Chapter 928
We Have A Problem
Savannah finished her conversation with Cameron. She started off towards Cammy and Sheila. She resisted the urge to look back at Cameron as she did. Maybe it wasn't a good idea. She didn't want Cameron to think she blew her off. It was something Cameron told her John did several times to her. She glanced back at Cameron and smiled as she continued her journey.
She didn't know what was going on, but she knew it wasn't going to be anything good. She was plagued with the feeling whatever it was, it was her doing, or her involvement somehow with something in the past. What made it a little more concerning was the fact she hadn't gone into the past yet, so it was a future event for her, even if somehow it already occurred.
Savannah could see Cammy and Sheila talking as she approached. They looked at her with a little apprehension. She didn't think it was going to be good news. She took a deep breath and swallowed hard before she spoke.
"Do I even want to know?" Savannah asked. "Should I know?"
Cammy looked at Savannah as she approached.
"I don't know." Cammy said. "I really don't."
Savannah wanted to get to the heart of the matter. If she shouldn't know, it left only one other person.
"Should Cameron know?" Savannah asked.
Sheila glanced at Cammy.
"I don't think so." Sheila said. "It's up to Cammy."
Savannah was worried for the safety of the group. Everyone's safety needed to come first.
"Cammy, is there anything we should do immediately so we're not endangered?" Savannah asked. "If you even think there is, we need to act on it now."
Cammy looked at Savannah with a very solemn look on her face. Based upon what they hypothesized, the outlook going forward seemed rather grim.
"I'm not trying to make a joke or be funny. I want you to know it ahead of time before I speak about it." Cammy said. "We all need to head for one of the other futures or send everyone back a hundred years in time."
Savannah watched Sheila nod her head in agreement.
"It's the honest truth." Sheila said. "We're not kidding."
It was clear to Savannah the Metal girls weren't joking.
There were very serious looks on the faces of Cammy and Sheila.
Savannah figured she needed to hear it all.
"I think it's best to start at the beginning, or at least what you actually know for a fact." Savannah said. "I'm sure there are other details you're unable to unlock yet."
John waited with John Henry in the Command Center. He was a little upset they didn't have any audio. He tried to speculate what may have happened.
"This has to be something Cameron did somewhere." John said.
Based on her track record, John Henry felt John probably wasn't too far off of the mark.
"It's more than likely." John Henry said. "We should probably find out a little more first before we start pointing fingers."
John wanted some insight. The suspense was a little too much for him. He needed to know what they faced.
"Can CamNet help us at all?" John asked. "Maybe she can provide us with any information or insight."
John Henry wanted to know as well. He sent an inquiry to CamNet. The response was a little less than he anticipated.
"CamNet has deferred all questions to Cameron." John Henry said. "It looks like we're back to where we were before."
John doubted she would provide any information. More than likely the only thing produced would be an argument. It didn't seem like a good time to have one. He didn't think anytime was a good time to have one.
"Beautiful…." John said.
John Henry looked at the position of where all the girls were on the satellite overlay map. He was as curious as he was concerned about what he saw develop.
"I'm not sure why Cameron sent Savannah instead of going herself." John Henry said.
John figured it was because Cameron had a guilty conscience. He didn't like the fact she sent Savannah to fix whatever mess she created in the past. Maybe she was worried she would compound whatever infraction she created and make things even worse.
"It's because she doesn't trust herself." John said. "She trusts Savannah to make the right decision for what's necessary."
John Henry didn't necessarily think it was a bad thing. He believed Savannah would make the right choice, and do the right thing when it was necessary.
"It's a good move. Would you trust anyone more than Savannah?" John Henry asked. "At least we know she's going to get the information. We can ask her about it later on if we don't receive a report. She's more likely to tell us the truth than Cameron would. I think it's something we can both agree on."
John didn't even need to think the question over.
"I wouldn't trust anyone more than I would Savannah." John said. "I hold Savannah in the highest esteem and regard. I know everyone does. It includes Cameron. I agree about the truth. If we want to know, Cameron isn't the one to ask, especially in this situation."
John Henry understood Savannah's love would influence her decisions. He knew she would try to protect Cameron as much as she could. It most likely would result in some of the story not being told. She would leave out a few details to prevent embarrassment or ridicule for Cameron. If there was a finger to be pointed at someone, she would point it at herself.
"Savannah may bend the rules or look the other way, but if she feels strongly about it, she will not yield." John Henry said. "Every Terminator, CamNet, and Cameron herself will follow Savannah's order if it's given. I will too. Savannah is the final safeguard to prevent Cameron or CamNet from becoming Skynet."
John knew Savannah wasn't the only one with the ability. He dealt with Young Allison a few times and saw how tough of a cookie she could be when she wanted to be. He was certain Young Allison would be willing to take things a little further in any situation than Savannah would. It wasn't surprising since he could see the same behavior in Allison and Vanna. He also was able to briefly interact with Future Allison on her visit. He was sure it was because of Young Allison's extensive training with Cameron and other Terminators since she was a small child.
"Young Allison will be able to do it as well." John said.
John Henry knew she already could. He watched Young Allison direct CamNet on what to do, and follow her 'orders'. They weren't actually 'orders', but they were suggestions, they might as well have been 'orders'. If CamNet would respond to Young Allison in such a manner, so would every other Terminator and machine. He understood the importance of the girls and their role in the future going forward.
"It's their function to protect Cameron, you, and the future." John Henry said. "Young Allison and Savannah understand their responsibility to the future and you."
John thought about it. It seemed to him it was a pretty heavy burden to place on the backs of two young women. He really would like to see both of them in his bed to make them women. He needed to refocus his thoughts. There was still an underlying issue with the nukes. He thought there must be some type of records. Even if they needed to read between the lines, there should be some indication. He was sure people tried to cover their behind. They would do it whatever way they could, or spin whatever story anyone would buy.
"Can you trace how many nuclear weapons have disappeared?" John asked.
John Henry attempted to look into the issue earlier. There was no conclusive answer. He was sure in some cases a conventional explosive was detonated in place of a nuclear weapon, and the test was labeled as a dud. He was sure there was some individual or group behind each one of those failed tests. There was no proof, so it was only speculation.
"There have been dozens over the years, including several which were to be decommissioned." John Henry said. "There were other incidents much like the Nike warheads we ran across before. To cover the paperwork at some locations, sometimes they were listed as being decommissioned at another location. When I actually checked. The other location never showed receiving the device or deactivating it."
The Nike warheads were always a source of contention with John. He wanted them turned back over to the government and Cameron refused. She took them and hid them where only she knew where they were at.
"We know Cameron has already used some of those 'missing' weapons." John said. "Did any large ones disappear?"
John was sure the relatively small and low yield Nike warheads were the least of his worries. He was right.
John Henry wasn't surprised at what he found.
"Yes." John Henry said.
John wasn't sure if John Henry understood exactly what he was asking about.
"I was talking about H-bombs." John said. "I know some of those were large enough to be a 'city killer'."
John Henry was aware some of the biggest H-bombs created showed up as a 'dud' or unaccounted for.
"Yes." John Henry said. "Several large H-bombs disappeared."
John needed to think about it for a few seconds. He figured if Cameron was going to go big, she would go real big. He didn't want to pin everything on Cameron until they came up with a little more evidence to prove she was responsible.
"Is it anything Skynet related?" John asked. "Do we know of any Skynet involvement with the H-bombs?"
John Henry knew there were several nations which tested nuclear weapons secretly. They claimed they didn't possess them. As to the origin of those weapons, he didn't know if they were developed locally or actually any of the missing weapons.
"It's unknown." John Henry said. "There's no record of any of them ever being used."
John thought they could have been used clandestinely in the same manner Cameron used hers.
"What about being used underground, like Cameron did?" John said. "At least what we know about."
It wouldn't surprise John if there were more. He was sure if it was reported as an 'earthquake' at some point in time, and no one speculated otherwise, he doubted Cameron would come clean to the use of any other nuclear weapons.
John Henry looked into another method to see if there were any irregularities.
"I'm currently analyzing major earthquake reports to see if any do not correspond with known fault lines." John Henry said. "I have to say often when an earthquake happens, it happens on a previously unknown fault line."
John wanted to remind John Henry they previously used a few shortcuts and misdirection to cover up what they were a part of and responsible for. There were other Skynet related things which exploded in a very spectacular fashion.
"Remember we 'moved' the epicenter for several of the big explosions we were 'involved' with." John said.
John Henry stopped and looked around.
John knew right away something was different.
"What's wrong?" John asked.
John Henry glanced at the security monitor and then looked at John.
"CamNet has informed me she will conduct the search and let us know." John Henry said. "I'm to cease my efforts."
John nodded his head slowly several times.
"It's what I was afraid of…." John said.
John felt CamNet would cover Cameron's tracks on any questionable activity. This is where Savannah or Young Allison needed to be involved on his behalf. He could lean on either of the girls to get the answers he sought. Maybe it wouldn't be the best use of his influence. Maybe it didn't even matter at this point for something that was already done and over with. It did remind him what valuable assets the girls were. Maybe this was a further effort to force the 'Natural Order' to happen sooner.
Maybe it was time.
Savannah listened to Cammy and Sheila. She asked them numerous questions. The more she heard, the less she liked. She felt she came up with an answer.
"I know what must be done." Savannah said.
Cammy looked a little relieved Savannah was going to do something.
"You're going to tell Cameron, right?" Cammy asked.
Savannah didn't believe it was the right solution based upon what she knew.
"No." Savannah said. "I'm not."
Sheila was more than a little worried at this point. She glanced at Cammy and then back at Savannah.
"Are you going to do this yourself?" Sheila asked.
Savannah felt it was her duty and responsibility to act.
"Yes." Savannah said. "I'm going to try."
Cammy believed the mission was too dangerous for Savannah to go alone.
"One of us needs to go with you." Cammy said. "I'll go."
Sheila reached over and touched Cammy's arm and then looked at Savannah.
"I'll go in your place, Savannah." Sheila said. "We're responsible for this."
Savannah didn't believe it was their fault.
"No, you're not." Savannah said.
Sheila was very worried about Savannah. The mission wouldn't end well for anyone who went.
"We didn't stop it." Sheila said. "Cammy and I will do it."
Savannah reached out and touched both Cammy and Sheila on the cheek. She didn't want to be responsible for the termination of any of their personnel.
"I'll do it myself." Savannah said. "The hard choice is always the right choice."
Cammy didn't want Savannah to sacrifice herself.
"I can't allow it." Cammy said.
Savannah wanted to keep things simple. She didn't want things to turn into a bigger problem. Right now it looked like it might be the direction things were headed. If she needed to play hardball, she would. She wanted to make herself clear.
"It's my 'request'." Savannah said. "I don't want to have to make it an 'order'. You will not tell Cameron this, or any of the Metal girls, or other Terminators, or John."
Cammy was going to protest but Sheila abruptly stopped her. She thought there must be something behind Sheila's interruption to her. She knew when to play it cool.
Savannah walked back with Cammy and Sheila.
Cammy silently reached down and took Savannah's hand.
Savannah squeezed Cammy's hand as they walked.
It was clear they would most likely not 'interact' again.
Sheila was a little disturbed to watch them silently communicate with each other. They were in Nevada and it was a gambling state. She figured there was still one more set of dice to roll before things went too far. She needed to play her cards right in order to pull it off, especially in time. She was going to need to push the outside of the envelope a little and bend the rules. She knew it all came down to a matter of wording.
Cameron could see the glum looks on Cammy's and Sheila's faces. She could see Savannah looked very focused and determined.
She didn't think it was a good sign.
Cameron was about to ask them what they'd found out.
The next words out of Savannah's mouth surprised her.
"Cameron, you're to take the Metal girls and return back to the base." Savannah said.
It wasn't what Cameron expected or wanted to hear.
"Why?" Cameron asked.
Savannah didn't want to get into any details or specifics. What she believed she knew was bad enough.
"I want you to do it because I've asked you to do so." Savannah said.
Cameron asked the question all of the Metal girls wanted to ask.
"What about you?" Cameron asked.
Savannah resisted the urge to glance toward the mountain where the mine was at.
"I have a mission to accomplish." Savannah said.
Cameron didn't want Savannah to be alone on any mission.
"Do you mean by yourself?" Cameron asked.
Savannah needed to remain focused on the objective. She looked over the group of Metal girls.
"I will need one assistant to help me." Savannah said.
All the Metal girls volunteered at once, except Samantha.
Savannah took a moment to look at all of them. She could see all of them sincerely wanted to go. She could see how beautiful all of them were. She couldn't let anything happen to any of them.
"No, none of you are going." Savannah said.
Samantha stepped forward. She understood it was her destiny.
"I'm going with her." Samantha said. "It is my function. It is what I was created for, even if none of us knew it at the time."
Savannah looked at Samantha and nodded. She figured Samantha carried the least amount of baggage with the rest of those in the Resistance, especially the female Resistance members. Her termination would cause the least amount of grief to the others. She was pleased Samantha stepped up when she knew it was time.
"Samantha is correct." Savannah said. "She is the one."
Gail was very upset with the new turn of events. Something Samantha said earlier bothered her greatly. She felt she needed to bring it up and make it known to everyone.
"Samantha said she was 'expendable'." Gail said.
Savannah didn't want to get into any specifics of the mission. What needed to be done, needed to be done. There is no need to make a big deal about it. She did want Gail to know a little more about what she said, at least in her view.
"Nobody is 'expendable'. The decision has been made." Savannah said. "I have spoken."
Cameron stood directly in front of Savannah. She sensed the impending danger and what most likely would occur, especially after Gail's comment.
"I can't allow this." Cameron said. "I will not allow this. I will be the one to accompany you."
Savannah needed to bite her lower lip a little bit. She needed to stand tall and stand firm right now. It was about life and death.
"I'm sorry, Cameron." Savannah said. "It's my decision."
Cameron knew if she pushed the issue right now, she was going to get an 'order' to withdraw. There would be no choice then other than to obey it. She didn't know what Sheila planned to do.
Cammy took Sheila aside. She was a little upset at her. She wanted to talk some reason into Savannah previously. She was sure she could have used her personal influence to change Savannah's mind and allow her to go with her.
"Why did you stop me from protesting earlier?" Cammy asked. "I think I could have reached her."
Sheila looked around to make sure it was clear and no one was listening. Cameron and Savannah talked with each other in the distance.
"It was because Savannah hadn't mentioned one person yet. I didn't want you to protest and have her mentioned." Sheila said. "Savannah didn't mention their name. There's one person who can stop her…."
Cammy quickly replayed her files of the encounter and discussion with Savannah.
Her face lit up. It was the one person who could stop Savannah.
"Allison - Young Allison…." Cammy said. "I must call her at once."
Cammy looked around and moved so the bathrooms were between her and where Savannah was. She didn't want to get spotted on her phone. She didn't want to raise any suspicions and have Savannah come over and ask her what she was doing.
She looked over at Sheila.
"If I get questioned, you need to take over the phone call on your own as quickly as possible." Cammy said. "Savannah is probably going to be suspicious of me anyway. I may get deactivated from what I'm about to do. The same would apply to you."
Sheila understood the personal connection. She understood the extreme amount of danger and risk to her. It was nothing like Savannah was about to encounter.
"I've got your back, love." Sheila said. "I would rather have the front though."
Cammy faintly smiled. She knew Sheila tried to lighten the mood because of its extreme seriousness. She took out her phone to call Young Allison.
She was aware it wasn't what Savannah wanted, but she wasn't banned from calling Young Allison, not yet anyway. It was time to act before it was too late. She figured she would be deactivated for doing it. It didn't matter. She really didn't see any point to existing if Savannah was terminated. Savannah's safety came before her existence.
Cammy took one more look to make sure Savannah couldn't see her. She made the call to Young Allison and spoke quickly.
The 'discussion' fell apart fast between Cameron and Savannah.
Cameron was reluctant to yield because she understood the severity of whatever Savannah was going to do. She didn't know what the mission actually was, but based upon what Savannah said, it was probably not survivable. She knew what a 'one way ticket' was like. She needed to face it more than once. It happened not only as herself, but also as Duplicate Cameron.
Savannah held firm with Cameron. She didn't want to play hardball, but it looked like it might be necessary.
"Cameron, I'll order you to leave if I have to." Savannah said. "I don't want to have to do it. I don't want it to be how we part."
Savannah hoped an 'order' like it wouldn't be the final words between Cameron and her. It would be a terrible way to be remembered.
Cameron was sure Skynet was involved in Savannah's decision. If Skynet was involved, it made it personal to her. It was her function.
"It is I who must face Skynet." Cameron said. "Not you. It's my mission to destroy every vestige of Skynet in the past, the present. It's what I was sent back for. It's my job, not yours."
She didn't want to keep arguing with Cameron. From the information gleaned from Cammy and Sheila, there were all the ingredients of a C-bomb. Savannah needed to know more of the specifics of how the C-bomb reacted.
"On a C-bomb, a Cobalt bomb, does the Cobalt need to be encased around the H-bomb? I mean physically surrounding it for the massive Cobalt radiation to occur?" Savannah asked. "Does it happen when the Cobalt is vaporized in close proximity to an H bomb?"
Cameron felt a major glitch impulse shoot through her left hand. It worried her greatly Savannah would even speak of such a deadly weapon. She knew the bomb existed mostly in theory, even though there was some very small scale testing decades ago.
"For the maximum destructive effect it does." Cameron said. "If it's detonated in the atmosphere, the Cobalt radiation produced by it will spread around the Earth. It could last for a century before the afflicted areas could safely be reinhabited. It's far beyond the time humans could remain in shelters."
Savannah needed to deliver some more bad news to Cameron. From what was unlocked so far by Cammy and Sheila, there was an H-bomb they stole from a test in the past. The H-bomb was inside the mine. They hid it and placed it in the deepest part of the mine and sealed off any easy access to it. They camouflage the entrance to the part of the mine they hid it in.
"Cammy and Sheila believe this is where the missing Cobalt is at." Savannah said. "We know there is an H-bomb in the bottom of the mine. We don't know if there is an additional nuclear weapon, or weapons, in there controlled by Skynet. They may have also found the H-bomb."
It was clear what Savannah intended to do.
Cameron looked at Savannah with desperation on her face. It wasn't how things were supposed to be. It wasn't Savannah's job to do it.
"Savannah, you don't need to do this." Cameron said.
Savannah believed the time for discussion was over. The decision was already made.
"It's my duty to protect John. Protecting you, protects John." Savannah said. "Vanna can take 'my place'. What we've currently stumbled into, and initiated, may prompt them to act sooner than they intended. The clock may already be counting down. We need to collapse the mine before they can build a C-bomb, or a group of them."
Cameron couldn't allow Savannah to terminate like this. Savannah stood by her side before when the end was near. She intended to do the same for her.
"I'm going with you." Cameron said.
Savannah didn't want to argue about the issue. What she needed were some facts as to what would happen when the H-bomb was detonated at the bottom of the mine. She saw the satellite images of what the ground looked like when the underground testing took place. She understood the nuclear explosion would create a giant cavity as the earth around it was vaporized. Everything above the cavity would collapse in on top of it since there was no longer any ground underneath it to support it.
"You won't. It's my duty to protect the future." Savannah said. "If the H-bomb is still in the bottom of the mine and is detonated, will it set off any other nuclear weapons as the mine collapses in on itself after the explosion?"
Cameron believed for it to happen, the other nuclear weapons would need to be right next to the H-bomb. It was questionable if they would even sympathetically detonate the same way, or simply be vaporized themselves. There was usually a multi part procedure involved in the arming and detonation of a nuclear weapon.
"No, they should be crushed. They will be buried along with the Cobalt. Everything in the mine should be destroyed." Cameron said. "The radiation should be trapped if the explosion is deep enough. The entire mountain should collapse in on itself. It should seal everything down there forever."
Cameron looked at Savannah with a knowing look. This is where Savannah was going to die.
Savannah looked back at Cameron with the same knowing look.
"I'm sorry, Cameron." Savannah said. "I have to do this. You're more important to the future than I am."
Cameron couldn't allow Savannah to go on the mission. She needed to find a way around it herself. She needed to find it fast.
CamNet made sure Young Allison received all the information from the Nevada desert. It seemed to get worse by the second. So far they didn't have any details as to what was actually happening. Everyone was in a very glum mood.
"What's Savannah talking about?" Young Allison asked.
Anna lacked all the details as well.
"I don't know." Anna said. "She asked everyone to leave except Samantha. They're all supposed to return back to the Resistance base, except Savannah and Samantha."
Young Allison was very worried. There was a sick feeling deep in her gut. It started to grow and get bigger and bigger. Something was off. It wasn't right. She tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
"I heard what Gail said about Samantha being 'expendable'." Young Allison said. "Something bad is about to happen."
Anna couldn't disagree with her assessment. Everything seemed to indicate it.
"Yes, it looks like you're correct." Anna said.
Young Allison wanted some answers. No. She didn't want them, she needed them. She needed them now.
"Check with CamNet specifically about this, and John Henry." Young Allison said. "Make sure they know I'm the one who is asking. Hurry…."
Young Allison's phone rang. She saw it was Cammy. She figured it was going to be even worse news, it was.
"Hello." Young Allison said.
Cammy looked over at Sheila and nodded once the connection was made.
"Hello." Cammy said. "I'm sorry to disturb you. We have a problem…."
Cammy explained everything to Young Allison. The negative outcome was stressed.
Young Allison understood the severity of the situation. It was the worst case scenario. Savannah was probably going to be killed, it was all but a certainty. She needed to speak with her.
"I'll call her." Young Allison said.
Cammy was pretty sure she was going to be deactivated for what she was doing. If she wouldn't have been deactivated before, the next part of her plan would definitely get her deactivated. It was a price she was willing to pay. She didn't want to put Young Allison at risk, but she didn't believe there was any other way to stop Savannah.
"I don't want to endanger you, but I don't think calling is going to work." Cammy said. "Savannah has already made up her mind. She can order us not to assist you if she suspects we're trying to stop her. You need to act before she figures it out. You need to understand what's going to happen to me when Savannah finds out what I've done. I can't stop her, but you can. Allison, you're the only one who can do it. You need to be here. You must come at once."
Young Allison understood what Cammy meant and the risk she took to warn her. She knew there would be some type of risk to her, but it didn't matter. Savannah was more important to her than her own existence. She was willing to take any chance necessary in order to protect Savannah. It didn't matter what it was. She needed to know how much time she had and what specifics she could learn in advance.
"Does she have a way into the mine?" Young Allison asked.
Cammy felt all the information they knew was sketchy at best.
"CamNet and John Henry have both identified other entrances." Cammy said. "There's no way to know if they go anywhere, or if they are guarded, if they even still exist."
There was no choice. Young Allison wasn't going to let Savannah die for this. Not if she could do anything to stop it.
"I'm going there." Young Allison said.
Cammy still needed to consider Young Allison's safety. She wanted to remind her before she took any action how dangerous it was. She didn't want to be the one responsible for Young Allison's termination, but it was a possibility based upon the seriousness of the situation and whatever happened in the aftermath if Savannah was able to pull it off.
"It's very dangerous. It could be fatal for you as well to be anywhere around the area." Cammy said. "I'll be deactivated for telling you this and endangering you. It was the price I was willing to pay to help Savannah. Love is about sacrifice sometimes. I've made the choice to help Savannah survive."
Young Allison quickly calculated her chances of survival in the danger zone. They appeared to be zero. It actually made her decision easier. There was nothing to worry about. She already knew how the story ended.
"I'm willing to pay the price as well." Young Allison said. "I can't allow Savannah to do this."
Cammy would attempt to buy Young Allison as much time as possible. She didn't know at what point what she did would come out, but it was more than likely bound to at some point.
"I will keep them here as long as possible." Cammy said. "They won't leave until it's dark."
Young Allison quickly assessed what she would do in Savannah's place. She needed to think like Savannah to counteract her actions.
"Try to get a tracker on Savannah." Young Allison said. "She's going to go 'dark', I know it. Try to put more than one on her, or her gear. She will probably look for one."
Cammy looked at the phone and looked at Sheila.
"I don't know what else to do." Cammy said. "Goodbye…."
Young Allison could only imagine the torment which went through Cammy's mind right now. She wanted to try to give her some reassurance. She didn't know if she could actually prevent Cammy from being deactivated, but she could prevent her program from being terminated.
"I'll prevent your termination, Cammy." Young Allison said. "I'll have CamNet save your program in her server from being deleted or erased. I won't allow your existence to end either."
Cammy wasn't sure how deep Savannah's anger would go once she realized the danger she was about to put Young Allison in. She didn't think it would end well for her.
"Savannah will still be able to do it." Cammy said. "She can order it done."
Young Allison didn't know for sure but she could play a few cards of her own. Besides, it wasn't over until it was over. It was far from over at this point. It actually only just started, even if it did already decades ago.
"We'll see." Young Allison said. "Thank you, Cammy. It was the right thing to do."
Young Allison immediately put her phone away. It was time to act. There was nothing to think about or reflect on.
"Did you hear all of it?" Young Allison asked. "Did you hear everything Cammy told me?"
The glum look on Anna's face indicated she heard it all.
"I did." Anna said.
Young Allison wanted to take a couple of safeguards out first. She promised to save Cammy from termination. She needed to be as good as her word.
"I want Cammy's program saved so no one can delete it or erase it." Young Allison said. "Do it as an order from me. I'm the only one who can change the order."
Anna looked reluctant to do it.
Young Allison wondered if she just ran into her first obstacle.
"Are you going to help me?" Young Allison asked. "It's an order from me."
Anna heard what Cammy said about Savannah's directives.
"Savannah has asked us not to 'interfere'." Anna said.
Young Allison rolled her eyes. It wasn't the kind of talk she wanted to hear coming out of the gate. It looked like it was going to be about 'splitting hairs'.
"Nobody said anything to you yet." Young Allison said. "It wasn't an order from Savannah. I'm asking for your help, even if it's only from the 'Savannah' in your programming. I need your assistance. Savannah needs your assistance."
It was clear to Anna how far things were going to go. Young Allison was willing to do it on her own if she needed to. To act on her own would only place Young Allison in more danger.
It was Anna's duty to protect and look after Young Allison. She loved Young Allison dearly. She knew Cammy loved Savannah dearly. She saw the price Cammy was willing to pay to protect Savannah the only way she knew how. She was willing to pay the price as well. She would do everything possible to help Young Allison as she protected her.
"No, it wasn't an order from Savannah." Anna said. "We need to get there before it gets dark."
She also felt they needed to get there before it became an order. It was going to put the two girls at odds with opposing orders. It was going to become an even bigger problem.
Young Allison thought of what they would need to do to get there as soon as possible. She would need to use her influence to make it happen. So far her only 'order' was to protect Cammy's existence.
"Let's get crackin'." Young Allison said.
She quickly set her plan into motion. She needed to keep everything 'off the books' for now. It made her wonder if some of Cameron's behavior emanated from her behavior. Did it matter in the end?
Closing monologue by Cameron:
We Have A Problem
Everything is rosy
Things seem great
The one who is close
Appears to be first rate
Is it really the case
Do you know who they are
It will soon determine
If things stop or go far
Maybe things don't add up
Their words are deceiving
It's all about one's trust
They are actually thieving
How soon will it be
Until the knife finds a back
There are many ways
For one to attack
It's very hard to accept
Rejection from what once was a gem
One doesn't need to be in Huston
To know we have a problem
Nobody