Chapter 889

Don't Tell Her

John Henry was fascinated to observe the three Metal girls all interact with each other. They all seemed so human at times. Cameron perfected the infiltration units far better than Skynet was ever able to. When Ally, Sheila, and Hanna were together for a long time, especially around human females, they were soon indistinguishable as being Terminators.

He wasn't sure if Skynet understood the long term effects of infiltration units being exposed to humans. The more they were around humans for years at a time, the more 'human like' they became, even in their thought process. It soon expanded into their desires too.

When Cameron experienced her 'episodes', she seemed to think she was a human female. He carefully studied everything about each of them he could, starting from the first one. When John found Cameron in the halfway house, she didn't know she was a Terminator. She didn't know she was a cyborg, and not a human female. He really wondered how long one of those episodes could go on. At what point would Cameron start to realize she didn't need to do the same things as other humans did. She wouldn't need to sleep, she wouldn't need to eat, or deal with the byproducts of consuming food. Those were all things which should become very evident within a few days. He really wondered what it would be like if it happened to him. He turned his attention back to the current situation.

John Henry followed Cammy, Sheila, and Ally to the next casino using surveillance. He didn't plan to use his ability to change any electronic gaming to favor them. He wanted to watch them clean up on their own. They were able to do so quite well. Maybe when Cameron and Gail were 'done', he would head out and see how he could do….

It was one of the reasons he wanted to go with John in the first place, other than to protect him. It was also to try his hand at gambling. His natural ability at gambling was no different than his natural ability at playing chess. Nobody could beat him playing chess, other than River. He still wasn't sure how it was possible. Then again he was still trying to break her encryption on the TDE at the Resistance base. It was something which eluded him for years. How could a human make something so complex?

It made him wonder about River, Duplicate Cameron, and the Duplicate girls. He never knew they were all Duplicates. They were identical to the originals in every way. He wondered if maybe they weren't the originals since they were in all three timelines. Maybe Cameron and the girls there now were the Duplicates. There was really no way to tell. There never was. Since they were all duplicates of each other, it was hard to say if the first group, or the last group, were the 'originals'.

Cameron made her proclamation she was the 'original' and everyone seemed to go along with it. Duplicate Cameron seemed more than happy to stay with the River in her future. Her actions really made him wonder if she wasn't really the original Cameron, and not one of two Duplicate Camerons. Cameron made sure the other set of Duplicate girls were left stranded 'in some future' with Mrs. Weaver. There was no guarantee they were going to remain there.

He went over what Cameron's reasoning was. Since they arrived at the first destination, they were obviously the group which left the TDE room at the resistance base. The next two time transfers occurred afterwards. He could understand why Cameron would say they were the Duplicates because she arrived at her destination first and remained there. The other sets of transfers came after the original one. Maybe the Duplicate girls really were the Duplicates.

Cameron and John were having a fun and playful time in the heart shaped whirlpool tub. They carefully soaped each other up and washed each other off.

John thought about asking Cameron to see if one of the water jets could really 'stimulate' her. He heard it or read it somewhere, how some females did it with the whirlpool jets. Some of them even used the actual running water from the bathtub faucet to do it. He didn't think it would be as intense as a whirlpool jet would be. He figured both would lead to the same path, one would probably just happen a little quicker. He decided he better not say anything. He didn't want to spoil the mood. They were having a good time.

Maybe he would mention it to John Henry later on once they were back in the Command Center at the Resistance base, and see what he could come up with. He didn't want to do the search himself and have Cameron be able to trace it back to him at some later point in time. He was pretty sure all of his internet activity was reviewed by Cameron. There were a few times when John Henry told him the images were directly from CamNet. He was willing to bet there were no records when he viewed them.

Cameron could see John seemed to drift off a little bit. She wondered what it was he actually thought about right now. She was right there next to him. It seemed like his attention should be focused on her. Not only was he able to see her naked, he was able to touch her. She really wondered what could be so distracting when everything was right in front of him. She didn't want to spoil the atmosphere, but she did want to get John's attention.

She splashed some bubbles on John's face.

"Oops!" Cameron said as she giggled.

John blinked his eyes a few times and then smiled at Cameron. He reached up and wiped the bubbles off the side of his face. He resisted the urge to splash some bubbles on her. He wasn't looking to cause any type of trouble, or have his actions misinterpreted. He decided to play it cool.

"This is really a nice tub." John said.

Cameron smiled and splashed some more bubbles on John's face.

The smile on her face faded. Cameron looked serious all of a sudden.

Right away John knew what was coming next.

Cameron looked around the room and then off to the side. She then looked directly back at John.

"Did you use it earlier?" Cameron asked.

John was sure he was busted.

"NO!" John said too quickly.

Cameron looked at John for a long moment before she spoke.

"Someone did." Cameron said.

John didn't like where the conversation was headed. He would try to pin it on Cammy since she was the one who actually used it.

"It was Cammy." John said even quicker. "She ran the water and turned it on. I didn't do it."

There was now a blank look on Cameron's face.

"Cammy…." Cameron said.

It was clear what else Cameron thought. She doubted the water was the only thing Cammy 'turned on'. She was sure she 'turned on' John as well. She didn't think Cammy would try to pretend she was her, but she wouldn't put it past her. Cammy was a Bitch. She was glad she wasn't like her.

John was very concerned about Cameron's response. He didn't actually do anything with Cammy even if they almost did. He wanted to keep the focus off of him. He reaffirmed his earlier statement.

"She did." John said. "John Henry was here with me the whole time."

John quickly remembered John Henry saw what almost happened in the bedroom. Maybe he didn't think it was a good idea to have Cameron ask John Henry about what happened, or didn't happen, in the Honeymoon Suite earlier.

Cameron wondered if she shouldn't have come closer to John and given him a kiss while she held him in her arms before she asked the questions. She didn't want to make it too obvious now to scan him after she already asked the question. She would need to reposition herself before she asked more questions. Right now she couldn't do it. She glanced over at the dressing room which led to the bedroom.

"Who made the bed?" Cameron asked. "WHY did they do it?"

Cameron wanted the bed left unmade to send a message to John. It was now clear Cammy would have received the same message. Cammy would want retaliation for what she wanted John to think. Cammy would think it too and try to give her some payback. It all made sense to her now. She may have created a problem for Cammy, and would end up having to pay the price herself. It appeared to be one of those situations where everything didn't quite work out as it was originally planned. Something which should have played out one way, might turn around and bite her in the rear end.

John was glad he wasn't the one who actually made the bed. John Henry was the one who straightened up the room. Somehow it seemed like it should be less threatening to Cameron than if he would have done it himself.

"John Henry wanted the room straightened up." John said. "He said the bed was 'used'."

Cameron ignored the jab.

"He made it perfectly." Cameron said with a smile. "Will you want to 'mess it up' with me?"

John desperately wanted to change the subject. He was afraid of where the questioning was going to end up at. It made him wonder how much Cameron already knew.

"YES!" John said.

Cameron's smile faded into a stern look. She looked directly at John when she spoke.

"Did you 'mess it up' already?" Cameron asked.

John was really worried now. He didn't think John Henry or Cammy told on him. He wondered if maybe it was CamNet. He didn't think John Henry actually changed the sheets. He only thought he made the bed. It would more likely indicate they were probably traces of his DNA on it. He didn't think anything which might come off of Cammy would be any different than anything Which might come off of Cameron since they were identical. He decided to turn the question around on Cameron. It was his turn to give her a stern look.

"Did you?" John asked. "I've done nothing you haven't done."

The music stopped. Cameron looked at John for a long moment. The whirlpool effect ended. The bubbles stopped and so did the churning of the water.

The silence was deafening.

Savannah still touched Gail as she 'loved' her. She stopped to rest for a moment.

Gail could see Savannah was tired. She didn't want to run Savannah ragged. It also bothered her because Savannah only tried a little bit of what was available on the food cart earlier.

"You need to eat and sleep, Savannah." Gail said. "I can do this until my power cell runs out or I'm terminated. You can't."

Savannah looked at Gail and gave her a faint smile. She was tired and hungry. She was used to it by now. She also needed to show a little moderation.

"I am tired." Savannah said. "It's been a long day and night for me."

Gail wanted to spend all of the time with Savannah. She was also concerned for Savannah's human needs. They were very important to her health and well being. She knew Savannah was pregnant with Vanna's baby as well. She didn't want to be the one responsible in case anything bad happened to Savannah, or Vanna's embryo.

"Please eat something before you rest." Gail said. "You're going to make me 'worry'."

It was about the last thing Savannah wanted to do. She certainly didn't want to cause Gail to glitch.

"I don't want to do anything to make you uncomfortable or worry." Savannah said. "I want to make you feel special and HAPPY."

Gail believed where she was right now was the best time she ever experienced during her existence. Her experience with Savannah actually made her feel 'complete'. She wasn't really sure if she could explain it or not.

"You've done both." Gail said. "Even though I'm a machine and can't be happy, I'm as happy as a machine can be in our own way."

Savannah knew Gail needed to use the 'Neural Interface' Cameron developed. The trouble with using it would be, was it would 'change' Gail and who she was at this point. It would also allow her to be more 'human'.

She wondered if they could find the human female Gail was patterned after. She previously asked John Henry about it. He never got back to her on the matter. It made Savannah wonder if Gail's human counterpart was alive, and if she was, what her story was.

She knew Gail was created as a Restorator in the alternate future John created. She was never a Skynet Terminator. It still seemed the person she was patterned after should exist in their timeline as well. The only difference she was aware of in the timeline John created, was John and Mrs Weaver weren't in it until they arrived in that future from the present.

It was a sobering thought. Savannah wondered if Gail's counterpart could be dead, a drug addict, or a stripper. She thought they could also be a criminal or a socialite. She could be anything….

Gail got up and picked Savannah up in her arms. She carried Savannah back to where the food was. She wanted to take away any indecision on Savannah's part. If she was back at the food, there was no reason she shouldn't try some.

Savannah wanted Gail to continue to have a good time. She knew she needed to get some rest and there was no reason for Gail to need to stay there and watch her sleep.

"Do you want to go down and join the girls for the games?" Savannah asked. "You should be able to have a good time with them as well."

Gail didn't want to leave Savannah. Even if she was asleep, she wanted to be near her. Just to share her presence. She thought it would be beautiful to watch her sleep.

"No. Please eat something." Gail said. "I want you to do it for BOTH of you. You know I scanned you multiple times."

Savannah was aware all of the Metal girls would scan one of the human girls when they shared. They always tried to be in the middle of a scan when the human girl would 'finish'. Cammy always told her it gave them a very satisfying experience when the event occurred. It would often trigger the same response for them. It gave them a feeling of accomplishment and another successful mission.

"I know it's part of the experience of being with a Metal girl." Savannah said. "I enjoy sharing my special moments."

Gail found the experience very rewarding.

"It makes it even more special for me." Gail said. "To KNOW I've satisfied you and can FEEL you being satisfied."

It always pleased Gail to be inches away from one of the girls and see the physical reaction to them being satisfied. To watch an area pulsate with several contractions in a row was always a file worth saving. She now possessed one of a 'pink butterfly' which looked like it was about to take off.

Sheila looked forward to entering a new casino. She was well aware John Henry would try to keep the pit bosses and enforcers off of their backs as they 'won'. He would try to prevent an 'incident' from developing. It might be a good thing to start out. She wouldn't mind a confrontation later on. She didn't think it would get physical or not, but if it did, she hoped it would be in a back room where she could give whoever it was a 'proper education'. If they touched her in a way which would hurt a human, she would be sure to return the favor, in Spades.

The game to her was to beat the house without being detected or called out. It was the real 'gamble' to her. It was to infiltrate the 'system' and get out clean with the cash. Savannah asked her earlier to donate any of the winnings to the battered women's shelter. She thought it would be better to look up the records of the females there, and determine WHO abused them. She would rather pay the abusive individual a 'special' visit instead…. It would be her donation to the cause. If she decided to let the abuser live, she could guarantee they would never be with another female as a man. She was sure she would need to terminate most of them when their language turned foul and their attitude showed aggression. Past experience showed her termination was the only cure for the problem of abusers, especially against females.

She actually already did it one time when she went with Savannah. They talked to a young woman who was beaten multiple times. It upset her, to see the pain Savannah felt for the young woman. She went back later and looked the perpetrator up. When she found him, he was in the process of abusing another female. Since he wasn't held accountable for his actions, and there was no apparent punishment for them, there was nothing to stop him from doing it again and again. It was exactly what he was in the process of doing.

Sheila smashed the door open and went straight into the apartment. The man just told the female he was going to smash her face to pulp and permanently disfigure her. He wanted her to live so no one else would ever want to touch her again. He told her she would need to wear a scary Halloween mask whenever she went out in public, because it would look better than her face was going to look. The man was about to drive his balled fist into the female's face when she entered and closed in on him. She grabbed his fist and crushed it. In less than a second his fist was nothing but 'bloody hamburger' filled with broken and crushed bones. It was one quarter its original size. He let out a scream of agony. She saw the remains of two of the crushed fingers fall off.

She wanted to make sure the girl was away before she 'started in' on the abusive male. Because of what he said he was going to do to her, and why, he rated a 'special session'.

"Get out." Sheila told the teenager. "I don't know how long I'll be able to hold him. Run and don't ever look back. He's going to hurt you and eventually kill you. I think you can see it now."

The female scooped up her clothes and ran out the door naked with them. She didn't look back. She was clearly shaken by the entire incident.

Sheila gagged him after she crushed his vocal cords and proceeded to break every bone in his body, one at a time. She started with all the small bones first and saved the bigger ones for last. She did not want him to go into shock or pass out too quickly. It was his face which was now bloody pulp. He died somewhere during the process….

"Watch out, stupid." Ally said.

Cammy reached out and grabbed Sheila.

"I don't want to draw any more attention to us if the glass shatters." Cammy said.

Sheila was about to walk through a giant stained glass window. It was clear she was zoned out.

"I'm sorry." Sheila said. "I was thinking about what to do with my winnings. I tried to think of how to best spread the wealth."

Ally couldn't resist.

"I bet it's not the only thing you want to spread." Ally said.

Sheila thought it actually would pertain to the specifics.

"I think we all know I hold the title when it comes to spreading, shorty." Sheila said.

Ally was upset with the challenge.

"I think it's all a matter of opinion, perspective, and preference." Ally said. "I'm pretty sure I win when it comes to Aesthetics."

Cammy agreed with Ally. She wanted the argument to stop.

"The discussion is over." Cammy said. "We need to think about what's next.

Sheila frowned.

"Whatever…." Sheila said.

Cammy doubted it was the main reason for whatever made Sheila zone out. She was so sure there was a lot more to it. When they were alone in the past, Sheila revealed to her most of her encounters, and what was done during a 'special session' with a perpetrator. Right now she just wanted Sheila and Ally to pay better attention because of what they were about to do. She was also concerned about Sheila.

"First we need to enter the casino without a 'smashing entrance', and 'win' the money." Cammy said. "How do you 'feel'?"

Sheila looked at the glass window she almost walked through.

"I'm fine." Sheila said. "I was just a little distracted for a moment."

Ally also was worried because Sheila was almost in two accidents in the last three minutes. Both of the incidents were completely avoidable. They both seemed to be due to inattentiveness. It was usually a sign of a deeper problem. Deeper problems could generally lead to even more trouble.

"Is everything OK, Sheila?" Ally asked. "I'm sorry I called you stupid."

Sheila wasn't sure what happened when she crossed the street, but she did know she was deep in thought about some past encounters with some abusers of women.

"I thought about how to help some of the abused women. There's more than one way to do it." Sheila said. "There are a lot of the abused females in Las Vegas. The alcohol flows a little too freely in this town. I'm sure the illegal drug trade thrives as well. There's way too much money floating around in people's hands who don't seem to know how to control it for whatever vice they get sucked into."

Cammy wasn't so sure about Sheila's answer. She figured there was actually a little more to it. It didn't take her long to figure out what it was.

"You thought about Savannah." Cammy said. "You thought about something she told you or you did with her."

Sheila looked at Ally, and then at Cammy. She didn't want to lie to Cammy.

"I did think about Savannah." Sheila said. "She's always trying to help. She says it is a way to protect the future as well. I was thinking about different ways it could be accomplished."

Cammy was very proud of Savannah's efforts.

"She's right." Cammy said. "Females will be heavily abused in the future. We know it doesn't matter which future it is either. She wants to make our future a little better if it's possible."

Sheila wanted to make Savannah proud of her. She wanted to help.

"I want to donate my winnings to them." Sheila said. "I want to help the abused women."

Money meant very little to a Terminator. They could simply take what they wanted when they needed it. No one could stop them. They did try to operate within the norms of society and use the normal forms of payment for things they needed to obtain. Savannah was very adamant they pay for anything they took or destroyed. Some of it needed to be done after the fact. John Henry assisted any of the Metal girls with it. Savannah wanted each of them to have a sense of personal responsibility, even if they could basically do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted to. It would also draw less attention to the group the deeper they existed within the shadows.

"I will as well." Ally said. "We have no use for money anyway. We can help others with it."

They could knock off a drug operation at any time and get more cash to distribute back into the community. It seemed illogical some individuals who lacked money, or any way to earn it, were always able to have money for drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. Usually the money they did obtain was done through some type of illegal action at someone else's expense.

Cammy was very pleased Ally and Sheila would do what Savannah wanted them to do.

"Savannah will be proud of both of you to know it." Cammy said.

Sheila thought about it a little bit more and decided she wanted to do it anonymously. She didn't want it to seem like she did it to please someone else. She wanted to do it for herself because she wanted to do it.

"Don't tell her." Sheila said. "I want to do it on my own 'for myself'. I don't want to do it for any other reason, other than to help someone for once. They don't need to know who helped them. Nobody needs to know I was involved."

It didn't sound like Sheila to either Cammy or Ally. Normally Sheila would try to hog the spotlight and try to make herself look good. It was clear being around Savannah truly did have a positive effect on Terminators.

Ally really wondered what was up with Sheila.

"There MUST be something wrong with you." Ally said.

"There's something wrong with you." Sheila said.

"Shut up, stupid." Ally said.

"You're stupid not me." Sheila said.

Cammy could see Ally and Sheila were going to 'attack' each other for a while.

"Not this again…." Cammy said as she let her head hang down.

Cammy didn't even try to stop it this time. She wanted them to get it out of their system so they could concentrate and 'work' the casino. They could do things as a team and work together, or work independently of each other in different areas. They could also cause distractions for each other if it was necessary. When it came to distractions Sheila was very good at creating them.

If push came to shove, they could always go 'Terminator' on everyone. It wouldn't take them long to wreck the place. John Henry and CamNet would take care of any surveillance footage. It would be up to them to take care of any witnesses. Hopefully nothing would go quite so far to create such an event. They would most likely need to burn the casino to cover up what actually occurred.

Wait.

Weren't there several casino and hotel fires in Las Vegas in the past?

John looked at Cameron. He really wasn't sure what he wanted to reveal or say. He still felt he hadn't actually done anything wrong since he hadn't actually done anything, even if he was only one second away from doing so. Thinking about it, or even a failed attempt, weren't the same as actually doing it.

"I may have done a few things more than I anticipated on doing when I arrived here." John said. "I thought maybe I would be able to spend some time in a casino, or some of the other attractions associated with Las Vegas. I've actually done very little of anything."

He would've liked to have done them with Savannah. Cammy was fine too.

Cameron thought it was rather ironic John did a few more things than he anticipated. She felt it was just the opposite for her. She did less than she anticipated. She also felt she wasn't done.

"I was going to do more as well, but I didn't." Cameron said. "Not yet anyway. I will."

John wanted Cameron to 'grow'. Her programming caused internal conflicts for her. She needed to expand. If she was able to expand, it would allow him to expand as well. He couldn't help but think about Cam and Cammy and their development over Cameron's.

"Cameron, you can do whatever you NEED to do." John said. "I understand. It can only help you and make you better. You need to achieve your goals, not continue to be frustrated by them. If it's what everyone wants to do on their own, without any type of coercion or manipulation, there's no reason not to do it."

Cameron thought fair was fair. She believed John needed to expand as well. It was something she repeatedly failed to do at the Resistance base. They weren't at the Resistance base now. Maybe some of those pointless inhibitions would be lifted from him. Maybe they would be lifted from her.

"You may as well, John." Cameron said. "Our 'relationship' is open."

John could see for Cameron it was a little different than it would be for him.

"I know what you want, for both yourself and me." John said. "I really understand."

Cameron wanted something real for John. It would be with a real person too. Not a cyborg who masqueraded as a human female. Underneath her sheath, she was a very scary robot from the future. She wanted to make something official, even if it wouldn't be official.

"John, will you marry her?" Cameron asked. "It can be right here in Las Vegas. It will be a real marriage."

It gave John a lot to think about. They would need to use fake names for the paperwork. It would be more real than his marriage to Cameron. Maybe it wouldn't be. Maybe one would be just as fake as the other.

The more John thought about it, the more he thought it was really what Cameron wanted for herself with Savannah. He wanted to make sure.

"Were you going to marry Savannah?" John asked.

There was a far off look in Cameron's eyes when she spoke.

"Yes." Cameron said. "There's a 'Little Chapel' on the Strip…."

John wasn't really sure what Cameron was after. He knew how she thought and how she operated. He was pretty sure she hadn't done the most important thing.

"Have you asked her yet?" John asked.

Cameron suppressed a slight glitch impulse.

"No." Cameron said.

John didn't mean to offend Cameron, but he thought some things were important and other people needed a voice in them.

"Don't you think she should have some say in all of this?" John asked.

Cameron looked confused. She tilted her head slightly.

"It's what we all want." Cameron said.

John wasn't sure Cameron could see the whole picture. She was very focused on what she wanted.

"Savannah is still a teenager." John said. "She may want some freedom for a while. She will want to do what you want, even if it may not be what she actually wants to do right now in her life. Her whole future is still in front of her."

Cameron didn't see it as a problem. She tried to make available every female there was for Savannah to be with if she wanted to be with them. She wanted Savannah to feel love and be loved.

"She will be free to be with whomever she chooses." Cameron said. "I won't allow her to be shackled as I have been."

Based on Cameron's last statement he was pretty sure their current conversation was going to end up pointing the finger at him. If it wasn't him, it would be Future John, which was still him.

"I'm not sure she will see everything the same way." John said. "Can we talk about THIS later?"

Cameron didn't want to spoil the mood. She remembered what Savannah said she wanted her to do with John. It was what she wanted to do as well.

"Of course we can, John." Cameron said. "I'm sorry. This is about us right now. Sometimes I get confused and distracted when I shouldn't."

They got out of the heart shaped tub and playfully dried each other off.

Cameron put a robe on John and carried him back to the food, she was still naked.

"You come back and see me, at the door from the bedroom to the dressing room, in ten minutes." Cameron said. "I need to fix my hair. It's the hardest thing to get right."

John wasn't sure what she was up to, but he would play along. He could also eat a little bit more food too.

"OK, it's a date." John said.

John watched Cameron smile at him and disappear back into the bathroom area. Her unclad figure was perfect and beautiful.

John hated himself for destroying her before.

How could he NEEDLESSLY do that to HER? HOW?

John heard some music drift out from where Cameron was, now behind a closed door.

'You Really Got A Hold On Me' by 'The Beatles', said it all….

Closing monologue by Cameron:

I Haven't Seen You Around Here Before

I see the many faces of everyone
Like ants they come and go
Everyone seems more than willing
To change the status quo

Whatever you have before you
Soon seems not what you want
You reopen your sore heart
Once again begin the hunt

How is what once was
Everything you dreamed for
Now 'not good enough'
Someone to hurt and ignore

So what was once new
Is now old news
There are many to select
Which one will you choose

So one can turn off their brain
Reopen their heart's door
They search for more and spot a new mark
I haven't seen you around here before

Nobody