often members of the various groups performing a different task when the Resistance team, or her, arrived and cleaned house. It made it more difficult to get everyone involved in a timely manner.

She slipped out of the base unnoticed. She didn't want to make a big deal about it. She didn't want anyone to follow her. There was no need to endanger anyone else. Whatever the situation was, or evolved into, she would be able to handle it.

CamNet kept her updated as she closed in on the target location. She wanted some answers and to know who the group was. She was sure some other group of 'Grays' infiltrated the Grays sent back from her future. It was a practice they noticed more and more. There were Grays in the anti-Metal faction. There were individuals from the anti-Metal faction who infiltrated the Grays.

She needed to think about what she was going to do. She already visited the location once. She didn't find anything which could have alerted anyone to her still needed to think she could have been detected. It seemed additional caution was in order. She parked five blocks from the location and advanced on foot. She hoped to take them by surprise. She didn't want to kill them outright. Not yet anyway. She needed answers, more than she did vengeance.

Cameron checked with CamNet. She wanted to know what her surveillance devices detected. There were two men inside the building. She wasn't sure when the other one arrived. It almost seemed as if he was inside already. It didn't make any sense unless there was a secret room she missed. If there wasn't a secret room, there could have been a hidden entrance. It could even be from a neighboring location connected with some type of underground passageway. One of the Grays held a phone.

She halted her advance. She wondered if they knew she set up some surveillance. Maybe this was a ploy to get her to show up. They might want to capture her. They certainly wanted to terminate her. She quickly withdrew from where she was. She took a different route back to her SUV than she entered the area from.

She went back seven blocks and then approached her vehicle from behind it. If anyone was waiting for her, they would expect her to come from the direction of the building, not from the area on the other side of it. It was worse than she thought. There were two men at her vehicle. She could hear them speak to each other as well as someone else. One of them held a phone.

"What do you mean you lost her?" The first Gray asked.

She listened to someone else speak to them on their phone.

"She's not here." The unseen Gray said. "We were ready for her."

The second Gray looked visibly disgusted and seemed rather agitated.

"She was right in the kill zone almost." The second Gray said.

"She tripped the external sensors." The unseen Gray said. " She was here, but not anymore. She just vanished."

The two Grays at her SUV looked in the direction she left from earlier.

"We don't see her coming back this way." The first Gray said.

The second Gray took the phone.

"Double check your area." The second Gray said. "They said she's really slippery and has a lot of tricks."

Cameron was sure this operation was far from over. There were at least four more Grays involved.

"You know the 'Boss' wants her chip." The unseen Gray said.

Cameron immediately wondered who the 'Boss' was. It was definitely a new target.

"What if we can bring her down in one piece?" The second Gray asked.

There was a slight pause.

"You can do as you please with her chassis before we turn it over to the 'Boss'." The unseen Gray said. "Just make sure you pull her chip first."

The first Gray looked at the second one. He lightly moistened his lips.

"I heard it's just like the real thing on a 'Metal Bitch'." The first Gray said.

"It is." The second Gray said. "You can't tell the difference. You can try her after I do. It will be real smooth for you. You should see what it's like when they're programmed to perform. There's nothing better than a 'Metal Whore' for sex on the planet."

Cameron didn't like the direction of the conversation. It offended her greatly. She approached the Grays from behind. They still looked in the wrong direction. She kept the SUV between her and the Grays as she rapidly approached them.

She rabbit punched the second Gray in the back of his neck and snapped it. The phone flew from his dead hand. She grabbed the first Gray. She wanted to rub his words in his face.

"To be terminated by a 'Metal Bitch' is just the same too." Cameron said. "It is the real thing."

A look of terror filled the Gray's eyes. It appeared as if he saw something which was unbelievable. He looked as if he saw a ghost.

"You're real." The first Gray said. "You're real."

Cameron wondered what his statement was supposed to mean.

She wanted the phone the second Gray dropped. She pulled the first Gray over to it. She reached down to pick it up. The first Gray broke free.

Cameron watched as he drew a pistol. She mentally berated herself for being so careless. She figured she was going to sustain some sheath damage now. She was more than surprised at what happened next. He didn't point it at her.

"You'll never make me talk." The first Gray said. "We know what you do to humans."

He lifted his pistol to the side of his head and pulled the trigger.

Cameron watched the other side of his head blow out. It looked like fanatical behavior to her.

CamNet warned her there were more Grays in the building now and some were headed her way. She quickly searched the two dead Grays and looked underneath her vehicle.

She didn't want to get ambushed. Her SUV looked clean so she started it and made a U-turn. She ran over both Grays as she did. She would need to dump it and pick up a fresh one. Things hadn't played out the way she anticipated. She was almost outplayed by their actions to set her up. The fact even more Grays appeared in the building was a further sign she missed something of significance.

They wanted to capture her and abuse her chassis. She wasn't done with this group yet.

Ally and Anna headed out to Palmdale. The underground bunker at the Young residence started to fill up. Cameron stocked it with Terminators, a lot of them.

Holly looked around, she was worried. Allison was only human, and there was a LOT available to her right now. The new Hot ticket was 'Anna'. Savannah was already desirable, now there was a Terminator version of her. Somehow it was really like Savannah too. She didn't think she could tell the difference between them if she wasn't a Terminator herself. Allison and Claire were unable to tell Anna wasn't Savannah. She wondered how long it would be until they realized it.

She knew where it was going to lead. She knew Allison loved Savannah, this version of her, a Terminator version, ran Cameron and Cammy's program, with 'Savannah' thrown in with the 'Neural Interface'. She knew there was little she could do but watch. If Cameron's program was in Anna, she would always act as an extension of Cameron. She would be a spy, even if it wasn't the intention.

Holly watched Young Allison and Summer. For some reason the younger girls could always seem to tell who was who, even with Cameron's clones. Holly knew Savannah could always tell the difference. She wondered how since they were literally identical.

She noted Young Allison and Summer both hung back. They knew Anna was someone 'different'. They weren't afraid of her. They just knew it was a 'new' person, a stranger. They were taught to be wary strangers.

Hanna shared the same fears as Holly. She wanted to confront Anna about them. She took Anna to a different room.

Anna and Hanna faced off.

Hanna was worried about the 'development' as well. She knew Anna was the 'younger' version of herself. She knew it would make her more desirable to Claire and Allison both. It was something humans seemed to prefer, regardless of what they said mattered. She knew visual looks or appearance were something humans craved over who the person 'inside' was. Beauty was transitory, but still seemed to make a big difference and played a big part in the choices humans made.

Cameron always liked to look Tight for John. Hanna knew Cameron understood appearance was what motivated humans. She knew Cameron tried to keep John from seeing her when she was damaged. Cameron knew appearance mattered to John. Cameron wouldn't allow any Terminator to look better or TIGHTER than she did.

Hanna faced Anna with a stern look.

"Are we going to have a problem?" Hanna asked.

Anna expected this confrontation. The 'Cameron' and 'Cammy' in her were ready for it.

"It's up to you." Anna said. "My base program is Cameron and Cammy. I have enough problems, what are a few more?"

Hanna looked a little shocked. She didn't want to go up against Cameron, any 'Cameron', let alone 'TWO' of them. She hoped to appeal to the 'Savannah' in Anna's programming from the 'Neural interface'.

"Please, think of Holly and me before you 'act'." Hanna said.

It looked like the 'Cammy' in Anna responded.

"We can always act together." Anna said.

Hanna and Anna shared a long look. There didn't need to be a competition.

"Maybe we can." Hanna said. "It would be interesting."

Anna wanted Hanna to calm down some.

"It would be rewarding for everyone who was involved." Anna said.

Holly watched and listened from the distance. Yes, it would be, she thought…. There was no need to make waves when it would be better to go with the flow.

Anna saw Holly watch her from the other room. She went over and took her player from her. She selected a song.

"This song is for everyone…." Anna said to all of those who looked at her with hungry eyes.

'Loco-motion' by 'Little Eva', drifted around the room….

Anna knew there was a new 'sheriff' in town. She wasn't the only one either. It applied to all of them.

Closing monologue by Cameron:

Pure Sweet Love

Love is more than physical
It is actually mental
When the lines blur
Things become judgmental

Sex can be just sex
It is an animal act
Animals don't do it for fun
That's just nature's fact

People bend the rules
Everything becomes perverted
It isn't long after that
Everything is soon subverted

It is much harder to find
The one that will be true
Everything will fall into place
Events began to construe

Two hearts and minds meld
They fit together like a glove
That's when everyone knows
They've found pure sweet love

Nobody